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This vegan cheese sauce is a delicious and quick way to use up some of that wheat starch water leftover from washing flour to make seitan. It's super creamy, gooey, stretchy, and melty, and perfect for topping a seitan cheesesteak or a pile of nachos!
Ingredients
**See note below to make this amazing cheesesteak!
Directions
I began by culturing homemade cashew milk, but this step isn't necessary to make a delicious and quick cheese sauce. See below for more info.* You can also leave the starch on your counter for several hours or overnight so it begins to ferment. The sourness and slight acidity will add more depth of flavor to your cheese.
Mix 1 cup of plant milk (cultured if using) and the rest of the ingredients in a blender or mixing bowl until smooth and thoroughly combined. Leave the remaining milk aside to add after the sauce is thickened.
Pour the mixture into a pot and whisk continuously over low heat. (I used setting 3 out of 10 on my electric stove.) As the sauce begins to get warmer and the starches begin to cook, it will get thicker and begin to clump, so continue to whisk vigorously to keep it smooth.
As you cook and whisk, the sauce will get stretchy, stick together and pull away from the sides. Continue whisking and add in a little bit of the reserved plant milk at a time, until your desired consistency is achieved. Serve hot, drizzled over sandwiches, as a dip or on a pile of nachos!
• Boil a cup or two of water, add 75g of cashews (a heavy 1/2 cup) and remove from the heat. Let them sit for 30 minutes in the boiled water, then give a quick rinse in cool water.
• In a high-speed blender or food processor (I used the single blender cup from my Ninja) process the cashews starting with about a 1/2 cup of water, until smooth. Add in about another 3/4 cup of water along with either 1/16 tsp of vegan mesophillic culture, 1-2 tblsp of vegan, unsweetened yogurt, or the contents of a couple vegan probiotic capsules and process again.
• Let it sit for about 24 hours on your counter or until your desired tanginess is achieved. (I occasionally blended the milk as it sat to make sure it stayed mixed and was as smooth as possible.)
**To make the cheesesteak, follow this recipe for steak from washed flour.
After steaming and resting, thinly-slice the steak, rip into smaller pieces, and fry with a little oil and steak seasonings. Fry up your favorite toppings like onions, peppers, and mushrooms, and load on the cheese sauce!
More Wheat Starch Water Recipes
Ingredients
Directions
I began by culturing homemade cashew milk, but this step isn't necessary to make a delicious and quick cheese sauce. See below for more info.* You can also leave the starch on your counter for several hours or overnight so it begins to ferment. The sourness and slight acidity will add more depth of flavor to your cheese.
Mix 1 cup of plant milk (cultured if using) and the rest of the ingredients in a blender or mixing bowl until smooth and thoroughly combined. Leave the remaining milk aside to add after the sauce is thickened.
Pour the mixture into a pot and whisk continuously over low heat. (I used setting 3 out of 10 on my electric stove.) As the sauce begins to get warmer and the starches begin to cook, it will get thicker and begin to clump, so continue to whisk vigorously to keep it smooth.
As you cook and whisk, the sauce will get stretchy, stick together and pull away from the sides. Continue whisking and add in a little bit of the reserved plant milk at a time, until your desired consistency is achieved. Serve hot, drizzled over sandwiches, as a dip or on a pile of nachos!
Hey Jen!
Just found this beatuiful place (your blog).
Working with WTF is new for me – so are quantities which include it 😁.
I tumbled upon your phrase “⅓ cup wheat starch water (90g), rested for several hours and excess water drained off”. In my mind, the water contains more or less starch depending on which rinse you use (I’d use the first to get the most of the starch). If I understand you correctly, I still have to tip away most of the 1/3 cup.
So, according to your experience, is there a quantity which is a little bit more…..reliable? “1 tablespoon viscous slush” or so?
Have a sunny day <3
You’re right, working with starch water is far from an exact science. But in this case I meant to measure the 1/3 cup after it has had a chance to rest and most of the top water was poured off. Hope that helps!