Friends, tonight we have had a breakthrough here at Chez Recessionista. Tonight, we have made vegan chik’n and waffles for the very first time, and our lives may well never be the same.
This has been on my To-Make list for quite awhile, and over the weekend, as LeeLee and I watched a rerun of one cooking show or another, he asked me, “Do you think you could make a vegetarian version of chicken and waffles?”
Well. Challenge accepted!
LeeLee wanted to just get some frozen breaded cutlets from the store and call it a day, but I would have none of that. No, I knew in my heart of hearts that it was time to try a fried chik’n recipe I’ve had sitting in my arsenal for the better part of 15 years, yet another recipe I’ve kept from my well-worn copy of PETA’s Vegetarian Starter Kit, circa 2001 or so. (You can order an updated version right here if you like, for free!)
Admittedly, deep-frying at home always seems like a lot of work to me. There’s the breading, the dredging, the heating of the oil and then frying and hoping and praying that you don’t set off a grease fire. (Full disclosure: This evening, I had the fire extinguisher sitting in the middle of the dining-room floor, just in case.) But so is there food prep work to be done no matter what meal we’ll be eating, I told myself as I pulled the herbs and spices down from the cabinet tonight. So suck it up and get to frying.
I honestly can’t remember the last time I breaded and fried something. It was probably eggplant, and it was probably when we lived in Florida, more than 11 years ago now. But tonight I had a secret weapon that I didn’t have back then. I had my beloved cast iron skillet, which is any good Southerner’s be-all and end-all in the kitchen. My cast iron, I knew, was up to the task. And with that trusty skillet backing me up, how could I fail?
So I prepared the breading exactly the way PETA told me to: Two cups of flour, plus onion powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and some baking powder, all mixed up. (Next time I’ll add some chipotle powder, which should not surprise you.) Then for my liquid mixture I whisked some dry mustard in with some water and a spoonful of the flour mix, and we were off to the races!
I pulled some seitan strips out of the fridge, separated them as best I could, and got to dredging, placing all the newly breaded strips on a plate for frying. Once the dredging was done at last, I poured a goodly amount of vegetable oil into my skillet, set the heat to Medium-High, kept a keen eye out for grease fires, and waited. After the oil was slightly bubbly, I added each strip into the pan with my kitchen tongs, turning the strips after a minute or two. Once each one was golden brown, I removed it from the pan and placed it on a paper towel-lined plate to await further instruction.
I did this for the better part of 15 minutes, or until every strip had made its way through the skillet and onto the plate with success. Then I placed a sheet of foil over the plate to keep the seitan warm, took the skillet off the heat (again, being careful for said grease fires), and got to work on my waffles.
I’d already prepared the mix for the waffles, so all I had to do was pour a goodly amount onto my heated-up waffle iron for the cooking phase. When we each had two and a half (because, quite frankly, the last pair burned so badly that we could only salvage half of each waffle – but what can you do?), we sat down to give this new creation a try, dousing our waffles with maple syrup on the way.
Oh, boy. This meal is waaaay too good. LeeLee had never had chik’n and waffles before, and I think he’s a convert now! The sweetness of the waffle blended so wonderfully with the savory fried seitan, and the breading on the seitan itself gave off a wonderfully smooth flavor, accented by just a hint of tang from the mustard. If we had wanted a spicier version, we certainly would have added the aforementioned chipotle powder or perhaps some Cajun seasoning, and maybe a dash or three of hot sauce for good measure! But tonight’s rendition hit the spot.
I’m sorry to say that we were kind of gluttons, and there’s not anything – not one shred! – left over for tomorrow’s lunch. But that’s OK. Now that I’ve gotten over my aversion to the occasional fry-fest, there’s nothing stopping me from making more in short order!
:)