Simmered Toasted Wheat Gluten (焼き麩の煮物, Yaki-fu no Nimono)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Wide shallow pot
• •Wooden drop-lid (otoshibuta), or a circle of parchment
• •Small bowl for soaking the yaki-fu

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the fu

   Put the yaki-fu in a bowl of cool water and leave it until the rings are soft all the way through, about ten minutes. Press one between your fingers. There should be no dry center. This first soak wakes the gluten gently, so it can soften without stealing salt from the simmering broth.

2. 2

   Squeeze it dry

   Lift the softened fu and squeeze each ring gently between your palms. Don't twist it into rags. You only want to press out the plain soaking water so the rings have room to drink the seasoned dashi. This is the first secret of the dish.

   If the fu goes into the pot waterlogged, the broth stays outside it. Squeeze first, then simmer, and the seasoning moves inward.
3. 3

   Season the broth

   In a wide, shallow pot, combine the dashi, shoyu, mirin, and sugar. Bring it just to a quiet simmer and taste. It should be a little stronger than soup, because the fu and vegetables will soften it as they drink.

4. 4

   Start the vegetables

   Add the carrot and sliced shiitake, if using, and simmer for five minutes. The carrot needs a small head start because fu softens faster than it looks. Keep the bubbles small, just enough to move the surface.

5. 5

   Simmer the fu

   Add the squeezed yaki-fu in a single layer. Set an otoshibuta, a wooden drop-lid, directly on the surface, or use a circle of parchment with a small hole in the center. Simmer gently for twelve to fifteen minutes, turning the rings once if the broth is shallow. The drop-lid keeps the tops basted without stirring, and stirring is how delicate fu tears.

6. 6

   Rest in broth

   Take the pot off the heat, add the blanched greens, and let everything rest in the broth for at least ten minutes. Nimono often improves as it cools. The seasoning settles, the fu darkens slightly, and the rings become glossy rather than merely wet.

7. 7

   Serve with room

   Arrange the fu in odd-numbered groupings with the carrot, shiitake, and greens tucked beside it. Spoon over a little broth, not a flood. Finish with a thread of yuzu peel if you have it, and leave open space in the bowl so the quietness of the dish can be seen.

Chef Tips

• •Buy yaki-fu that smells faintly toasted and clean, not dusty or stale. Pantry food still has a season of usefulness, and old fu tastes like the shelf it sat on.
• •For the meatless version, soak a piece of konbu and several dried shiitake in cold water for a few hours, then warm it gently and remove the konbu before boiling. That dashi belongs fully to the tradition.
• •Do not simmer hard. Fu is tender once soaked, and rough boiling makes it collapse at the edges before the seasoning has settled.
• •This dish is best warm or at room temperature. Straight from the pot it tastes lighter; after resting, it tastes deeper. The waiting is part of the cooking.

Advance Preparation

• •The dashi can be made two days ahead and refrigerated. For a meatless table, soak konbu and dried shiitake overnight for a rounder stock.
• •The finished nimono keeps two days refrigerated in its broth. Bring it back to room temperature, or warm it gently without boiling.
• •Blanch and cut the greens a day ahead, then add them after simmering so they keep their color.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 165g)