Vegan Teriyaki 'Steak', is it possible?

Yes, it is possible if you know Bryanna. I am her no.1 fan and a long time vegan feaster who follow her creations in her newsletters. Her recent newsletter features 'vegan steak'. So here it is, my use of her 'steak', and of course, I have to make it Asian style. Above in the picture are teriyaki 'steak' (DH called it Japanese Kobe Teriyaki Steak), teriyaki 'pork cutlet' (Bryanna's recipe too), and teriyaki 'eel' (using store bought vegan fish). These were marinated in my own wasabi teriyaki sauce and bbqued in my Cuisinart panini bbq grill/griddle. When I was eating meat, I love teriyaki anything and since I became a vegetarian I realized that I missed the flavor and texture of bbqed teriyaki instead of the meat and the blood in it. Bryanna's creation of faux steak has satisfied that cravings in me.

I know some vegetarians(non-vegetarians) are disgusted with faux meat or mock meat but I am with Bryanna in this. We are having fun creating faux meat or fish that it has becoming a culinary art. It adds more variety to the dishes that we create eventhough we already have a lot of ways we can do with vegetables, fruits, grains, and legumes. We play with wheat gluten flour, soy flour, tofu, and yuba to create mock meat and fish. Bryanna is definitely the 'Queen of Faux Meat'. She can create seitans that the results were almost too real. I learned so much from her (even flew hundreds miles to attend her cooking vacation in 2004) in making faux meat that I bought 25 lbs. vital wheat gluten flour and have been making so many different kind of seitan since.

I can't post the 'steak' recipe since it is reserved for vegan feasters only (who subscribes to the newsletter). I am posting my wasabi teriyaki sauce recipe which I created after I bought SoyVay Wasabiyaki sauce. Soy Vay has delicious sauces but this time I made my own to save money and honestly I can't stand the challenge of not recreating it at home. Here is the recipe:


Wasabi Teriyaki Marinade/sauce
Printable Recipe

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/2 cup Aji-mirin or Japanese cooking wine
1 cup water mixed with 4 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup organic apple juice
2 tbsp organic molasses or other sweetener
4-5 tsps wasabi powder
1 tbsp brown sugar

Heat 1 tbsp sesame oil on a skillet on a medium high heat. Add minced garlic and chopped onions. Saute for several minutes until onions are soft.
Add soy sauce, mirin, apple juice, molasses, and brown sugar. Let it come to a boil.
Add water and cornstarch mixture. Let it come to a boil again.
Add wasabi powder and turn off heat.
Transfer to a blender. With the top off or the middle part of the blender off (this is to prevent accident in blending hot mixture) and use a kitchen towel to cover the top and hold it with your hand, blend the teriyaki mixture for several minutes until smooth (carefully, start from the lowest setting of your blender and go the the puree setting).
Let the sauce cool before storing it in a bottle or jar. Keep in refridgerator for months.

Servings: 16
Yield: 3 cups

Nutrition FactsNutrition (per serving): 31.9 calories; 24% calories from fat; 0.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 2.1mg sodium; 63.4mg potassium; 4.9g carbohydrates; 0.1g fiber; 3.3g sugar; 4.8g net carbs; 0.1g protein; 0.7 points.

We ate the teriyaki with pan fried cabbage, carrots, broccoli, and a bowl of steamed brown rice. I am going back to eating and cooking Japanese again. Japanese cuisine is the one cuisine I missed the most in terms of eating out (in my area, there is no Japanese vegetarian restaurant that I know of or any Japanese restaurant who serves vegetarian food).