I can remember buying and eating a Salisbury steak TV dinner once when I was a teenager (I had no standards, apparently) and thinking, "hey, this isn't steak, it's just flat meatloaf!" I thought a "meat" and gravy meal would go over well with the kids, so I experimented with a tempeh burger/vegan sausage hybrid to get a little more meatiness in the so-called steak. I think the results were pretty good (even though the pic is very, very brown).INGREDIENTS
Serves 6
- 1/2 pkg tempeh, boiled in water for 10 mins, cooled, and grated
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1 tsp each onion and garlic powder
- 1 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp sage
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp dill
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp HP/A1/BBQ sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 3/4 to 1 cup water
METHOD
Get water boiling in your steamer.
1. Mix grated tempeh, wheat gluten, and spices together in a bowl. Add sauces and enough water to make a wet but firm dough and mix with a fork. Knead for a min to mix well. The dough should be the same consistency as the vegan sausage dough. Divide into 6 pieces and shape each into a "steak." Wrap each in foil and steam for 30-35 mins (rotating halfway through), until steaks have swelled against the foil.
2. Heat a thin layer of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry steaks for a few mins on each side, to firm them up a bit and get a bit of a crispy outer layer. Top with gravy and serve.
A NOTE ON GRAVY
If you have a favourite brown gravy, use it here. I would have made a roasted mushroom gravy but I knew there would be a bunch of whining from the boys. So, I made a plain gravy with some of the spices from the steaks. I heated 1 tbsp of olive oil and whisked in 1 tbsp of flour. I then whisked in 1 cup of soy milk and 2 tsp soy sauce. I then seasoned with salt, pepper, coriander, sage, paprika, garlic and onion powder.
