Bean Curd Sticks (Bamboo Yuba), Imported from Thailand, 6.0 oz

Dried Bean Curd Sticks (yuba, fu zhu stick, dried beancurd stick, bamboo tofu fong toa hoo in Thai) are made from the 'skin' that forms on soymilk as it cools during the process of making tofu. When soymilk is gently heated in shallow, open pans at 80-90 degrees celcius, a creamy yellow, bland-flavored film (called yuba) gradually forms. The films are successively removed from the soymilk surface using a long skewer, hung to air dry, and sold as fresh or dried sheets, sticks or knots, or made into a variety of meatlike textured protein products.

In the rolled stick form, also known as Bamboo Yuba, fresh yuba sheets are rolled up and hung over a line to dry, so they come out looking like a U-shaped beige rope, with each leg about 6 inches long. In Chinese this form of yuba is called fuzhu ; fu is the second character in the word tofu and zhu means 'bamboo', because it resembles a bamboo shoot.

In Thailand Beancurd Sticks are used to prepare palo, Five Spice Stew and Gaeng Joot (Clear Soup). Popular in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and China yuba's popularity has spread with the immigration of Chinese people throughout Southeast Asia.

Yuba is rich in protein and many nutriments essential to human health, such as unsaturated fatty acid, calcium, phosphorus and B-vitamins. It is an ideal addition to a vegetarian diet.

To prepare soak in water before cooking to reconstitute unless adding to soups. Once soaked or cooked bean curd sticks take on a glossy, creamy appearance and a slightly chewy texture with little or no taste. Store indefinately out of direct sunlight in a cool, dry place. (Source: http://www.soyinfocenter.com/HSS/yuba.php )