Poquitos on Capitol Hill has wonderful ambiance (love the over-the-top wrought iron decor), great drinks, and killer guacamole.
Their vegan selection isn’t amazing, but the kitchen produces some mighty fine yam tacos. However, yam and tortilla isn’t super filling — you need some protein.
Seitan works well with corn tortillas — there’s so much wheat in seitan that you need to pair it with a contrasting grain.
I’ve made seitacos before, but generally have mixed feelings about homemade seitan –it always seems a little squishy to me, and I prefer a firmer bite.
However, reader Sarah mentioned that simmering seitan instead of boiling it will improve the texture. Isa says:
The biggest mistake made by young, aspiring seitan makers is boiling instead of simmering. Boiling is great if you’re trying to create fake brains, but for all other purposes, a gentle simmer will create the tender chunks of seitan that are perfect for slicing and sauteeing.
So, here is a new and improved, winter-friendly seitaco recipe.
Don’t forget the avocado, for a little added creaminess.
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Seitan, yam, and caramelized onion tacos
Makes 6 tacos — 2 each for 2 people for dinner, and lunch the next day for 1 person
Ingredients
- 1 batch seitan (below)
- 1 large (10 oz) yam
- salt, to taste
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- a sprinkling of sugar
- olive oil
- 2 TBS Chohula sauce (or to taste)
- lime, cilantro, vegan sour cream, and avocado
- 12 small corn tortillas
Instructions
- Cut the yam into small cubes and place in a bowl. Coat with olive oil, add salt (to taste — 1/4 tsp or so) and roast at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until yam is soft and starting to caramelize.
- Heat a TBS or so of olive oil in a frying pan; when it’s hot, add onion and saute until onion softens and browns. Sprinkle with a few dashes of granulated sugar, and remove from pan.
- Add more oil or cooking spray to the pan and saute cubed seitan for 5 minutes. Coat with Chohula sauce, then add yams and saute for another minute. Remove from heat.
- To make a taco, place filling in two corn tortillas, squirt a slice of lime over it, and top with cilantro, vegan sour cream, and slices of avocado.
Seitan
“My” seitan recipe is really just the PPK’s seitan recipe, halved, with a few tweaks to accommodate for what I didn’t have around the house. I’m sure that the original is better.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons nutritional yeast flakes
- 1/4 + 1 TBS cup cold vegetable broth
- 2 TBS soy sauce
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
To simmer:
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
Instructions — see the original recipe.
