Vegan Yuba Bacon Sandwich
Yuba makes a great substitute for bacon and tastes amazing in this classic breakfast sandwich. The only question is: red or brown sauce?
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This vegan bacon substitute is filled with smoky, umami flavours and tastes wonderful in a sandwich with thick, fluffy bread and a generous squeeze of your favourite sauce.
The vegan yuba bacon crisps up wonderfully in the pan and takes on all the flavours of the seasoning, which is a rich and smoky mix of spices, soy sauce, and vegan Worcestershire sauce.
This sandwich makes a great breakfast or brunch, or you could even add lettuce and tomato for a lunch time (V)BLT!
What is Yuba?
Yuba is made from the skin that forms when soy milk is boiled – but that’s much tastier than it sounds!
Like regular tofu, it does not have a strong flavour on its own, but it is ever so slightly sweeter than plain tofu. Its texture, however, is very different to firm or silken tofu blocks. Yuba is soft and stretchy, and a little rubbery. When fried, it gets nice and crispy, similar to bacon.
Yuba, or tofu skin, can usually be found in health stores or Chinese and Japanese supermarkets, and comes in dried sticks that need to be soaked overnight before being cooked. Fresh yuba is also available, but is likely to be harder to find. If you do get your hands on some, it will work just as well in this recipe, just skip the soak.
Why isn’t Worcestershire sauce vegan?
Regular Worcestershire sauce contains anchovies or fish sauce, so it isn’t vegan. Fortunately, there are some brands that make vegan-friendly versions that can be used in this vegan yuba bacon recipe instead.
If you can’t get hold of a vegan Worcestershire sauce, Henderson’s Relish makes a good naturally vegan alternative. You can also use a mix of soy sauce, vinegar, and miso paste to replicate the umami flavour of Worcestershire sauce if you can’t find a suitable alternative.
Prep Time: 10 minutes, plus 2 hours to marinade
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 4
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 4)
- 0.5 0.5 tbsp soy sauce
- 0.25 0.25 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 0.25 0.25 tsp maple syrup
- 0.5 0.5 tsp liquid smoke
- 0.25 0.25 tsp smoked paprika
- 0.125 0.125 tsp onion granules
- 0.125 0.125 tsp garlic salt
- 0.125 0.125 tsp mustard powder
- 0.75 0.75 yuba sticks, soaked overnight
- 0.25 0.25 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 2 slices bread
- 1 1 tbsp sauce of choice (we used ketchup)
Method
- To begin, add the soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, maple syrup, liquid smoke, smoked paprika, onion granules, garlic salt and mustard powder to a shallow tray. Cut the yuba into roughly 5-inch pieces, place them into the marinade and leave for 2 hours.
- Once marinated, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat, then place the marinated yuba into the pan and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side.
- To serve, place 2-3 pieces of yuba bacon between 2 slices of bread and spread with sauce.
Why not sandwich your yuba bacon between thick slices of this Vegan Buckwheat Soda Bread?