Kaga Hanafu-Wan: Osumashi Soup Base in Wafers

At the Omiyage fair, with Sendai Zunda Mochi and Hagi no Tsuki, one more thing called Hanafuwan (花麩椀) aroused my curiosity, and I picked it up in the end.

Hanafuwan is an edible souvenir from Kaga or Ishikawa Prefecture, produced by Kagafu Fumuroya (加賀麩 文室屋), a long-established shop (founded in 1865) dedicated to Fu (麩).

Hanafuwan from Kagafu Fumuroya

As you may already know, Fu is a bread-like food mainly consisting of wheat gluten, commonly used in miso soup in Japan.

In the name of Hanafuwan, Hanafu (花麩) stands for a Fu variety with the shape of a flower, as Hana (花) means flower in Japanese, while Wan (椀) is the word for “bowl” in English.

And Hanafu-Wan is an instant Osumashi (おすまし) soup base that comes in Monaka glutinous rice wafers, accompanying a Kombu dashi sachet.

Honestly, I tried this for the first time this time, but it was like Kaichu Shiruko (懐中汁粉) or Monaka Suimono, cooked like this.

Cooking 

1		First, put the Kombu dashi into a soup bowl or Owan (お椀).
2		Then, place the Monaka in the bowl after making a hole at the center with your fingertips.
3		Pour boiling water (150 ml) into the hole.
4		Once the ingredients come out of the hole, stir with chopsticks.
5		Now, it is ready to eat. Enjoy the Osumashi soup.

Features/Taste

As you can see in the photo, the Monaka contained garnishes consisting of Hanafu, green onions, and wakame (seaweed).

After being soaked in hot water, the Monaka gets a Mochi-like chewy texture. The soup itself is light-tasting, but as a whole, it is pretty satisfying.

The idea that Fu flowers come out of the Monaka bud is very Japanese, and you, too, will like this! For those interested, here is the maker’s official English site.