Yuba refers to the thin film that forms on top of a mixture of soybean milk and bittern (nigari) when it is slowly heated in a flat pan. The film is then scooped off with chopsticks, or more traditionally, by a bamboo skewer known as a takegushi. In certain restaurants customers are able to heat their own soybean milk solution and eat the yuba immediately after it is scooped off. In Japanese this is specifically called “hikiage-yuba,” and sometimes nama-yuba. Hikiage-yuba is the main topic of this feature, but to make things easier we’ll simply refer to it hereafter as yuba. When preparing yuba the mixture must not be allowed to boil or even bubble, or a good film of yuba will not form. In Japan yuba is known as a Kyoto as well as Nikko delicacy, but historically yuba is thought to be a dish originating from China more than 2,000 years ago. In Kyoto the kanji used for yuba is ??(hot water, leaf), while in Nikko they prefer to write it as ?? (hot water, skin). The reason for this difference is yet another mystery of kanji that I’ll have the pleasure of decoding out some other time.

Yuba can be found mainly in two forms, dried and fresh (nama). The dried form is convenient because you can buy it in any supermarket and by simply adding water it is useable in soup and other dishes. However, to enjoy fresh yuba you’ll need to go to a fancy Japanese restaurant, or go through the trouble of preparing it yourself. In my five years in Japan I have never heard of anyone attempting to prepare yuba in their home. My Japanese friends tell me it’s doable, but just more trouble than it’s worth. This is probably because it is difficult to keep the soybean milk at a stable temperature, and those large square metal pans that yuba is prepared in are only really practical for making tofu and yuba. Cupboards only have so much space, can’t have too many one-use tools... That doesn’t seem to stop everyone in Osaka from owning a Takoyaki maker though... but I digress.

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