Yuba Wings: Dried Soy Protein With Miso

Watch the video to see how I make yuba wings

It was exactly what I needed.

A wonderfully thorough, almost academic breakdown of the different types of soy protein: what those flat soy cutlets are, what yuba is, all the different shapes, and what on earth you're supposed to cook with them.

It's the kind of post you bookmark and pull up whenever you want to make something delicious.

So take a few minutes to read his post—and save it for later. Enjoy!

After reading it, I hopped on my old scooter and headed to an Asian grocery store in Neve Sha'anan (a Tel Aviv neighborhood). I came home with quite a haul of yuba.

Just look at these beauties.

Yigal explains the production process better than I could, but here's the short version: yuba is a popular food in Asia, made as a byproduct of preparing tofu or soy milk.

It's the skin that forms on the surface of soy milk, which is then dried and rolled into different shapes.

For this recipe, I chose yuba shaped like chicken wings. (Relax. There's no chicken in it.)

To me, this shape is the best match for the sauce I chose.

But you're welcome to use whatever sauce you like. Go with it.

Curious About the Nutrition?

Because this stuff packs quite a punch.

Check this out:

Before cooking, 100 g (3.5 oz) of yuba has 356 calories, 46.4 grams of protein, and just 2.7 grams of fat.

Can we call that a winner?

You can find yuba at stores specializing in Asian foods, such as Dragon (an Asian grocery store) in Levinsky Market (a Tel Aviv food market),

East West (an Asian food store) in Carmel Market (an open-air market in Tel Aviv), and stores serving the Asian community around Tel Aviv's central bus station. Another option is Mahsanei HaTivonut (an Israeli vegan grocery retailer), which I believe also delivers.

A Few Notes on These Chicken-Free Yuba Wings

I used dried soy protein in the shape of chicken wings. I think yuba knots would work, too. I haven't tried them, but Yigal says on his blog that you can substitute them. I think we can trust him.

For the sauce:

I chose grill chicken seasoning (an Israeli-style spice blend for chicken) to give the yuba that familiar chicken-seasoning flavor. You can make your own blend with turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, a tiny bit of cardamom, and paprika.

For a lightly smoky flavor, I used smoked paprika. Sweet or hot paprika won't do quite the same job here. If you have liquid smoke, you can use that instead of the paprika.

And for body and umami, I added 1 tablespoon of light miso paste.

Don't have any? Substitute 1 tablespoon of mustard or 1 tablespoon of nutritional yeast powder. Neither is exactly the same, but they'll give you a savory flavor that's somewhere in the neighborhood.

Nutrition for One Serving of Chicken-Free Yuba Wings, Weighing 100 g (3.5 oz) Before Soaking

About 250 g (8.8 oz) after soaking

Contains:

• 226 calories
• 10 percent fat
• 12.5 grams of protein
• 11 grams of carbohydrates

Want to know how to make tofu that actually tastes amazing? Head here