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Sekai Gohan

Yuba Sashimi: Chilled Fresh Soy Milk Skin from Kyoto and Minobu

Servings 2 servings

Yuba sashimi in a shallow dish: folded sashimi yuba and kumiage yuba with freshly grated wasabi and shiso leaves
Steps with photos

Ingredients

Ingredient Amount Role
Sashimi yuba (sashimi yuba, hikiage yuba) 4 oz (110 g) Thin layered sheets, cut into bites; the main texture
Kumiage yuba (kumiage yuba) 3½ oz (100 g) Soft yuba in its own soy milk, spooned out; the creamy side of the plate
Fresh wasabi (hon-wasabi) to taste Grated just before serving; the main aroma
Fresh ginger (shōga) to taste Grated; a warmer, rounder heat than wasabi
Shiso leaves (ōba, aojiso) to taste Cut into thin strips; fresh green scent
Myoga (myōga) to taste Cut into thin strips; crisp, sharp scent
Soy sauce or dashi (shōyu or dashi) to taste Dipping sauce, served on the side

Steps

  1. 1Keep the yuba cold until you start

    Keep both packs in the fridge at 50°F (10°C) or below until the moment you begin. Lay out the strainer over a bowl, paper towels, cutting board, knife, spoon and serving dishes first. Then take the packs out. The pack should feel cold in your hand and the folds should look firm through the film.

  2. 2Drain the sashimi yuba

    Peel back the film on the sashimi yuba pack and tip the liquid off through the strainer, letting any loose folded pieces fall into it. Let the liquid run through, then press the top of the yuba gently with a paper towel. The liquid left on the yuba clouds the dipping sauce, so drain it thoroughly. You can save the drained liquid for miso soup. The surface should look moist, with no beads of liquid rolling off.

  3. 3Free the yuba from the tray

    Sashimi yuba often clings to its tray. Run cooking chopsticks or a thin knife gently around the edges of the tray. Turn the tray over above the cutting board and shake it a little. If the block still stays put, squeeze the sides of the tray lightly until it lets go. It is ready when the folded sheet slides out whole onto the board.

  4. 4Cut into bite-size pieces

    Cut the sashimi yuba straight down into easy, bite-size pieces while it is still cold. Keep the folds together as you cut, so each piece holds its layers. Wipe the board if liquid gathers there. The cut edge should show clean, distinct thin layers, and a piece lifted with chopsticks should hold together without peeling apart.

  5. 5Spoon out the kumiage yuba

    Open the kumiage yuba and use a large spoon to lift it out in generous scoops. Set one mound into each serving dish, lowering the spoon close to the dish instead of dropping it. Lifting and lowering keeps its shape. When you tilt the dish, the kumiage yuba should move slowly as one soft mass, glossy and creamy, with no watery layer separating out.

  6. 6Prepare the condiments

    Grate the wasabi on a sharkskin grater with small circular strokes, as if folding air into it. Grate the ginger finely; a copper grater gives a fine, even result. Cut the shiso leaves and the myoga into thin strips. The grated wasabi should look like a fine, bright-green paste, and the cut herbs should look crisp and fresh at the edges.

  7. 7Plate and serve

    Arrange the cut sashimi yuba beside the kumiage yuba in each dish. Set a little wasabi, ginger, shiso and myoga on the side. Pour soy sauce or dashi into small separate dishes, one per person. Serve right away, cold. The plate is right when no liquid pools at the bottom of the dish and each piece of sashimi yuba lifts cleanly with chopsticks.