(I watched my grandmother make these when I was 10 or so. It seemed impossible that anything good tasting could come of them... but, what do you know, it does!)
5 lb. flour
2 ¾ qt. cold water (approximate)
Mix from the center into a very stiff dough, adding water a little at a time as needed. Knead. Cover with cold water. Let stand overnight in the refrigerator.
Beginning carefully, wash until water is clear of starch, leaving gluten. Roll into a long roll, halve it, quarter it, and slice. Place slices on counter or breadboard and flatten to make steaklets. Cook in liquid (as follows:)
2-3 qt. water
1 bottle soy sauce
4 whole carrots
4 ribs celery
1 onion, quartered
2 T. parsley, coarsely chopped
1 tsp. salt
Bring water to a boil, add vegetables and salt. Drop steaklets into boiling liquid one at a time. When all are in and the water comes to a boil again, reduce heat to a simmer and cover pan. Cook for 15 minutes covered. Remove lid, cook 30 minutes more. Cool. Store in freezer or refrigerator.
Note: You will need to have space in your refrigerator for a very large bowl, for one night. The procedure for all of this is quite simple, but it does take a long time to wash the starch from the dough -- probably close to an hour of steady kneading and changing water. You should not expect the water to become crystal clear, but it should have very little white left in it. Use a pot with plenty of room for cooking these -- they tend to puff up as they cook, and will spill right out of a pot that's too small. I use an 8-quart stock pot.
These steaklets can be fried and used in sandwiches or casseroles, or eaten plain or with some kind of condiment (e.g. ketchup, chilli sauce). There are times, when I'm in the mood, when I just heat them in the microwave and eat them plain, but I may be the only one. ;)
By nature, these steaklets are very porous and retain a lot of liquid that can cause serious hot-oil spatter during frying. Before breading them, place them between cloth or paper towels and gently press out any excess liquid. Bread them by dipping them in egg or an egg wash (i.e. mixed egg and milk or cream), then in fine cracker crumbs. Fry them in a skillet until they're golden brown on each side. Drain on paper towels.
These freeze very well, but make sure they're thoroughly thawed out before you try to work with them. If you leave any pockets of liquid in them, be prepared to deal with heavy spattering during frying.
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