Fu

These gluten cakes are now used mainly as a decorative garnish. Wheat flour mixed with salt and water in a cloth bag is washed in water until the starch has seeped out and only the gluten is left. This is then steamed until firm to produce fresh fu, which is used instead of meat in Zen Buddhist cooking. Fu originated in China, but the Japanese have developed ultra-light dried fu in many colours, sizes and shapes to garnish soups and hotpots. It is not a pure gluten since wheat, glutinous rice powder and/or baking powder are added to the gluten before drying. Some dried fu is available from Asian stores.