Kao Fu (Braised Spongy Gluten)
Infinite sponges to suck up the soup! Cold Dishes of Gluten and Mushrooms
Description
A sponge-like 'gluten block' (Kao Fu) full of air bubbles. Braised heavily with dried shiitake, peanuts, and daylily in a sweet soy sauce. A classic Shanghai cold appetizer.
Restaurants serving Kao Fu (Braised Spongy Gluten)
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The Recipe section below is a general reference, not a recipe from the listed shops.
Recipe
Ingredients
- Kao Fu(Chinese spongy gluten)
- Dried shiitake
- Peanuts
- Golden needles(Daylily)
- Soy sauce
- Sugar
- Star anise
Instructions
- [Authentic Recipe]
- Soak rock-hard 'Kao Fu' (steamed, fermented wheat gluten full of air bubbles) in water for hours.
- Tear it into bite-sized pieces by hand (cutting with a knife ruins the sponge structure) and squeeze out the water with extreme force.
- Flash-fry the gluten in oil to seal the pores and prevent it from dissolving during braising.
- Prepare rehydrated shiitake, dried lily flowers, and peanuts.
- Bring a braising liquid of soy, dark soy, massive rock sugar, star anise, and mushroom water to a boil.
- Add all ingredients, simmer on low, then blast the heat at the end until the sponge absorbs every single drop of the sweet-spicy syrup.
Learn more Spice, substitutes, tips
Key spices
Intense dried shiitake umami、Star anise
Substitutes at Japanese supermarkets
Japanese 'Kuruma-bu' (Wheel gluten)
Pairing
Shaoxing Wine / Braised Pork Belly
Trivia
[Trivia] Also called 'Si Xi Kao Fu' (Four Joys Gluten), it is an essential lucky food for New Year's banquets. Famous as a Buddhist vegetarian dish containing zero meat.
Eating tips & etiquette
[Unique Eating] Served as a cold appetizer. Because the sponge holes are 100% filled with sweet-spicy broth, biting it causes a massive, juicy flood in your mouth.
Allergen
Wheat, Peanuts, Soybeans