Braised Fragrant Wheat Gluten
A richly aromatic dish of wheat gluten, first fried until golden, then braised in a spiced sauce for deep, savory flavor.
Ingredients
Wheat gluten (washed, drained, and cut into 4 equal pieces)
500 g
Scallions (washed and chopped)
2
Ginger (washed and minced)
1 small piece
Carrot (peeled, washed, and cut into chunks)
20 g
Onion (peeled and cut into pieces)
20 g
Star anise
to taste
Cornstarch (mixed with water for a slurry)
to taste
Cooking oil (30 g actually used)
30 g
Sesame oil
1 tsp
Soy sauce
2 tbsp
Stock
2 tbsp
Cooking wine
1/2 tbsp
Sugar
1/2 tsp
Instructions
1
Fry the Gluten
Wash the wheat gluten, drain well, and cut into 4 equal portions. Place in a bowl, add soy sauce, and mix well. Deep-fry in warm oil until golden brown, then remove and drain off the excess oil. Wash and mince the scallions and ginger. Peel and wash the carrot, then cut into chunks. Peel the onion and cut into pieces.
2
Braise
Heat oil in a pan and sauté the minced scallions and ginger until fragrant. Add the onion, cooking wine, stock, and hot water, and stir to combine. Add the fried gluten, carrot, star anise, sugar, and soy sauce, and bring to a boil. Skim off the scallions and ginger, then reduce the heat and simmer slowly until the sauce has reduced. Finally, stir in the cornstarch slurry to thicken, drizzle with sesame oil, and serve.
