Seitan Doner with Red Chilli Sauce and Garlic and Zaatar Aioli

Ingredients

For the doner

• 180 g vital wheat gluten
• 250 ml vegetable stock
• 1 roughly chopped white onion
• 3 roughly chopped cloves of garlic
• 3 tablespoons ground coriander
• 3 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon chilli flakes
• 1 tablespoon zaatar
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons demerara sugar
• a big pinch of salt and pepper

For the salad

• 2 thinly sliced red onions
• handful of pomegranate seeds
• 1 roughly chopped bunch of mint
• 1 ripe, peeled and chopped orange
• ¼ shredded red cabbage
• ¼ shredded white cabbage
• ¼ shredded lettuce
• lemon juice

For the red chilli sauce

• 1 can chopped tomatoes
• 1 roughly chopped red onion
• 2 roughly chopped cloves of garlic
• 2 roughly chopped red chillies
• 1 tablespoon demerara sugar
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley

For the aioli

• 3 cloves roughly chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon zaatar
• vegan mayo
• lemon juice

Method

For the doner

First, put your oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6. Fry off the onion and garlic on a low heat for 5 minutes until soft. Then put the garlic and onion into a large mixing bowl and blend to a paste, add the spices, sugar, soy and stock and mix through.

Now add the vital wheat gluten, mixing as you go. The mixture will come together as a dough when the vital wheat gluten binds to the moisture in the other ingredients.

Using a clean worksurface, dust some vital wheat gluten onto the surface and place the dough on it. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes.

Roll the dough into a log shape, it doesn’t have to be too precise. Wrap the log in tinfoil making sure to keep the tinfoil tight.

Put the seitan in the oven for 40 minutes, turning after 20.

Remove the seitan from the oven and allow to cool. Carefully remove the tinfoil and thinly slice the seitan into strips. Cook for 5 minutes (until slightly crispy) in a pan on a medium heat.

For the salad

Mix together all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and squeeze some lemon juice on top.

For the sauces

For the chilli sauce, blend the red onion, garlic, chillies, sugar, tinned tomatoes and apple cider vinegar until smooth. Heat up a pan to medium heat. Pour the mixture into a pan and bring to a simmer for 5 minutes. Then mix in the dried parsley and a big squeeze of lemon juice and allow to cool.

For the garlic and zaatar aioli, blend together all the ingredients.

To serve

Now. It’s time to assemble. Everyone has their own way, their own path in life. This is ours. First, we warm up the flatbread, decide which side we’re going for, think about how we feel. We then spread both sauces on the flatbread. On one side we put a row of the salad, on the other side we place our strips of vegan doner, then comes the best part. The drizzle. Drizzle the sauces from your chosen vessel (is it spoon? Is it squeezy bottle? We don’t weigh in on such heavy discussion, you can decide for yourself, and like most of us, probably don’t have squeezy bottles in your kitchen at home). Now, another point of contention in the world of doner. To wrap or not to wrap? We usually go for a taco/U shape pick-up and sideways bite method. Own it, be your own doner. Keep it groovy, eat well and be full.