Recipe: High Protein Gluten-Free Tofu Skin Noodles
If you thought that tofu only comes in blocks from the chilled cabinet, think again! As I outlined in my Chinese Vegan Guide to Tofu, the versatile soybean is available in many guises — from fresh to fermented, liquid to dried.
What you see here is dried tofu skin, also known as beancurd sheet or sticks, depending on its shape. The Japanese call it yuba and the Chinese call it fu zhu. If we want to be pedantic it is technically not tofu — which is the product of adding coagulant to boiling soy milk — whereas this is a skin that forms during that heating process and is then removed to be dried into sheets. Nevertheless, it has a similar taste and nutritional constituency as tofu.
I always have a few dried tofu skin products lurking in the pantry. They’re cheap, have long shelf life and can be found in any good Asian supermarket or at online specialists. You can find sheets, sticks or knots, with each shape suitable to a different way of cooking. The only preparation required is rehydration. Here I will show you how to cook with beancurd sticks; the first of a few different ways.
First up is an easy–peasy guide to making tofu skin noodles that are vegan, gluten–free and high in plant–based protein while low in calories and carbs.
Let me know if you try this recipe and share your results on Instagram with #CelestialPeach.
Instructions
Cover a few sticks in room temperature water for two hours.
Once they are softened up, stack a few sticks tightly together and slice horizontally to the width that you desire.
Boil your ‘noodles’ for 10 minutes. You’re ready to go.
My favourite way to eat them is slightly chilled and dressed with sesame oil, chilli oil, a lick of soy sauce and a smattering of sesame seeds.
