Kuzu

Pueraria montana var. lobata

root

A white starch from the root of a large East Asian vine, almost pure starch; it thickens soups, sauces and compotes, and macrobiotic cooking keeps it for tired stomachs.

Origin

Japan and China

Season (United States)

imported · all year round

Preparation

Dissolve it in cold liquid before heating, like cornstarch, or it lumps; it is once cooled that its starch turns resistant.

Did you know?

Outside Asia, the same vine is a fearsome invader: kudzu smothers all the vegetation around it and climbs to the tops of trees.