Kuzuko
Encyclopedia
is a starch powder made from the root of the kudzu
plant.
It is traditionally used in Japanese cuisine
to thicken sauces and jellies, to make various noodlelike foods, and to make chilled desserts.
Dishes that use kuzuko include:
It is also used in wagashi
:
Kudzu
Kudzu is a plant in the genus Pueraria in the pea family Fabaceae, subfamily Faboideae. It is a climbing, coiling, and trailing vine native to southern Japan and southeast China. Its name comes from the Japanese name for the plant, . It is a weed that climbs over trees or shrubs and grows so...
plant.
It is traditionally used in Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine
Japanese cuisine has developed over the centuries as a result of many political and social changes throughout Japan. The cuisine eventually changed with the advent of the Medieval age which ushered in a shedding of elitism with the age of shogun rule...
to thicken sauces and jellies, to make various noodlelike foods, and to make chilled desserts.
Dishes that use kuzuko include:
- ankake (liquid stock thickened with kuzuko)
- goma-dofu (kuzuko pudding with sesameSesameSesame is a flowering plant in the genus Sesamum. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for its edible seeds, which grow in pods....
paste)
It is also used in wagashi
Wagashi
is a traditional Japanese confectionery which is often served with tea, especially the types made of mochi, azuki bean paste, and fruits.Wagashi is typically made from natural ingredients...
:
- kuzu-kiri (clear cake of boiled kuzuko cut into noodle-like strips and eaten with kuromitsuKuromitsuis a Japanese sugar syrup, literally "black honey". It is similar to molasses, but thinner and milder.It is typically made from unrefined Okinawan kurozatō , and is a central ingredient in many sweet Japanese dishes. It is one of the ingredients used in making wagashi, and it serves well with...
) - kuzu-zakura (aka kuzu-dama, a cake of bean-paste covered with kuzuko)