Braised Yuba w/Steamed Bok Choy & Sushi Rice

 After going to Spa Castle recently, Marc and I ended up in Hong Kong Supermarket in Flushing. It was a winter wonderland of msg filled products along with random asian specialties. We came home with our arms full for a price way cheaper than many trips to Whole Foods. One of the things I bought was yuba or tofu skin. I had no idea what to do with this until tonight. If you have never had tofu skin before it is very interesting. It doesn't really have much of a taste and therefore will take on the flavor of whatever it is cooked in. It has a chewy texture which may turn some off but I think it has great consistency. I tried to follow Pham Fatale's recipe for it and added on to make it a meal.

This recipe is for the adventurous or the meat haters. That being said, I think it would be great to cook some red meat this way. I would imagine that this is not the healthiest the way to prepare yuba since it is pan seared in a wok initially, so I tried to balance it out with the brown sushi rice and steamed veggies.

Serves 4.

Ingredients:
1 c short grain brown rice
1/2 t freshly ground sea salt (for yuba) + 1 t (for sushi rice)
1/8 c rice vinegar
1 1/2 T  raw cane sugar the (for yuba) + 1 T (for sushi rice)
5-6 small heads of baby bok choy
2 t ginger, chopped (half for yuba/half for bok choy)
4 cloves garlic, minced (half for yuba/half for bok choy)
9 oz package of fresh yuba (tofu skin)
2 T high heat peanut oil
1/3 c shoyu
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t chili pepper
1 T honey
1  t freshly ground black pepper
1/2 c water
2 T freshly chopped cilantro
2 scallions, finely sliced

*A note about cooking...I started the rice first so it was cooking while I prepared the rest of the ingredients. Then I prepared the sushi rice sauce. Then I prepared the bok choy and set it aside to prep the yuba. The idea is to have all the yuba and bok choy ingredients prepped so you can just whip up the meal in the wok.*

For the Sushi Rice:
1. Simmer 1 cup of brown rice in 2 cups of water for about 50 minutes.
2. Dissolve 1 t sea salt, 1 T raw cane sugar, and 1/8 c rice vinegar in a sauce pan over low heat. Once dissolved immediately remove from heat and let cool.
3. Mix rice with vinegar mixture. Set aside.

For the Bok Choy:

1. Wash all bok choy. Cut ends off.
2. Place in steamer basket with 2 cloves minced garlic and 1 t ginger.
3. Bring water to boil and place steamer basket on top.
4. Steam bok choy for about 5 minutes or until the leaves are a rich green color.




For the Yuba:

1. Take yuba out of the package and roll as tight as possible so they are shaped like long logs.

2. Heat a wok until water sizzles and evaporates in 1 second. Add peanut oil and heat for a few seconds until it starts to sizzle.

3. Place yuba in the wok and sear it, continuing to turn it with tongs, until it is golden brown on all sides. Remove from wok and use kitchen scissors and tongs (as it will still be hot) to snip into 2" pieces.

4. Add remaining ginger and garlic to the oil in the wok. Saute to infuse the oil until it just starts to brown and then place the yuba carefully back into the wok (while maintaining its log shape).

5. Immediately add shoyu, paprika, chili powder, honey, remaining sea salt, pepper and water.
6. Simmer the yuba in the sauce while it reduces to about half. Continue to turn the yuba over and move center pieces to the outside so the sauce evenly distributes within it.
7. Then add scallions and cilantro and simmer for another minute.
8. Serve immediately with rice and bok choy. Sprinkle cilantro over the top if you prefer.