Cold Sesame Yuba Noodles with Crunchy Vegetables

+ a pause on paid subscriptions

Hi everyone,

First, a quick housekeeping note: Starting today, I will be pausing paid subscriptions until September. Substack weirdly doesn’t alert you when subscriptions are paused, so here I am, alerting you.

It’s become apparent to me that I can’t dedicate the time I want to be spending on this newsletter while trying to finish writing my cookbook (which is why it’s been quiet around these parts lately). As of right now, the plan is to get back to a more regular newsletter publishing schedule in the fall.

Here’s what this means for you:

• If you’re an existing paid subscriber, you won’t be charged until I resume billing when I return at the beginning of September

• If you’re a new reader, you will not be able to purchase a paid subscription plan at this time

I’ll still publish here in the meantime, but those posts will be less frequent and free to everyone. I’m hoping this will relieve some of the pressure and guilt-tripping I put myself through whenever a week goes by where I don’t publish. I’m hoping it brings back more of the joy. By the by, I notice many Substack writers express similar sentiments around the pressure of publishing when you have paid subscriptions.

Angela Garbes

of

Donita Reason

wrote thoughtfully about this recently, and I deeply appreciate that she names specific privileges, such as having a high-earning partner and having access to better-paying work such as speaking engagements, that allow her to make decisions such as pausing paid subscriptions indefinitely.)

Business / Plans

So that’s that, but it’s not all. I’m leaving you today with a quick, simple recipe for the only kind of fake noodle I’ll willingly get down with: yuba, or tofu skin. Yuba is a natural byproduct of the tofu-making process, and it’s increasingly becoming a staple in my diet. It’s mild in flavor, has a pleasantly chewy texture, and is an extremely versatile vegetarian protein that I’ve begun using all the time in stir-fries, hot pot, soups, and noodle dishes to easily up the protein quotient. Like tofu, it’s spectacular at soaking up whatever flavors/sauces you throw at it.

I’m lucky that my local grocery store stocks good-quality fresh yuba from Hodo Foods, so I’m constantly stocking up. I also have packages of Chinese dried tofu skin (sometimes referred to as beancurd skin or beancurd sheets), which need to be rehydrated in warm water for a few hours until soft and pliable. These are nice because they keep forever, as opposed to fresh yuba, which has a much shorter shelf life.

Here’s what sheets of Hodo Foods yuba look like once unfolded (left) and ribboned and soaked in water and separated into “noodles” (right):

I was originally trying to fashion this recipe as a cold noodle and veggie salad with threads of yuba mixed in, but it didn’t click until I realized what I wanted was just chewy yuba and crunchy veggies, no noodles. The sauce is loosely inspired by Chinese cold sesame noodles and provides a nutty, creamy, and savory contrast to the juicy peppers, corn, and cucumber. Make it for the 4th, make it for your summer picnics, make it for the next family cookout, make it for the person in your life who claims to hate tofu.

See you back here soon, and thank you as always for your support.

-Chaey

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Cold Sesame Yuba Noodles with Crunchy Vegetables

2 servings

Okay I say this makes “2 servings,” but for more context, the recipe makes about a quart of noodles, which makes it nice to pack up for a small group picnic or bring to a cookout as a side.

Ingredients

Sesame dressing:

2 Tbsp. tahini or sesame paste
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. peanut butter
1 Tbsp. chili crisp (I typically use Fly By Jing Sichuan Chili Crisp)
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. pure maple syrup
1 tsp. minced ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of half a lime

Assembly:

5 oz. fresh yuba (preferably Hodo Foods; see above for instructions on using dried)
½ red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 Persian cucumber, julienned
Raw kernels from 1 small ear of corn
3 scallions, thinly sliced, small handful of scallion greens reserved
Small handful of cilantro leaves and tender stems, roughly chopped
Toasted sesame seeds (for serving)

Preparation

Make the dressing: Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl until combined (sauce will be thick). Whisk in 2-3 Tbsp. of water until dressing is pourable but not overly runny. It will be quite salty, but will mellow a lot once mixed with the yuba.

Make the salad: If using fresh yuba (such as Hodo Foods), separate the sheets of yuba (see photo above) and slice into ¼-inch thick ribbons. Place yuba in a medium bowl of room temperature water and let sit for about 10 minutes, or until the yuba easily teases apart into individual strands when you gently agitate it with your hand. Drain yuba and gently squeeze out as much water as you can without breaking apart the delicate strands. Return to bowl. Add peppers, cucumber, corn, scallions, and cilantro, pour over dressing (you may not use all of it). Toss to combine until everything is evenly coated with dressing. Top with sesame seeds and reserved scallion greens and serve.

More things to do with yuba:

Make

Kate Ray

’s Italian Yuba Sandwich with crispy marinated and griddled yuba, inspired by that Superiority Burger sandwich:

Italian Yuba Sandwich (v)

Make

Andrea Nguyen

’s Chili Crisp Yuba Noodles, which look so good and have inspired me to consider bringing yuba to…the airport? Genius.

Easy Chili Crisp Yuba Noodles