Seitan in Damson Sauce- vegan, low fat

Served with stir-fried kale and brown rice, this makes a nourishing and tasty main meal

We don't have seitan very often like this; served up in slices, but when I was thinking about what to do with our last bowl of damsons from the garden I knew that if it was going to be a version of plum sauce then it had go with seitan. For those who are sensitive to gluten or wheat, then tofu would make a less chewy (unless you freeze it first) but equally delicious substitute. I was a little disappointed that the wonderful burgundy/ purple colour of the damsons fades to a reddish brown once cooked but their fruitiness comes through well. The flavour of this sauce is a quite complex mixture of fruity, tart, sweet, aromatic and spicy but it is very simple to make. It could be even simpler if you sub damson jam for the puree. (In that case you would leave out the agave in the sauce recipe.)

Serves 6-8 people

seitan made with 1.5kg strong white (bread) flour- make sure it is boiled in stock for at least 45 minutes before slicing and cooking in the sauce; just follow the link above for how to make it.
1 cup damson puree (Made by heating damsons until soft then rubbing through a sieve- the best way to deal with those pesky little stones.)
1 1/2 cups water
1 tab agave nectar
3 tabs soy sauce
2-3 star anise
1 tsp powdered ginger (or the equivalent fresh- I just didn't have any at the time)
1 tsp seasalt
2 tsps red chilli powder
1/4 tsp compound hing
a pinch of black pepper

• To make the sauce, simply mix all the ingredients together in a large shallow ovenproof dish.
• Slice the seitan and lay the slices in the sauce.
• Bake at 200C for 30-40 minutes, until at least half the liquid is absorbed. You may want to cover the dish with foil for the last 15 minutes or so to prevent it drying out. Our seitan turned out really succulent and tender; maybe something to do with the acidity of the fruit in the sauce?