Wheat Gluten Cakes (Mien Gu)

Makes about 40 cakes

4 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon salt
vegetable oil for deep frying
light soy sauce

1. Sift the flour and salt over a mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add 1 cup
water. With your fingers, slowly work the water into the flour. Gradually add 1 more cup
of water. The dough should be smooth and somewhat firm but most definitely not stiff.
Turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Knead the dough for about 15 minutes,
pulling and punching it down on your work surface. If you have an electric mixer with a
hook, you can use it for this step; knead the dough for about 5 minutes, but stop every
once in a while so as not to burn out the motor. What you're looking for is a very elastic
dough that is smooth to the touch. Return the dough to the bowl, cover it with a damp
thin cotton kitchen towel, and allow it to rest to soften the dough and relax the gluten, 2
to 3 hours.

2. Place the dough on a plate or cutting board under cold running water. Press the
doughwith your hands to extract the starch, letting the stach run off into the sink. Repeat
until the water runs clear. about 15 minutes. Left behind will be a springy, soft mass of
gluten. Squeeze out any remaining water and roughly shape the gluten dough into a
1/2-inch thick rectangle. Pull pieces of dough about 3/4-inch in size.

3. Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add half of the wheat gluten cakes, one
at a time, and cook until they float to the top, about 5 minutes. Drain.

4. Heat enough oil for deep frying in a wok or pot over medium heat until the
temperature reaches 360 to 375 degrees F. Working in batches, pat dry the remaining
pieces and gently add them to the oil, one piece at a time. As they start to float, allow
them to puff up and crisp all over, 2-3 minutes. They should be crispy and golden, not
too light and not too dark. With a slotted spoon transfer the cakes to a paper towel-lined
plate to drain. Serve hot with soy sauce on the side.

Variation: Mix together 2 cups wheat gluten powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 cup water in
the bowl of a mixer until well combined. Pull pieces of dough as per step 2, and follow
steps 3 and 4.