In the vibrant culinary landscape of Shanghai, few vegetarian dishes carry as much history and cultural weight as Five-Spice Roasted Gluten – known in Chinese as wuxiang kaofu (五香烤麸) and affectionately called “Gongde Kaofu” (功德烤麸) after its birthplace. This humble yet deeply flavourful dish is the signature creation of Gongdelin (功德林), Shanghai’s legendary vegetarian restaurant and a true pioneer of plant-based dining in China.
The Birth of a Vegetarian Icon
The story begins in 1922, when a Buddhist devotee named Zhao Yunshao – a disciple of Master Weijun from Changji Temple in Hangzhou – opened Shanghai’s very first vegetarian restaurant. He named it Gongdelin (功德林), which means “Forest of Merit,” drawing from the Buddhist ideal of “accumulating merit until it becomes a forest”. The restaurant opened on the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, the birthday of Sakyamuni Buddha, marking a new era for vegetarian cuisine in China.
At the time, most restaurants serving kaofu (roasted gluten) used pre-made gluten from factories and simply reheated it with basic seasonings. The result was soft but bland – the gluten never truly absorbed the flavours of the sauce.
The 1933 Breakthrough
In 1933, Gongdelin’s chefs revolutionised the dish. They began making their own gluten from scratch in an in-house workshop, ensuring superior quality from the very start. The real innovation, however, lay in the cooking method.
The chefs discovered that kaofu – a spongy, porous wheat-gluten product made by kneading wheat flour in water to remove starch, then fermenting and steaming the remaining gluten – could be transformed through deep-frying. By frying the gluten until it turned golden and crisp, they eliminated its raw sour taste and created a texture perfectly suited to absorbing rich sauces.
The gluten strips were then simmered for about an hour with a carefully balanced blend of seasonings: soy sauce, sugar, star anise, cinnamon, ginger, and vegetarian stock. The porous structure of the fried gluten soaked up the savoury-sweet broth like a sponge, resulting in a dish that was tender yet chewy, rich yet not greasy, with a perfect balance of savoury and sweet. The use of multiple spices and seasonings gave the dish its name: Five-Spice Roasted Gluten.
A Dish for the Elite
Gongdelin quickly became a gathering place for Shanghai’s cultural and political elite. The restaurant’s regulars included literary giant Lu Xun, poet Liu Yazi, and the famous “Seven Gentlemen” – Shen Junru, Zou Taofen, Li Gongpu, Sha Qianli, Shi Liang, Zhang Naioi, and Wang Zaoshi – all of whom were devoted fans of its vegetarian cuisine. Shi Liang even devoted a chapter of her memoirs to Nostalgia for Gongdelin.
In the same year that Five-Spice Roasted Gluten was perfected, the restaurant received an extraordinary honour. George Bernard Shaw, the Nobel Prize-winning playwright, visited Shanghai at the age of 77. Soong Ching-ling (Madame Sun Yat-sen) hosted a banquet for him at her home – and the entire menu came from Gongdelin. Shaw was so impressed that he declared the food the “king of vegetarian dishes”.
A National Treasure
Today, Gongdelin’s vegetarian cooking techniques are recognised as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage of China, officially listed by the State Council in 2008. Five-Spice Roasted Gluten remains one of the restaurant’s signature dishes, alongside other classics like Vegetarian Crab Roe, Vegetarian Ham, and White Bamboo Shoots.
The dish itself has evolved over time. Its name gave rise to Four-Joy Roasted Gluten (sixi kaofu), a beloved variation that has become a staple of Shanghai home cooking and a must-have dish on New Year’s Eve dinner tables. The name “Four-Joy” (sixi) came about because the Shanghai dialect pronunciation of “fresh” (xian) sounds similar to “joy” (xi).
What Makes It So Special?
The magic of Five-Spice Roasted Gluten lies in its texture and flavour. The gluten is first hand-torn into strips – never cut with a knife, as tearing preserves its irregular, porous surface that better absorbs sauce. After boiling, rinsing, and pressing out excess water, the gluten is deep-fried until golden and crisp. It is then slowly braised with soy sauce, sugar, and aromatic spices, allowing the broth to penetrate every pore.
The finished dish is a deep chestnut brown, with a soft, chewy texture and a rich, savoury-sweet flavour that lingers on the palate. It’s high in protein, low in sugar, and entirely plant-based – a testament to the sophistication of Chinese vegetarian cooking.
Where to Find It
For the authentic taste of Five-Spice Roasted Gluten, visit the Gongdelin restaurant in Shanghai. Today, the flagship store is located at 445 West Nanjing Road, near Chengdu North Road in the heart of the city. The restaurant continues to serve this century-old classic alongside its ever-evolving menu of vegetarian innovations.
Whether you’re a long-time vegetarian or simply curious about China’s rich culinary heritage, Five-Spice Roasted Gluten offers a taste of history – a dish born from Buddhist reverence, perfected by culinary artistry, and cherished by generations of Shanghai’s most discerning diners.
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