Okinawa Stir-Fried Dry Gluten and Vegetables (Fu Chanpuru)

“Fu” or dry gluten is a very common cooking ingredient in the Okinawa cuisine. You can find it easily at grocery stores in Okinawa and it looks like a tube-shaped toasted bread. One of the more famous dish in which fu is used is this fu chanpuru recipe. “Chanpuru” is the Okinawa term for mixed or stir-fried food. This recipe then is stir-fried fu with some vegetables. In mainland Japan, fu is found in soup dishes like miso soup.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 2-3

Ingredients

• 30  g  okinawa dry gluten (fu, 1 tube)
• 4  pieces eggs
• 2  tablespoons  dashi stock
• 1  piece  okinawa carrot
• 1⁄2 piece green onion
• 50  g  garlic chives
• 100  g bean sprouts
• 1  tablespoon  sesame oil
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄4 teaspoon pepper
• 5  g  dried bonito flakes
• 1  teaspoon  red pickled ginger (beni shoga)

Directions

1. Slice the fu along its width with about a centimeter thick.
2. In a large bowl, whisk 4 eggs then add 2 tablespoons of dashi stock and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Continue whisking until well combined.
3. Add the fu in the bowl then wait until the fu absorbs the liquid and becomes soft. This takes about 20-30 minutes. Occasionally, mix the fu so that it will absorb the egg mixture evenly.
4. While waiting for the fu to absorb the egg mixture, you can prepare the vegetables. Start by cutting the garlic chives into about 5-centimeter pieces.
5. Slice the green onion and carrot thinly diagonally then wash and drain the bean sprouts.
6. Heat a pan using medium high heat then add a tablespoon of sesame oil.
7. Add the fu in the pan then fry. Make sure that the fu doesn’t overlap so that it will be cooked evenly. Turn over the fu pieces once the other side has browned.
8. Once the egg is cooked and the fu has turned brown, increase the heat to medium-high. Sprinkle with quarter teaspoon of salt and quarter teaspoon of pepper. Add the carrot and green onions then stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
9. Next, add the garlic chives and bean sprouts then continue stir-frying for another minute or until the bean sprouts are cooked.
10. Remove from heat then put on a serving plate. Garnish with katsuoboshi and red pickled ginger before serving.