Tofu and Yuba

Soybeans are soaked, ground with water and boiled; the mash is strained to separate soy milk from the pulp (okara). A coagulant is stirred into the hot soy milk to set it into curd. The traditional coagulant is nigari, magnesium chloride derived from sea water; calcium sulphate (gypsum) is also widely used. For firm tofu the curd is broken up and pressed in cloth-lined moulds; for silken tofu, thicker soy milk is set whole in the mould without pressing.

Neighbourhood tofu shops were once found in every town, their owners starting work before dawn. Their number has fallen steeply, but many still sell tofu fresh each morning.

Many forms of tofu are processed further. Fried tofu is especially common, both as a separate ingredient and in regional dishes. Freeze-dried tofu was developed as a preserved food in cold mountain areas and temple communities.

Soy milk is heated slowly in wide, shallow pans; a skin forms on the surface and is lifted off with a thin stick, one sheet at a time. Fresh yuba (nama yuba) is eaten with a little soy sauce and wasabi like sashimi, while dried yuba is rehydrated for soups and simmered dishes. The first sheets are the thinnest and most delicate; later sheets become thicker and richer.

Kyoto yuba is usually lifted as a single thin sheet by picking up one edge, while Nikkō yuba (written 湯波) is lifted from the middle so that it folds double. Nikkō yuba is often rolled or tied and fried or simmered.

Tofu appears in miso soup, hot pots and simmered dishes daily, but some dishes let it stand alone. Yudofu, tofu warmed in kombu broth and dipped in soy-based sauce, is a winter speciality of Kyoto, especially in the temple area around Nanzen-ji. Hiyayakko, chilled tofu with grated ginger, spring onion and bonito flakes, is its summer counterpart.