Shanghai Kao Fu

Ingredients

• 2 pieces dried kao fu wheat gluten, about 120g in total
• 12 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 20g dried wood ear mushroom
• 20g dried lily flower, also sold as golden needles
• 50g raw peanuts
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 3 slices ginger
• 3 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 3 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 600ml water
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Before you cook

• Cover the kao fu with warm water and soak it for one hour, until it is completely soft through the middle.
• Soak the shiitake, wood ear and lily flower in separate bowls of warm water for forty minutes.
• Squeeze the kao fu hard between your palms to drive out the soaking water, then tear it into 3cm cubes.
• Trim the shiitake stems, knot each lily flower in the middle and cut any large wood ears into bite-sized pieces.

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat and fry the ginger slices for thirty seconds.
2. Add the kao fu cubes and fry them for three minutes, turning until the edges are browned and lightly blistered.
3. Tip in the shiitake, wood ear, lily flower and peanuts and toss everything together for one minute.
4. Pour the Shaoxing wine round the side of the wok and let it steam off.
5. Add both soy sauces, the sugar and the water, and bring the pan to the boil.
6. Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for one hour, stirring every fifteen minutes so nothing sticks.
7. Uncover and raise the heat, boiling hard for five minutes until only a few spoonfuls of glossy sauce are left.
8. Stir in the sesame oil and take the pan off the heat.
9. Serve the kao fu warm, or cool it completely and eat it cold the next day when the flavour has settled.