Nutritious Kao Fu Recipe

If you’re like me and you’re sick of seeing the same old ‘Chinese’ dishes on the menus across Asian restaurants in the U.S then you’ll need to stick around.

You know the restaurants that claim to be authentic Asian food but you know they’ve Americanized the entire menu by using fewer spices and non-traditional ingredients to appeal to the fussy eaters of this generation.

Well, I’m here today to put wrongs to rights and show you just one of many real authentic Chinese (particular Shanghainese) recipes that will outshine everything you’ve ever tasted before.

This Kao fu recipe will take a little bit of time to make, but I promise you it’ll be so worth it and whoever you make this for will be begging you for the recipe afterward. 

So let’s get into it. 

What is Kao fu?

Kao fu is a cold vegetarian appetizer made with wheat gluten, wood ear mushrooms, shiitakes mushrooms, lily flower, peanuts, and a mixture of quality liquid ingredients to make this rich dish exactly what it is. 

Wheat gluten is often used as mock meat in Chinese recipes along with another ingredient, tofu. You won’t catch the Asian community using Beyond Meat in any of their authentic dishes. 

Unless you’ve been to a truly authentic Shanghainese restaurant in the US then you won’t have come across this recipe before or if you’ve been lucky enough to visit China’s coastal city. 

If you’re not very experimental with your cooking, then you may look at the ingredients list with wide eyes in disbelief, but trust me, it all works so well together and you’ll be surprised by just how tasty it is. 

What ingredients do you need to make Kao fu?

Wheat Gluten

Unless you’ve got the time or even the experience of making your own wheat gluten then we’d recommend just popping by the Chinese grocery store and picking some up.

You can buy it dried or fresh, and if it comes fresh you won’t have to spend time soaking it in water. 

The wheat gluten is Kao fu is supposed to represent or replicate meat pieces like beef or pork, so if you were thinking that this recipe was lacking in meat then that would be why. You’re welcome to add meat to the recipe but we recommend trying out this vegetarian version first. 

Wood Ear Mushrooms

Wood ear mushrooms are pretty flavorless when they’re cooking but their main contribution to this recipe is to do with texture and not flavor so that’s why they’re still here.

They’ll often take on the flavors of the sauces in this dish so don’t worry about seasoning them beforehand. 

Shiitake Mushrooms

Shiitake mushrooms are a staple in every Chinese family’s pantry and the key here is to buy dried shiitake mushrooms and not fresh ones as these will have a more intense flavor. 

Dried Lily-Flower

You’ll find dried lily flowers or lily buds at the Chinese grocery store and they’ll need to be soaked before cooking. They give a sweet yet chestnut flavor to dishes but sometimes do have a bitter aftertaste. 

Unsalted Peanuts

Make sure to get unsalted otherwise it’ll completely change the dynamic of the flavoring. Some people like to boil their peanuts before braising everything but if you like a bit of crunch then you won’t need to bother. 

Light & Dark Soy Sauce

These will make up part of the Kao fu sauce and yes both light and dark soy sauce will be needed to make this recipe both sweet and salty and more full-bodied. 

Sugar

Sugar is almost always used with soy sauce in Asian dishes and it actually gives it a savory taste rather than sweet. 

Ginger

Make sure to use fresh ginger, it’s readily available at any grocery store so don’t try to be lazy and use dried ground ginger. 

Shaoxing Wine

Another common ingredient in Chinese cuisine is Shaoxing wine, it brings an aromatic and rich flavor to braised dishes like this Kao fu recipe. You may be able to find this at your regular grocery store. 

Mushroom Soaking Water

This isn’t some strange new concoction you’ll find at a Chinese grocery store, but instead something you’ll be making yourself when you’re soaking your shiitake and wood ear mushrooms before cooking.

So make sure not to chuck that water down the drain when they’re done soaking. 

Oil

Try to use a neutral oil like vegetable oil to fry off your ingredients. 

You’re also free to use whatever other vegetarian ingredients to add to this recipe. We recommend using ingredients that enhance the texture of the dish such as bamboo shoots, soybean sprouts, or even cloud ear fungus (Google it if you’re not familiar). 

Ingredients measurements:

• 2 pieces of dried wheat gluten
• 12 dried shiitake mushrooms
• ½ cup of dried wood ear mushrooms
• ½ cup of dried lily-buds
• 3 tbsp of oil
• 3 slices of ginger
• ¼ cup of roasted unsalted peanuts
• 3 tbsp of Shaoxing wine
• 3 tbsp of light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp of dark soy sauce
• 3 tsp of sugar
• 2-3 cups of mushroom soaking water

How to make Kao fu

1. Soak the wheat gluten in warm water and once soft, rinse under running water and cut into small squares
2. Soak both your shiitake mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms in hot water for 1-2 hours in one bowl (make sure to keep water afterward). Soak your lily flowers/buds for 30 minutes and then cut the ends
3. Get your wok and add oil in and turn the heat up to high. Add ginger and fry it off for 30 seconds, then add your wheat gluten and fry off for around 2 minutes until it’s browned slightly
4. Then add your shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, lily buds, peanuts and keep stirring to make sure nothing burns
5. Add in your Shaoxing wine, light & dark soy sauce, mushroom soaking water, and sugar
6. Keep stirring and bring to a boil. Put a lid on the wok and turn the heat down to low to simmer for 1 hour and return to stir every 15 minutes
7. Allow cooling before serving as it’s traditionally served cold