Although Yuba has been in use in China, Japan and Korea since the fifteenth century, it is one of those ingredients that is gaining popularity in Toronto and popping up more and more in  restaurants that serve a plant-based cuisine. And for good reason.

D.I.Y yuba

Yuba, also known as tofu skin, is the compound that forms on the surface of boiled soymilk while it cools. Cow’s milk does the same thing; you may have noticed a skin that forms on your hot chocolate if you leave it unattended for a few minutes. It’s the same principle with soymilk. To make yuba, soymilk is boiled and left to cool in large vats, and the surface skin that forms is peeled off in sheets and dried. These sheets can be cut into various sizes and shapes, like noodles, and used in a similar fashion as noodles, or used in the making of wraps or roulades. For example, Here’s a great recipe for a yuba roulade made with a mushroom and sage stuffing.

it cleans up nicely…

But yuba can be incorporated into your everyday diet in many and much simpler ways. Dried yuba is ready to use after a few minutes soaking in boiling hot water. Since it rehydrates really quickly it can be added to stir fries, curries, fried rice dishes, spring rolls, casseroles, stews and soups. It can also be chopped up and added to any dish where you want to add a little more texture and protein. Yuba doesn’t have much taste at all, sort of like tofu, go figure, but has a great chew to it and adds a meaty sort of texture to your dish that is both tender and chewy at the same time. And, like tofu, it is the master of disguise, soaking up the flavours of the surrounding ingredients.

makes great gluten-free dumplings

Using yuba sheets to make pot stickers or won-tons is also a great idea, especially for folks who are gluten intolerant or who just want to avoid the carbs of wheat or flour-based dumpling wraps. In fact, because yuba is gluten free and plant based, and high in protein, vitamins and minerals, it is a darling in the plant-based community. Yuba contains three times the protein (and fat) as tofu, and has more polyunsaturated fats, magnesium, iron and copper than ham!

added to Asian style coleslaw

Yuba can be purchased in most Asian food markets, in a variety of forms; fresh, dried, and in flat sheets or sticks as pictured at the top of this page. Now if you are having any difficulty getting hold of this amazing product, fresh or dried, yuba, can always make your own at home, it’s that simple. Here’s a great article on how to do just that! Whether you are vegan, vegetarian or omnivore, you are going to captivated by this awesome food and want to add it to your culinary repertoire.