Despite living in australia, where the weather is likely to be well above 30°c (86°f) on christmas day, my family religiously opt for a hot dinner – in homage to the mother

I guess! Having a family that, apart from my mum, do not follow an even remotely vegan diet also adds a little extra ‘heat’ to the day. I am sure anyone that who has been vegan for long enough to have encountered a holiday will know what I mean. Especially if you have an uncle like mine, who considers provocation an entertaining pastime!





This year was challenging for many reasons, but surprisingly food was not one of them. My mum and I prepared each component of our hot christmas plate and bought it along to enjoy with the rest of the family. We had the standard steamed greens along with crunchy roast potatoes (that we par boiled and ‘ruffed-up’ before roasting in the oven), homemade sage and onion stuffing, tasty corn pudding and a few slices of homemade seitan ‘turkey’.





Having previously bought a commercially made version of faux ‘turkey’, I was stoked to have successfully reproduced my own at home! For anyone seeking another trimming for his or her plate, I definitely recommend giving it a go! The cooking time may seem long, but your seitan ‘turkey’ can be cooking away in the oven whilst you get busy with other christmas preparations.





How?





Start by making a seasoning blend containing:





1 tsp of dried sage

¾ tsp of dried thyme

½ tsp of dried majoram

½ tsp of dried rosemary

¼ tsp of ground nutmeg

¼ tsp of black pepper corns





Add all ingredients to a dry mill and grind together





Next add the following ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth:





150g of silken firm tofu

1 cup of water

1 tsp of salt

½ tsp of black pepper

2 cubes of chicken-style (vegan) bouillon (i use massel brand)

½ tsp of your seasoning blend

½ tsp of garlic powder

½ tsp of onion powder

½ tsp dried thyme





In a large mixing bowl combine the following dry ingredients:

1 ½ cup of glutinous wheat flour

1/3 cup of soy flour (i ground my own dried soy beans to produce a flour)

1 tablespoon of rolled oats

1 tablespoon of polenta





Pour the wet mix over the dry mix and knead together for 2-3 minutes. Set aside for 1-2 hours.





Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F).





Take a 60 cm x 30 cm piece of muslin cloth and fold in half (to form a square). Wet and ring out the cloth and layout on your bench. Roll your seitan ‘turkey’ into a short log shape and place into the middle of your muslin cloth. Roll up the seitan loaf like you are wrapping a sweet (twisting the sides to tighten the cloth). Place the wrapped loaf in a soufflé dish or other small baking dish. If you are using a soufflé dish it may be a good idea to place this into a larger roaster to avoid any drips or spills in the oven.





Now prepare a seasoned broth containing:





2-2.5 cups of hot water

1 tsp of black pepper

tsp of garlic powder

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