Tofu skin, yuba, beancurd skin, beancurd sheet, or beancurd robes is a food item made from soybeans. During the boiling of
soy milk
Soy milk (or soymilk), also known as soya milk, is a plant-based milk produced by soaking and grinding soybeans, boiling the mixture, and filtering out remaining particulates. It is a stable emulsion of oil, water, and protein. Its original ...
, in an open shallow pan, a film or skin composed primarily of a soy protein-lipid complex forms on the liquid surface. The films are collected and dried into yellowish sheets known as tofu skin.
Since tofu skin is not produced using a coagulant, it is not technically a proper
tofu
or bean curd is a food prepared by Coagulation (milk), coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness: ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', and ''extra (or super) firm''. It originated in Chin ...
; however, it does have a similar texture and flavor to some tofu products.
Tofu skin's use was first documented in written records in China in the sixteenth century. It is widely used, fresh, fermented, or dried, in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cuisine.
Early history
An early written reference to tofu skin appeared in 1587 in Japan in the ''Matsuya Hisamatsu chakai-ki''
hree-generation diary of the Matsuya's family's tea ceremonies The writer, Matsuya Hisamasa, states simply that tofu skin is the film that forms atop soymilk.
[
Other written references to tofu skin appeared around that time in China in the ''Bencao Gangmu'' he great pharmacopoeiaby Li Shizhen. This work was completed in 1578, but not published until 1596. Chapter 25 states:
A third known reference to tofu skin appears in 1695 in Japan in the ''Ben Chao Shi Jian'' (Wade–Giles: Pen Chao Shih Chien Mirror of Food in This Dynasty, 12 volumes This book was written by Hitomi Hitsudai in Japan, in Chinese. When Japanese read the Chinese characters for tofu skin, ''doufu-lao'', they pronounce them ''tōfu no uba. Lao'' or ''uba'' means "old woman" or "wet nurse".
]
Preparation
Tofu skin may be purchased in fresh or dried form. In the latter case, the tofu skin is rehydrated in water before use. It is often used to wrap dim sum
Dim sum () is a large range of small Chinese dishes that are traditionally enjoyed in restaurants for brunch. Most modern dim sum dishes are commonly associated with Cantonese cuisine, although dim sum dishes also exist in other Chinese cu ...
.
Because of its slightly rubbery texture, tofu skin is also manufactured in bunched, folded and wrapped forms, which are used as meat substitutes in vegetarian cuisine. Tofu skins can be wrapped and then folded against itself to make dòu baō ( zh, c=豆包, l=tofu package). These are often fried to form a firmer skin before being cooked further.
Forms
These are the three basic forms. Each comes in many varieties.
Fresh
Dried
Tofu skin may also be dried and sold as dried beancurd sticks ( zh, c=腐竹, p=fǔzhú, l=tofu bamboo). By layering or bunching fresh tofu skin or rehydrated tofu skin, then tying it tightly in cloth and stewing it, the dried beancurd sticks will retain their original shape. This bunched tofu skin is then called ''tofu chicken'' ( zh, t=豆雞, s=豆鸡, p=dòu jī, links=no; or zh, t=素雞, s=素鸡, p=sù jī, links=no). In Thai cooking it is referred to as ''fawng dtâo-hûu'' (, lit. foam tofu). It is commonly called foo chuk in Southeast Asia.
Meat alternatives
By layering and bunching the sheets in a certain manner, an imitation of chicken breast can be created with tofu skin. The effect is completed by frying the "skin" side of the tofu chicken until it is crispy. If stuffed with vegetables, it becomes ''tofu duck''. Likewise various other meat alternatives have been made in this way, especially by Buddhist vegetarian restaurants in areas of Chinese culture.[
The earliest process for making these meatless meats consisted of rolling thin sheets of doufupi, literally tofu skin, around a filling of minced, smoked, or other seasoned pieces of tofu skin, tying closed the bundle with string, and steaming until a meaty texture and flavor developed.]
Log
Other methods include rolling the tofu skin tightly on a chopstick
Chopsticks are shaped pairs of equal-length sticks that have been used as kitchen and eating utensils in most of East Asia for over three millennia. They are held in the dominant hand, secured by fingers, and wielded as extensions of the ha ...
and steaming it to form a log. When the log is sliced, each slice will be circular with a square hole in the center, which looks like old Chinese coins.
Gallery
File:Fucuk.JPG, Tofu skin is commonly sold as dried leaves or sheets.
Image:Yuba-meal.jpg, Yuba served as a main course in Kyoto
Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
Image:Tofuskinroll.jpg, Tofu skin roll
Tofu skin roll or Tofu roll is a dim sum dish.Hsiung, Deh-Ta. Simonds, Nina. Lowe, Jason. 005(2005). The food of China: a journey for food lovers. Bay Books. . p35. It can be found in Hong Kong and among overseas Chinese restaurants. It is usu ...
in dim sum
Dim sum () is a large range of small Chinese dishes that are traditionally enjoyed in restaurants for brunch. Most modern dim sum dishes are commonly associated with Cantonese cuisine, although dim sum dishes also exist in other Chinese cu ...
cuisine
Image:Tofuskinstick.jpg, Stick form, as a dish
File:Kumiage yuba and sashimi yuba, at Washoku Sato (2015-05-01).JPG
See also
* Tofu skin roll
Tofu skin roll or Tofu roll is a dim sum dish.Hsiung, Deh-Ta. Simonds, Nina. Lowe, Jason. 005(2005). The food of China: a journey for food lovers. Bay Books. . p35. It can be found in Hong Kong and among overseas Chinese restaurants. It is usu ...
* Dim sum
Dim sum () is a large range of small Chinese dishes that are traditionally enjoyed in restaurants for brunch. Most modern dim sum dishes are commonly associated with Cantonese cuisine, although dim sum dishes also exist in other Chinese cu ...
* Abura-age
is a Japanese food product made from tofu. Thin slices of tofu are deep-fried, and the product can then be split open to form pouches. is often used to wrap , and it is added to miso soup. It is also added to udon noodle dishes, which are ca ...
References
External links
About Tofu Skin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tofu Skin
Buddhist cuisine
Cantonese cuisine
Chinese cuisine
Dim sum
Japanese cuisine
Soy-based foods
Sushi
Skin
Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation.
Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different ...