🍚 Aburafu don (Rice Bowl with deep-fried wheat gluten)

In Obon holidays (mid-August), tofu merchants worked hard making fried thin tofu and fresh tofu for "Shojin ryori (vegan cuisine for Buddist monks)". However, they always faced a big issue; both fried and non-fried tofu were spoiled quickly because there wasn't any refrigeration technology like we have today. In such circumstances, a tofu shop in Tome City thought of “Aburafu”. When wheat flour and water are mixed well together and rinse the starch with water, gluten stays there. There are three types of “Fu” = wheat gluten: "Namafu", "Yakifu", and "Aburafu". "Namafu" is steamed gluten combined with glutinous rice flour, while "Yakifu" is baked one with wheat flour. Like "Yakifu", aburafu is made by adding wheat flour to gluten, and shaped into sticks and fried. Because it has a great flavor and a chewy texture, it is also used in vegetarian or macrobiotic cuisine. "Aburafu" was produced only in the Tome region before, but it's widely manufactured outside of Tome area since "Aburafu" has been getting popular nationally. "Aburafudon (Rice Bowl with deep-fried wheat gluten)" is a famous dish made with "Aburafu" and was made up by the hostess of a local inn. It's like a katsudon with replacing the pork cutlet with "Aburafu", and the flavor of "Aburafu" is brought out to its fullest. It is getting well-known nationwide after participating in the local food competition called “B-1 Grand Prix.”