Yuba is often called tofu skin, dried bean curd or soybean skin. However, tofu skin and soybean skin are misnomers as yuba is actually the skin that forms on top of cooking soy milk. Once cooked, yuba has a half-tender half-chewy texture. I first heard about yuba when I read the recipe for Miyoko Schinner’s Unturkey. She used yuba to create a crispy skin over her unturkey. After doing some research, I learned that yuba is incredibly versatile: it can used as a wrappers for making fried spring rolls, sliced thin into noodles, folded upon itself to make a vegan meat, and in many other ways. Because of its neutral flavor, yuba absorbs seasonings easily. This recipe for Braised Yuba was my first attempt at working with it and definitely won’t be my last.

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this is what the yuba I worked with looked like right out of the package

Ingredients:

1 10 ounce package of dried yuba
1 tablespoon canola or other neutral oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons mirin
1 inch-chunk ginger, sliced into thin rounds
1 star anise
1 2 inch stick of cinnamon
1 cup water
1 green onion, sliced

Directions:

1. The day or night before, rehydrate the yuba by placing it in a container with water to cover. Let sit at room temperature for at least 6 hours and up to a day. Remove from the water and pat dry. Cut yuba into 1 inch pieces.

2. Heat oil in a medium skillet. Add the yuba and brown on all sides, turning frequently. Transfer the yuba to a plate.

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Nicely browned

3. In a medium pot, combine the soy sauce, sugar, rice wine, ginger, anise, cinnamon stick, chilies and water. Mix well. Bring the sauce to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Add the yuba, cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes.

4. Transfer yuba and any remaining sauce to a platter and top with green onions.

*if you cannot find dried yuba, you can use frozen yuba sheets. The frozen sheets come rolled like filo dough or puff pastry. Just place the frozen sheets in water for a few minutes to thaw. Do not unfold the sheets once thawed, simply pat them dry and cut them into 1 inch pieces.