Try Recipe by Carole Meade of Vegan Delicious

Modified from Anastasia from Slavic Vegan’s Homemade Chicken Style Seitan recipe

Ingredients:

SERVES 4-5

Chick’n Loaf
100g vital wheat gluten
1 x 420 g can chickpeas drained
150g firm or extra firm
1/2 cup water
1 heaped tsp chicken style stock powder (I use Massel)
2 tbsp neutral oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried oregano
15 grinds black pepper

Cranberry Sauce
125 g dried cranberries chopped
1⁄2 cup red wine
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Method

Chick’n Loaf (can be made two days in advance)

1. Get a large wok with a steamer basket ready on the stove to heat a large enough quantity of water to steam for 80 minutes.
2. Break up the tofu and put it in a blender with all the other ingredients except the vital wheat gluten. Blend for about 10 seconds, scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and wizz it again until it’s pretty smooth.
3. Put your vital wheat gluten into the mixture and wizz again for about 45 seconds or so until all the components merge and start sticking together.
4. Swap your blender’s metal blade for a soft plastic dough blade.(Alternatively knead it manually very vigorously.) Using the plastic blender blade, mix it for about 2 minutes or knead your mixture until it holds together in a very smooth ball that is very elastic when you try to pull it apart.
5. Get the dough ball out of the processor and slap it down a number of times onto a piece of baking paper on the bench. If it isn’t elastic enough, punch it a few times too. Then roll it and shape it into a 19-20 cm long log until it’s nice and smooth. Try and smooth out any lines and avoid little craters inside your log if you can. Then rest it for a few minutes.
6. Wrap the log into a piece of aluminium foil – folding in at the sides so it’s completely wrapped up. Using a second piece of aluminium foil, lie the log and wrap it so that the original folds of the foil are wrapped over first.
7. Place in the steamer basket, cover with lid over simmering water for 80 minutes.
8. Once cool, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container.

Cranberry Sauce (can be made one day in advance)

1. Mix all the ingredients except the lemon juice into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn down to a gentle simmer stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes with the lid off.
2. Add the juice of 1⁄2 lemon, stir & taste – add the juice of the other half of lemon if it needs a little bit more tang.
3. If the consistency is too thick, add a little water.
4. On Christmas Day... Place your chick’n loaf on a sheet of baking paper in a baking tray. Spoon the cranberry sauce over the top and let it spill down the sides.