June 19, 2009

Yuba Yuba Doo!

Yuba, or "tofu skin" is my wife's favorite thing to eat right now. She loves sushi, tartare, oysters on the half shell, and pretty much anything raw. The silky, tender, sheets of yuba have a consistency and mouthfeel that is both delicate and creamy at the same time, and not unlike some of these delicacies.

My wife loves yuba because it reminds her of something luxurious like beef tartare or uni (sea urchin) without the guilt (cholesterol, fat, etc.) and she begs me to bring home freshly made yuba all the time. Once I pluck the tender sheets of "sashimi" from steaming trays of freshly made soymilk, I immediately immerse them in glass jars and top them off with some soymilk to keep them moist.

While I'm still working, I already day dream about how we will prepare the yuba. Our favorite way is to chill and serve it with a simple sauce. Dashi sauce with bit of fresh wasabi is awesome. So is dashi with some sliced jalapenos and a touch of sesami oil. We use the sauce sparingly and only dip the yuba so we don't overwhelm its natural sweetness.

After finishing tofu making for the day, I clutch the precious jar of "tofu sashimi" and trek home, thinking about how pleased my wife will be- and maybe, I can swap the contents of this jar for her commitment to take out the trash this week..