Соядан жасалған тағам: Қытай және Жапон асүйіндегі тофу терісі

Chinese and Japanese food made from soybeans

Tofu skin, yuba, beancurd skin, beancurd sheet, or beancurd robes is a food product made from soybeans. During the boiling of soy milk, in an open shallow pan, a film or skin composed primarily of a soy protein lipid complex forms on the liquid surface. The films are collected and dried into yellowish sheets known as tofu skin. Since tofu skin is not produced using a coagulant, it is not technically a proper tofu; however, it does have similar texture and flavor to some tofu products. Tofu skin's use was first documented in written records in China in the sixteenth century. It is widely used, fresh, fermented, or dried, in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cuisine.

An early written reference to tofu skin appeared in 1587 in Japan in the Matsuya Hisamatsu chakai ki [Three generation diary of the Matsuya's family's tea ceremonies]. The writer, Matsuya Hisamasa, states simply that tofu skin is the film that forms atop soymilk.

By layering and bunching the sheets in a certain manner, an imitation of chicken breast can be created with tofu skin. The effect is completed by frying the "skin" side of the tofu chicken until it is crispy. If stuffed with vegetables, it becomes tofu duck. Likewise various other meat alternatives have been made in this way, especially by Buddhist vegetarian restaurants in areas of Chinese culture.

Other methods include rolling the tofu skin tightly on a chopstick and steaming it to form a log. When the log is sliced, each slice will be circular with a square hole in the center, which looks like old Chinese coins.