Yubanzai: tofu skin never tasted so good
There are many foods that Kyoto is famous for such as matcha green tea, pickles, and Kyoto vegetables just to name a few, but one of the foods I constantly speak of now that I live here is yuba, or tofu skin.
Yuba has the light yellow coloring of soybeans, and people who live outside of Kyoto prefecture may just assume that it’s something served at historical restaurants. However, I recently came upon a restaurant named Yubanzai Komameya that changed that image of yuba for me.
What’s “yubanzai” in the first place, you ask? In Kyoto, people refer to traditional home-style cooking as obanzai. This includes vegetable side dishes, food simmered in soy sauce, and simmered taro, all tasting like home. When you prepare those obanzai dishes with yuba, you get “yubanzai.” And Komameya’s dishes are just that.
When I arrived, it was just past lunchtime, so I settled down for a late lunch. My order: the “Yuba Ozen.” (See? Already the name sounds fancy!)
★Menu★
Hikiage (or sheet-like) yuba sashimi
Kumiage (or scooped) yuba sashimi
Salad, golden sesame tofu, okara (soybean pulp)
Yuba mixed with cooked veggies
The Main Dish (fried yuba and eggplant!)
Mini yuba donburi (your choice of either a kumiage yuba or hikiage in a starchy sauce)
Pickles, soup
I was so surprised at the variety of menu items incorporating yuba. Especially impressive was the hikiage yuba sashimi; in addition to the traditional yuba made from yellow soybeans, there was yuba made from black soybeans that are said to be very nutritious and good for your health and also edamame-colored yuba made from green soybeans. Even though no meat or fish is used whatsoever, the dishes are filling, and since everything is made from soybeans, it’s healthy. Not only is the appearance of your meal appealing, but it’s also easy on your stomach. Yuba’s awesome!
It’s looking more and more like the colorful autumn season here in Kyoto. How about some colorful yuba, too, on your way to see the autumn leaves?