It may not look like squid, but this dish certainly feels and tastes like it. The main ingredient is yuba, sometimes called bean sheet or tofu skin. This kind of tofu is produced by skimming off the cooked layer of soymilk as the milk boils. Fortunately, yuba is readily available in most East-Asian grocers, it can be found in dried sheets, and sometimes fresh and soft – kind of like lasagna pasta.

This dish is truly amazing, taking its fish flavour from dried seaweed (nori), but it is more labour intensive than a regular tofu dish. It needs to be cooked 3 times, so set aside a day when you can spend more time in the kitchen, and invite your friends over and impress them!

• 1 package of tofu skin
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 inch knob of fresh ginger, chopped
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 tablespoons of sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 teaspoons of water
• 1 lime – zested and juiced.
• 5 sheets nori
• Flour for breading
• Oil for frying
• Tin foil

1) In a large bowl, place tofu skins and submerge with boiling water. (It is okay if they break) soak until soft – approximately 1-2 hours.  If using fresh tofu skin, skip this step. 

2) Prepare the sauce. Mix the rest of the ingredients, minus the flour in a bowl. Crush one sheet of nori with your hands and sprinkle into the soy mixture.

3) Drain the tofu skins and lay overlapping like shingles on a flat surface. Spoon the soy mixture until the surface is mostly brown. Lay a half a sheet of nori overtop and roll the tofu sheets up like a carpet, with the nori facing inward.

4) Wrap each “carpet roll” in tinfoil and steam over high heat for 20 minutes. This will let the marinade infuse into tofu.

5) Take off heat and chill at least one hour

6) Unwrap from the foil and cut into one-inch slices. If the tofu falls apart, no problem, it still tastes amazing!

7) Dust each piece with flour and fry in oil until golden-brown. The flour gives an extra crispiness

8) Serve with fresh lime.

*Image courtesy Flickr creative commons.