Vegetarian Yuba Rolls stuffed with Shiitake mushrooms and Bamboo

Yesterday marked the end of Day 3 of Meatless Week–a one-week challenge to lessen my carbon footprint by going vegetarian. I felt a little more energetic yesterday, and managed to do a training run despite the heat. The temperature here in Seattle climbed up to 83 degrees by late afternoon, and all I wanted to do when I got off work was eat ice-cream with frozen berries.

Before dessert, I whipped up a quick, high-protein dinner of vegetarian yuba rolls. Yuba is also known as tofu skin. When soy milk is boiled, a “skin” forms at the top. This “skin” dries into a yellow sheet, and is renamed yuba. You may have eaten yuba rolls (seen jook guen) at dim sum restaurants–it is often wrapped around mushrooms and bamboo shoots. It’s first fried, then steamed. In Shanghainese restaurants, yuba rolls are often served slightly chilled, with a sweeter soy sauce marinade. (The combination of sugar, soy sauce, and Chinese black vinegar is one of the flavors combinations you’ll find in much of Shanghainese cuisine.)

Deep-frying at home is something I only do every month or so–we don’t have a powerful kitchen fan, and the smell of oil lingering in the air is not too appetizing. So instead of deep-frying these yuba rolls, I simply pan-fry them, then steam them by pouring a liquidy sauce into the pan and covering them for a couple minutes. This is an easy way to replicating a restaurant-style dish at home.

You should be able to find yuba at any Asian supermarket. They are sold fresh (refrigerated) or dried (in the aisles, usually in the same area you’d find the dried shiitake mushrooms.) The dried sheets come folded in a package, and you will have to reconstitute them in cold water for a few minutes until they are pliable.

Vegetarian Yuba Rolls

3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp sugar

If the sheets of yuba are large (i.e. more than 10″ in diameter) slice them in half, length-wise, to make 8 sheets.

In a bowl, combine the shiitake mushrooms, wood ear mushrooms, bamboo shoots, garlic, and all the ingredients for the marinade to make the filling. In a small bowl, combine the stock, sugar and black vinegar and set aside.

In a skillet, heat 1 tbsp of oil over high heat. Stir-fry the filling mixture until cooked through, about 4-5 minutes. Set aside.

Spoon 2 tablespoons of filling onto a piece of yuba. Fold the ends inwards, then roll up the yuba so that the filling is secured inside (just as you would a burrito.) There is no need seal the yuba roll–it will seal itself. Repeat with the remaining filling and yuba.

In a clean skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Pan-fry the yuba rolls seam side down for 2-3 minutes per side, just until golden brown. Then, add the stock mixture to the pan. (The mixture will bubble up and begin to evaporate. Cover the skillet for about 5 minutes to allow the yuba to steam through, until all the liquid is absorbed.)