Yuba Wraps

Tofu Skin Rolls with a Delicious Savory Filling

Yuba wraps are a type of traditional snack from Teochew, Guangdong. They are commonly made for celebrating festivals, religious ceremonies, and family gatherings. Also called bean-curd skin rolls, yuba wraps contain ample filling, which can include meat, water chestnuts, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms. These fillings are wrapped with bean curd sheets into a long roll and fried in oil. These wraps have a very unique flavor that gives diners an authentic taste of the Teochew countryside.

Uniquely Flavored Chinese Yuba Wraps from Teochew Region

Ingredients

3 bean curd sheets
4.4 ounces (125 grams) fatty pork
3 shiitake mushrooms
1.76 ounces (50 grams) carrots
1.76 ounces (50 grams) water chestnuts
1.05 ounces (30 grams) wood ear mushrooms

Seasonings

3/4 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
3/4 teaspoon (3 grams) sugar
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) ground pepper
2 ¼ teaspoons (20 grams) starch
2 teaspoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
peanut oil to taste
appropriate amount cooking oil
enough starch and water solution to seal the edges of the wraps
green onions to taste

Please see measurements in grams to be more exact for all ingredients and seasonings.

Cooking Directions

Preparations

Wash and dice fatty pork. Soak shiitake mushrooms in warm water. Wash and remove stems. Dice. Soak wood ear mushrooms in warm water. Wash and shred. Peel carrots. Wash and shred. Peel and wash green onions. Chop. Peel water chestnuts. Wash and dice. Wrap in gauze cloth and wring out water.

How to make the filling

Place fatty pork, shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, carrots, water chestnuts, and scallions in bowl. Add salt, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, ground pepper, peanut oil, and starch. Mix evenly. Use chopsticks to stir in one direction to make a viscous filling.

Put it all together

Lay out bean curd sheets flat on cutting board. Add appropriate amount of filling. Wrap into a long roll. Use the water and starch solution to seal edges.

Tip: Make sure the filling is compact. Seal the openings of the roll well, or it may come apart while frying.

Heat pan. Add appropriate amount of cooking oil. When the oil is very hot, add yuba wraps. Quick-fry over high heat, turning them as you fry. When surface is golden brown, scoop out. Let cool briefly. Cut into small segments. Serve.

Tip: The frying must be done quickly over high heat to prevent the yuba wraps from becoming too oily.

Types of Bean Curd

Bean curd is a traditional Chinese soybean product that is used as an ingredient in many famous dishes in both northern and southern China. Each area has a different name for bean curd.

There are 2 major types of bean curd:

One type of bean curd is made by picking out the naturally oily surface of boiled soymilk and letting it dry. This type of bean curd is sometimes known as "soymilk skin" or "dried tofu strips". This is also the kind of bean curd used in yuba wraps.

Another type of bean curd is made by pressing, and is similar to dried bean curd. Since it is very thin, it is sometimes called "stacked bean curd" (because many can be stacked on top of each other) or "dried tofu". This type is evidently thicker than soymilk skin, which can be seen as an extremely thin dried bean curd.

Although both of these types are both known as "bean curd", their shapes, ingredients, tastes, preparation methods and uses are all different.