Hong Shao Kao Fu, (红烧烤麸) is a Shanghainese vegetarian cold appetizer. Kao fu is a form of wheat gluten, often sold dried, that tastes kind of like tofu. What a lot of people don’t know about Chinese food is the abundance of cold dishes often served before the main meal. This is one of those traditional dishes. If you’re a vegetarian, congratulations! You’ll really enjoy this.
My guess is that you don’t see this dish everyday…in fact, you probably never have. It’s not commonly served in Chinese restaurants around the U.S. unless you’re sitting in a really authentic Shanghainese place.
Don’t be alarmed! We must all face our fermented black beans, tofu puffs, and wood ear mushrooms with an open mind. These are ingredients used all the time in Chinese cooking, and can open up a whole new world of authentic Chinese cuisine in your kitchen.
Pick up a pack of kao fu dried wheat gluten (烤麸) in your local Chinese grocery store, dried or fresh (if using fresh, there’s no need to soak it). I made this dish in the afternoon so we could use natural daylight for photos, and the dish never made it to dinner table.
We ate everything right after the photo session. That’s how good it is! If you grew up eating this, you already know what I mean. Some people like this dish to be slightly sweeter, as is traditional. If you like, you can add a little more sugar to suit your tastes.
Recipe Instructions
Here’s what the dried wheat gluten (kao fu) looks like before soaking. Looks kind of like a slice of stale bread.
Soak it in warm water, and once the kao fu is soft, rinse it under running water. Then cut each piece into 1-inch by 1-inch squares.
Soak and rinse the dried shitake mushrooms, dried wood ear mushrooms, and dried lily-flower. Drain and set aside.
Heat oil in your wok over high heat. Add the ginger and fry for 30 seconds. Add the wheat gluten, and cook until slightly browned, about 2 minutes.
Add the mushrooms, wood ear, lily flower, and peanuts. Mix everything well. Then add the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, and water.
Stir well and bring to a boil. Cover the pan, turn the heat to low, and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent sticking. Serve warm or cold (this is usually served as a cold dish).
Have you ever tried this dish or Shanghai Cuisine? We’d like to hear about it!
Hong Shao Kao Fu - Braised Wheat Gluten with Mushrooms
Ingredients
- 2 pieces dried wheat gluten/kao fu (about 5” x 5” each: Soak in warm water until soft)
- 12 dried shiitake mushrooms (soaked in warm water until soft)
- 1/2 cup dried wood ear mushrooms (soaked in warm water until soft)
- 1/2 cup dried lily-flower (soaked in warm water until soft)
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 3 slices ginger
- ¼ cup raw or roasted unsalted peanuts (shelled and skins removed)
- 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 3 teaspoons sugar
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- Once the kao fu is soft, rinse it under running water. Then cut each piece into 1-inch by 1-inch squares. Rinse the mushrooms, wood ears, and lily flower. Drain and set aside.
- Heat oil in your wok over high heat. Add the ginger and fry for 30 seconds. Add the kao fu, and cook until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, wood ear, lily flower, and peanuts. Mix everything well. Then add the wine, soy sauces, sugar, and water. Stir well and bring to a boil.
- Cover the pan, turn the heat to low, and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes to prevent sticking. Serve warm or cold (this is usually served as a cold dish).
I have tasted this fish at the Good Fortune Supermarket in Rhode Island. The recipe is very sweet and also has star anise in it. Can’t wait to try your version as it is less sweet.
Hope you enjoy this recipe, Andi.
This kao fu not so easy to find. I found only alternative name: “dehydrated tofu” and this item is sold out in my Asian grocery store. I hope they will sell it again…
Dried tofu is not the same as kao fu, Marina. Kao fu is wheat gluten.
Sorry for my mistake, I meant ‘dehydrated GLUTEN’. And I finally found this.
Nice!
I completely understand about it being gone before dinner. Same in my house. I grew up eating this and this recipe, among many, was one where i had to stand by and furiously jot down, trying to keep up with my mom as she was cooking it. Her version doesn’t have the lily flower, but with soybeans and carrot. Also she buys her kaofu in the freezer section (in NJ or CTown – and here i am in Orlando finding it only dried) She admitted to me tonight that the true Shanghainese dish doesn’t come with carrots but she likes it, so we ate it. I’m sure it adds to the sweet with the salty. Idk. I just know this and her hoong saw nyook are my last meal on death row dishes.
I was very pleasantly surprised to see this recipe here. I love this site!! It gives me warm fuzzies
That’s so nice, Lisa! Who knew there was so much comfort in this dish :-)
Looked at this recipe after reading about frozen tofu. This is dinner tomorrow after treating the tofu today!
Please let us know how you like it, Martha :-)
I love gluten, as well dried tofu sticks, and many years ago cooked it with yellow or brown bean sauce and green peas with a bit of sesame oil added at the end.
Since my wife does not tolerate gluten, we substitute frozen firm tofu for the gluten. It absorbs sauces and because the texture is also sponge-like, it is an excellent substitute.
Perhaps many of your readers would appreciate if you made a note about using frozen tofu.
I’m Evelyn’s husband, Dan Tong
Hi Evelyn’s husband, I think you are right.
A great recipe that is in my weekly rotation now! I never knew what kao fu was before coming across this post and I can say I am definitely a fan
Words can’t explain how thankful I am for this blog in the past few months. Since COVID I’ve been cooking most meals for my family (I’m a college student stuck at home) and my parents are always so surprised when I am able to cook authentic Chinese meals for them that they never taught me how to make. It’s meant so much to me that I’m able to carry on Chinese culinary traditions since I was born and raised in America. Thank you so much for this amazing resource of a website. Nearly every single recipe I’ve made has been a smashing success and you explain ingredients in a way that is so accessible to people who can’t read the Chinese labels or have never encountered them before. Whenever I plan what I’m going to cook the next day the first thing I do is go on this website. Me and my family thank you :)
You are a good kid, Olive. I am sure your family really appreciates your wonderful meals. Happy wokking!
I LOVE this dish…this was one of the dishes my mother in law made every time we went to her house …so excited to have the recipe now ( couldn’t get it from her because she didn’t speak English)
I am glad, Aquila. Sarah just posted a recipe where you can make your own kao fu as an ingredient: How to Make Liangpi (& Kaofu/Wheat Gluten). You could always give that a try.
This is one of my favorite childhood dishes that my family would have on special occasions. Now that I’m on my own, it’s hard to find in restaurants, as you accurately mention, so I’m very grateful for this recipe and the ability to re-create treasured memories. Thanks for highlighting dishes off the beaten path!
You are so welcome, Melanie. I make this dish often for myself too.
This is one of my favorite dishes. I used to go in that restaurant in Beijing that served a version of it that still makes me drool when I think of it. I couldn’t find back the name of it – until I started reading your blog. Thank you so much! Your blog is making me re-live through the cuisine I discovered living in Beijing. Brings tears (of joy) to my eyes!
Hehehe…I understand, Theo!