Seitan

Seitan is the product of cooking wheat gluten, which is the resulting protein after thoroughly rinsing and stripping wheat of all its starch. There are plenty of good premade seitan brands on the market, both vacuum- and water-packed (and sometimes in cans). But I think you’ll discover that it’s very fun to make on your own (see the seitan burger). Seitan has the dense, chewy texture of meat—this is what you’re getting when you order “vegetarian duck” at a Chinese or Thai restaurant—and if prepared correctly, it can taste disarmingly similar.