Braised Yuba (Tofu Skins) with Vegetables

Tofu skins, or yuba, are one of my favourite foodstuffs. I have already written about them in this homemade tofu skin recipe article, and today I would like to share a simple recipe for braised yuba with vegetables.

I am a huge fan of simple stir-fry dishes with vegetables, that require super short preparation – a minute of chopping, a minute of cooking, some good quality soy sauce and your lunch is ready.

I love them not only for their simplicity but also because I prefer when the ingredients stay fresh, flavourful and colourful even after cooking. Also – too many spices, or ingredients in general, is just not my thing (I know, what a perfect material for a chef and a food blogger…).

Well, there is one dish that I love to make and see it as a plain old stir-fry’s older cousin. Why? Because braised yuba. Let me show you just how insanely simple and tasty this thing is.

Ingredients for braised yuba with vegetables

To make this easy and delicious dish with tofu skins, you will need the following ingredients:

• Yuba (tofu skins) – you can order dried tofu skins such as these online, or make your own with this simple recipe for homemade yuba.
• Shiitake – you can use fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms. If you decide on the dried ones, soak them for at least a few hours or overnight for the best result. The water from soaking can be used to add to the cooking later.
• Green beans or other vegetables of choice.
• Naturally fermented soy sauce.
• Vegetable broth – optional but recommended for more flavour. You can make your vegetable broth from kitchen scraps as shown in this easy recipe, or use a good store-bought broth without additives.
• Tapioca starch for thickening the sauce.
• Sushi rice or jasmine rice – both are great with this kind of dish; in Europe, I also like the Italian originario rice because it is a local variety similar to sushi rice.

How to make yuba (tofu skins) with vegetables

This dish with tofu skins is super simple to make. Just soak dried yuba in water and shoyu mixture overnight, braise them until tender, add shiitake and green beans, cook for one more minute and add some water with shoyu and tapioca starch to make the sauce.

The vegetables will stay green and fresh because of the short cooking time, and tofu skins will get that perfect soft, but still kind of chewy texture after the braising. You can also stir-fry the vegetables on a separate pan for a deeper flavour, but it will be just as delicious if you simply add them raw.

Yield: 2-3 portions

Braised Tofu Skins (Yuba) With Vegetables

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Follow this recipe to make a delicious and quick dish with yuba (tofu skins) and vegetables. It is easy to make and perfect for lunch or dinner. This tasty meal is naturally vegan, gluten-free and made with healthy ingredients.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Additional Time 12 hours

Total Time 12 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried yuba (tofu skins)
• 1/4 cup naturally fermented shoyu or tamari
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 cup green beans
• 3/4 - 1 cup sliced shiitake mushrooms (cca 100 g fresh ones, or 20 g dried)
• 1/2 - 2/3 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tbsp tapioca starch
• 1 + 1/2 cup cooked white rice

Instructions

1. Soak the tofu skins overnight in a mixture of tamari and water.
2. Drain the liquid and put it aside.
3. Heat a tablespoon of coconut oil or other vegetable oil on a pan and add the tofu skins.
4. Stir them and cook for about 30 seconds to a minute.
5. Add the soy sauce and water mixture that you used for soaking the skins and continue cooking for a couple of minutes.
6. Add the chopped vegetables and cook for another minute.
7. Mix the vegetable broth with tapioca starch and pour the mixture into the pan.
8. Cook for one more minute, or until it thickens.
9. Give it a taste and add some more tamari if needed.
10. Serve with cooked rice.

Notes

You can make your own homemade yuba (tofu skins) by following this easy homemade yuba recipe.

This recipe works great with both fresh and dried shiitake mushrooms. The measured 3/4 to 1 cup is for the fresh ones, so if you are using dried mushrooms, that would be 3/4 cup of sliced mushrooms after soaking. You can soak approximately 20 grams of dried mushrooms or up to your taste (no need for a very precise measure here).

Instead of using store-bought broth, you can make your broth from kitchen scraps, as shown in this recipe.

Cooking (braising) time for yuba can vary depending on their thickness and dryness before soaking. In my experience, homemade dried tofu skins don't need more than 5-10 minutes of cooking after they have been soaked overnight. If your yuba takes longer to soften, feel free to adapt the cooking time before adding the vegetables.

You can add any other vegetables that you love, such as carrots, peas or broccoli, to give even more taste and nutrition to this dish.