Description
These Vegan al Pastor Tacos are meaty and flavorful. A homemade seitan recipe marinated in an authentic al pastor marinade made with guajillo chiles, achiote pepper, pineapple, garlic, and onion. Impress anyone with these tacos, meat-eaters, and everything in between!
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Seitan
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1 cup chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup water
- 3/4 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Al Pastor Marinade
- 3 guajillo chilies, dried, de-stemmed and de-seeded
- 2 puya chilies, dried, de-stemmed and de-seeded
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 small onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1.25 ounces of achiote powder (about 1/4 cup)
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano, dried
Tacos:
- 12–14 corn tortillas
- 3/4 cup pineapple chunks (optional but recommended)
- Cilantro, minced
- Onion, diced
- Salsa of choice
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Set a pot of water to boil, and add 2 tbsp soy sauce.
- Add all seitan ingredients to a food processor and process until a dough forms.
- Take it out of the food processor and onto a countertop. Knead and pound for 5 minutes.
- Add to boiling water and turn down to a simmer. Simmer for 50 minutes.
- While the seitan is cooking, prep the marinade. Turn the skillet on medium-high heat and toast dried guajillo and puya chilies until they get a bright red color for 45 seconds on each side (do not burn them!). Immediately add to a bowl of boiling hot water and cover. Set aside for 10 minutes.
- Add all al pastor marinade ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- Once the seitan is done cooking, take it out and set it aside to cool off. Once it’s cooled, slice it into bite-sized chunks. I like to slice it the same way al pastor meat is usually sliced.
- Place seitan in a sealable container along with marinade and pineapple chunks. Seal and marinade overnight or for at least 3-4 hours. Seitan is always firmer the next day and closer to the texture of meat. However, I’ve made this recipe without marinading or waiting overnight and it turned out pretty good still.
- When ready to cook, add some oil to a large pan on medium-high heat. Add marinaded seitan to the pan and cook for 10-15 minutes until most of the marinade is soaked up.
- Serve on tortillas as tacos or in burritos, nachos, etc. if having as tacos, add cilantro, onion, lime juice, and salsa!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 50
- Category: Mains
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/3 cup
