Nevils/Brown Vegan Gumbo

My family is rooted in Louisianna, so I grew up on the best Cajun foods. My grandma was always in the kitchen & my dad was too. So yeah, Gumbo was always in the house! In fact, even to this day, my mom always asks me to bring her some of his food when I go visit her...she was like."I'll divorce you but not your food lol. 

You will love this vegan gumbo recipe! It is:

  • Hearty
  • Rich
  • Veggie-Packed
  • Comfort Food
  • Savory
  • Delicious

HOW TO MAKE VEGAN GUMBO

The key to a good gumbo is the roux. You cook it long and slow until it reaches a milk chocolate color. It requires a bit of patience and a lot of stirring but it’s totally worth it. 

VEGAN ROUX FOR GUMBO

Add some vegan butter to a pot. Let it melt over medium heat, and then add in the all purpose flour and stir it into a paste. And then keep stirring!

Over the course of about 20 minutes (if you’re on high heat) and around an hour on low heat, you keep stirring and watch that roux change.

It starts off as a thick paste, and then starts to thin out, but the color stays the same.

 

Ingredients

  • ½ cup
    Vegan Butter (112g)
  • ⅔ cup
    All Purpose Flour (83g)
  • 2
    Medium Green Bell Peppers (Finely chopped)
  • 2
    Celery Stalks (Finely chopped)
  • 1
    Medium Onion (White, Yellow or Brown, Finely chopped)
  • 2 cups
    Vegetable Stock (480ml)
  • 1 small bag frozen Okra or about 2 cups 
  • 2 8oz packages of Seitan 
  • 1 tablespoon
    Garlic (Crushed)
  • 1 tablespoon
    Cajun Seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon
    Liquid Smoke
  • 1
    Bay Leaf
  • 14 ounces cans
    Tomato (Chopped, 400g)
  • 15 ounces cans
    Kidney Beans (Drained)
  • add
    Salt And Pepper
  • add
    white rice
  • add
    1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

 

Instructions

  • Add the vegan butter to a heavy bottomed pot and let it melt over medium heat. Add in the all purpose flour and stir it into a paste. 
  • Keep stirring and over the course of about 20 minutes (if you’re on high heat) and around an hour on low to medium heat, you’ll watch the roux change, from a thick paste into a thin sauce and the color will gradually change until you eventually reach a milk chocolate color which indicates that your roux is perfectly done. A high quality heavy bottomed pot will be ideal especially if you choose the high heat fast route. If you have a concern that it may burn in your pot then rather take the slow and steady approach. The end result will be worth it. 
  • If you burn the roux, you have to start again. So be very careful. Unfortunately once burnt that roux can’t be salvaged and it will have to be redone. 
  • Cook the Seitan on medium high heat for 3-5 minutes.
  • Add frozen bag of Okra to pot and simmer to remove sliminess.  
  • When your roux reaches the milk chocolate stage, then add in the green bell pepper, celery and onion, called the ‘Holy Trinity’ of veggies. Add to your roux and mix in and cook until the veggies are softened. 
  • Add the vegetable stock and stir in.
  • Add Okra, Worcestershire Sauce, garlic, cajun seasoning, liquid smoke and a bay leaf. Stir this in. 
  • Add the Seitan
  • Add the chopped tomatoes and kidney beans and stir in. Bring it all to a simmer, cover the pot and leave it to simmer until everything is cooked and fragrant. 
  • Add salt and pepper to taste. 
  • Serve with White rice (optional) with some chopped spring onions on top.