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Kao fu (braised wheat gluten)
Kao fu 烤麸: Shanghai's sweet-savoury braised gluten with wood ear, shiitake and peanuts
Every Shanghainese family puts a bowl of kao fu on the table for Chinese New Year, and the city's temple canteens serve it all year as a cold dish. The spongy wheat-gluten cubes drink up a dark, glossy braise of soy and rock sugar, with crunchy wood ear, meaty shiitake and soft peanuts in every mouthful. It tastes better the next day, eaten cold or just above room temperature with rice or congee. Most people get it wrong by cutting the gluten with a knife; tear it by hand so the rough edges soak up more sauce. Chef's tip: squeeze the boiled gluten hard, like a sponge, before frying, or it spits in the oil and stays bland inside.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 14 oz kao fu (wheat gluten)fresh or frozen and thawed, or 100 g dried and soaked
- ⅓ oz dried wood ear mushroomssoaked in cold water for 30 minutes
- 8 dried shiitake mushroomssoaked in 400 ml warm water for 30 minutes
- 2 ⅛ oz raw peanutssoaked for 1 hour
- ½ oz dried lily buds (optional)soaked, hard ends trimmed
- 5 tbsp neutral oil
For the braise
- 3 slices fresh ginger
- 3 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 ⅜ oz rock sugaror 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Tear 14 oz kao fu (wheat gluten) into rough 3 cm chunks. Drop them into a pan of boiling water for 3 minutes, drain and leave until cool enough to handle.
Step 2: Squeeze each chunk hard between your palms until no more water comes out. This is the step people skip, and it is why their kao fu is soggy.
Step 3: Drain ⅓ oz dried wood ear mushrooms and tear it into bite-sized pieces. Squeeze 8 dried shiitake mushrooms, cut into halves and strain 300 ml of the soaking water to use as stock. Drain 2 ⅛ oz raw peanuts and ½ oz dried lily buds.
Step 4: Heat 5 tbsp neutral oil in a wok over a medium-high heat and fry the gluten, turning often, until golden and slightly crisp on the outside.
8 minStep 5: Push the gluten aside, add 3 slices fresh ginger and 2 star anise and fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
1 minStep 6: Add the shiitake, peanuts, wood ear and lily buds with 3 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 ½ tbsp dark soy sauce, 1 ⅜ oz rock sugar and the mushroom stock. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer over a low heat until the peanuts are tender.
25 minStep 7: Uncover, turn the heat up and stir until the sauce has reduced to a sticky glaze that coats the gluten and only a spoonful or two is left in the wok.
6 minStep 8: Stir in 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, remove the ginger and star anise and leave to cool. Serve at room temperature or chilled; it keeps for 4 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kao fu (braised wheat gluten) take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of dried wood ear mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
- What can I use instead of dried shiitake mushrooms?
- Aubergine, diced, same weight.
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