Kuzuko

Kuzuko (葛粉) or Got Fan is a starch powder made from the root of the kudzu plant. It is traditionally used in Japanese cuisine and Chinese cuisine mainly for thickening sauces and making various types of desserts.

Kuzu-kiri and kuromitsu in Kyoto

Examples of dishes that use kuzuko:

• ankake (liquid stock thickened with kuzuko)
• goma-dofu (kuzuko pudding with sesame paste)

Examples of wagashi (Japanese desserts) with kuzuko:

• kuzu-kiri (clear cake of boiled kuzuko cut into noodle-like strips and eaten with kuromitsu)
• kuzu-zakura (aka kuzu-dama, a cake of bean paste covered with kuzuko)
• Mizu manjū (red bean paste is coated with translucent kuzuko paste that is then allowed to set into a jelly-like consistency)

Examples of Tong sui (Chinese desserts usually in soup form)

• Got Fan soup