wheat gluten

[Hiroyuki]

Let me introduce a very useful wheat product peculiar to Niigata: Ku-ru-ma-fu (車麩). As the Chinese character 車 (wheel) suggests, this "fu" (麩) looks like a "wheel".

If you need an explanation of "fu" (or "o-fu"),

Fu 麩: dried bread-like pieces of wheat gluten

(From eijiro on the web)

Access the site:

http://www.rakuten.co.jp/ajituu/611887/627616/

Look at the 4th and 5th photos. This type, "cut fu", is what I usually buy because it is less expensive than the "whole" type.

This fu has various uses just like uchimame.

You can use it to make risotto, curry, stew, sukiyaki, oden, miso soup, salad, fries, etc., etc.

All the following sites are in Japanese only:

Kurumafu cutlet:

http://hirorocooking.com/recepie/1158-07-01/

Kurumafu egg soup:

http://www2.tomato.ne.jp/~koborij/cooking/recipes/J005.htm

Kurumafu piccata:

http://ptop.lomo.jp/page044.html

Kurumafu no tatsuta yaki:

http://hirorocooking.com/recepie/1088-05-01/

Sukiyaki and others: (Scroll down)

http://www.indus.jp/ippinkan/kago/index11.html

It is useful, isn't it?

Edited April 15, 2004 by Hiroyuki (log)

[torakris]

Fu is really a wonderful product and you have basically two kinds

焼き麩　yaki fu --this has been cooked and then dried, has a fairly long shelf life and comes in many shapes

生麩　nama fu --raw wheat gluten, this is fresh and should be used quickly, it is popular in soups and simmerd dishes

[torakris]

did you ever see a little white ball like thing with maybe pink and green stripes floating in your bowl of clear soup?

That is a type of nama fu called 手まり麩　temari fu, here is a picture:

http://www.e-shokuseikatsu.com/recipe/Outp...=56313521&ST=01

[Hiroyuki]

I know of temari fu, but I have never tasted it before.

I guess it's used as an ornament or decoration on a special day.

I found two sites that may interest you:

Temari fu used in school lunch on 3/3 (March 3), which is Doll Festical day:

http://www.nakahara-e.kashiwa.ed.jp/kyuu/15gatu/

Temari fu used on top of a Japanese confection, together with gold foil (2nd photo)

http://www.zenkaren.net/oshirase/shohin.html

[torakris]

Fu can also be used with western style cooking techniques, here is a recipe I have often run across but have yet to try....

French toast Fu:

http://www.joyoliving.co.jp/cooking/2004/0417/french.htm

[helenjp]

When I first came to Japan, I lived in Osaka. I had temari-fu often, but I didn't actually get to see kuruma-fu until last year. And now that I'm near Tokyo, I never see anything but fake temari-fu...must be an East-West thing.

[Hiroyuki]

Oh, yes. Helenjp has a point. Temari fu is often used in Kyo Ryori, cuisine peculiar to Kyoto.

On the other hand, kuruma fu, which I mentioned, is very practical. You can use it instead of meat. I would recommend it to vegetarians.

[torakris]

fu and mizuna tamago-toji

fu and mizuna cooked in dashi, soy, and mirin with two eggs poured on top and cooked just until set.

[torakris]

A Japanese friend who knows I enjoy "unusual" foods picked me up a bag of chocolate covered fu on her summer trip home to Yamagata Prefecture.

It wasn't half bad.

[gus_tatory]

A Japanese friend who knows I enjoy "unusual" foods   picked me up a bag of chocolate covered fu on her summer trip home to Yamagata Prefecture.

It wasn't half bad.

←

so is it chocolate-coated or chocolate-flavoured fu? i'm trying to imagine how it would taste...

edit to add: oh never mind, sorry. i didn't read well enough...

Edited August 23, 2006 by gus_tatory (log)

[torakris]

It was just chocolate coated. It wasn't half bad sort of like any puffed grain (ie rice) product that was covered in milk chocolate.

[Hiroyuki]

Talking of fu, don't forget about fu-gashi, one of the dagashi that make you nostalgic for the 30s of Showa .