Fried Gluten (Mock Meat)

Fried Gluten

In the past few years, when I dream of anything taking place in a home, 80% of the time it would take place in the first flat that I've lived in at Block 58, Toa Payoh Lorong 4. Can anyone explain why? It's like I couldn't leave the small flat with its small living room, the tiny kitchen cum eating area, the 2 bedrooms...A few nights ago, I even had Hub with me in that flat. It's weird. Sometimes I do not just see the flat itself, I see the whole building - all lighted up because it's always at night when I see it.

Anyway, I've been thinking that I should maybe eat more vegetarian food if I do not feel like eating too much meat and yet am not fond of the vegetables here. One couldn't find tinned or frozen gluten products here in Modena, so I had to make the fried gluten from scratch.

For those of you who do not know Chinese vegetarian food, we replace meat with protein-rich fried gluten and you'll be amazed at how much it sometimes tastes like meat. It's the chewy texture and the way it absorbs sauces and savours wherever it finds itself in.

The dough before being rinsed

Fried Gluten (for 1 person) :

250g Flour

1 Tsp Salt

Water

Basically just add enough water to the flour and salt to make a dough that you can knead. Kneading forms the gluten so knead well. The salt will encourage a purer protein to be formed as it will cause certain impurities to go away with the starch when the dough is rinsed in water.

The gluten

You leave the kneaded dough to rest for a few hours with cling wrap over the container. Then pour cold water over it in a container and continue to knead with the water running gently from the tap. The starch in the dough has to dissolve in the water to leave the gluten (which doesn't dissolve in water) behind. Keep kneading and rinsing until the water runs almost clear. The gluten dough would have largely diminished in size becoming a lumpy elastic mass.

Gluten, tofu, carrot and beansprout Stir Fry

Pinch bits of the dough and fry them in hot oil. It's ready when it puffs up into a ball. Drain on kitchen towels and set aside for further use. I like using it to make sweet and sour (mock) pork. Or mock Peking Duck. Also braised with mushrooms. Kirti kindly gave me some fresh tofu and beansprouts today - so I'll make a tofu, beansprout, carrot and gluten stir-fry. Very simple, just with garlic, the 4 ingredients and sugar-soy sauce-sesame oil-rice wine seasoning.