Simmered Wheat-Gluten Cakes (大徳寺麩, Daitokuji Fu)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide shallow saucepan
• •Wooden drop-lid (otoshibuta), or a parchment circle
• •Fine-mesh strainer

Instructions

1. 1

   Make shōjin dashi

   Wipe the konbu with a damp cloth, but don't wash it; the pale bloom is flavor, not dirt. Put the konbu and dried shiitake in 2 1/2 cups cold water for at least 30 minutes, or overnight in the refrigerator. Warm the pan slowly over low heat and lift out the konbu just before the water boils, when small bubbles climb the sides. Boiled konbu gives a bitter, slippery edge. Simmer the shiitake 5 minutes more, then strain. You need about 2 cups dashi.

   The slow steep pulls sweetness from the konbu and depth from the shiitake without clouding the stock. Temple dashi is patient food.
2. 2

   Soak the fu

   Cover the Daitokuji fu with plenty of lukewarm water and set a small plate on top so every piece stays under. Soak 10 to 15 minutes, until the centers have no hard spot when pressed. Drain, rinse once in fresh water, and press each piece gently between your palms. You're not wringing laundry. A little water left inside keeps the gluten supple; pressing only makes room for seasoned dashi.

   If the center is still dry, the seasoning will stop at the surface. Soak first, season second. The order saves the dish.
3. 3

   Start sweet simmer

   In a wide saucepan, combine the dashi, sugar, and mirin. Add the fu in a single layer and bring to a quiet simmer. Lay an otoshibuta, a wooden drop-lid, directly on the surface, or use a parchment circle with a small hole in the center. Simmer 10 minutes. Sugar moves in slowly, so it gets its turn before the salt in the shōyu tightens the surface.

4. 4

   Add the shōyu

   Pour the shōyu around the edge of the pot, not straight onto one piece, then continue simmering gently under the drop-lid for 20 to 25 minutes. Turn the fu once by lifting and setting it down, not stirring. Hard boiling toughens the edges and reduces the sauce before the center is seasoned. The pieces are ready when they are mahogany-dark, glossy, and spring back when nudged, with only a few spoonfuls of liquid left.

5. 5

   Rest in glaze

   Take the pot off the heat and spoon the remaining glaze over the fu. Leave it in the pot 30 minutes, or cool it completely if you're making it ahead. As the gluten cools, the seasoning settles through the center; this is why a rushed piece tastes salty outside and shy inside.

6. 6

   Serve restrained

   Serve warm or at room temperature in small portions, two pieces per person, with a kinome leaf if you have it. Spoon a little glaze over the top and stop there. This is a dark, quiet side dish; pile it up and it loses its dignity.

Chef Tips

• •Buy Daitokuji fu from a Kyoto or Japanese grocer when you can. Kuruma-fu or another thick dried yaki-fu will cook nicely, but it is a stand-in, not Daitokuji fu; say so and the table stays honest.
• •Use shōjin dashi for this temple dish: konbu and dried shiitake, clear and patient. Katsuobushi dashi tastes wonderful, but it shifts the dish away from the temple kitchen.
• •Do not chase the dark color with a hard boil. Time, shōyu, and rest make the mahogany; high heat only makes the gluten tough at the edge.
• •This is better the next day. The texture firms, the glaze settles, and the flavor becomes quieter, which is very often the direction Japanese food is trying to go.

Advance Preparation

• •The konbu and shiitake can soak overnight in the refrigerator for a rounder shōjin dashi.
• •Finished Daitokuji fu keeps 4 days refrigerated in its glaze. Bring it to room temperature, or rewarm it gently over low heat.
• •For a dinner party, make it the day before and spoon the glaze over again just before plating.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 145g)