Japanese Yuba Experience – Yes its Tofu

Japan is a place where you get to try many things especially when it comes to food.  My wife had been wanting to try a Yuba restaurant over in neighboring Togane city. However I must have resisted for 2 years, thinking “yuba? no thanks“.  Yuba, which some consider a delicacy, is simply the skin of tofu. During the boiling of soy milk, 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. Tofu is already a big healthy part of meals here in Japan, and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to eat its skin. However, a few months ago when we headed to Togane for ramen, the ramen shop was closed and I gave in to my wife and we tried the Yuba restaurant down the street. It was a good choice.

Yesterday, my neighbors and fellow golfing family took my wife and I out for our birthdays (we share our birthdays within the same week). We decided on going for Yuba and made the 20 minute drive over to Togane. My Nikon D5100 had just returned from lens calibration so I decided to bring it along with Nikons 35mm f1.8G lens. I love the 35mm as its a nice focal length and I seem to always be shooting it wide open at f1.8 which I did for all the pictures today. For an entry lens it produces nice colors, good sharpness and reasonably good bokeh and we know its all about bokeh.

The great thing about the restaurant whose name literally translates into Soy Yuba Kitchen, is that they produce all their own Yuba and Tofu freshly everyday and sell tons of it. From the restaurant and store side you can see through a large window the soy milk being boiled and long open trays.  My wife ordered the Yuba Sashimi or raw tofu skin lunch set while I had Tempura Yuba which is very very good.

Yuba Sashimi is pretty much several layers of uncooked tofu skin folded in layers and served in a milky almost slimy soy milk. Its then eaten with wasabi and soy sauce just like actual sashimi with a bowl of rice on the side. It’s healthy and actually quite good tasting though some may not like the texture. If you can eat raw fish and sashimi, they Yuba sashimi is a walk in the park.

Yuba Tempura set is a regular order for me when I come here. The Ojisan (uncle or older guy) who makes the tempura always does it with just the right amount of batter and fries it to just the right amount of crispness. What sets aside the tempura here from a typical tempura focused restaurant is that Yuba is wrapped inside the tempura.  Eggplant, pumpkin, a green pepper and a nice juicy piece of shrimp with several layers of Yuba dipped in tempura sauce make for a satisfying lunch.

One of my favorite parts of lunch is dessert with all kinds of soy bean style drinks and soft ice cream, pudding and annin tofu (an almnd tofu). I was so excited eating dessert that I forgot to take pictures. Once the meal is finished, patrons usually shop the store to bring even more tofu and Yuba home with them to eat in the coming days. I’ve already been to this Yuba place 5 times this year. I’ll certainly be going a few times more.

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