Add salted water to flour and knead well. When it becomes elastic, place the dough in a cloth bag. Knead the dough in the bag well in a bowl of water to remove starch. (Dried wheat starch that is called uki-ko in Japanese.)  The remaining component is gluten and nama-fu is made by steaming this gluten. There is a variety of nama-fu including the ones that are made with sesame seeds, mugwort or safflower to add flavour and colour, or ones formed into flowers, etc. The nama-fu in this photo is a “Awa(millet)-fu” with steamed Awa inside.

Its texture is springy and firm. It can be used for many dishes including dengaku, hot pot, a mixture of boiled foods (Japanese stew), soup, fry-simmered food, steam, tempura and sweets.

Variety of nama-fu