Kyoto’s Senmaruya: Serving Up the Super Food “Yuba”

Freshly made yuba, especially when served raw, melts in your mouth with its distinctive umami flavor.

Dried yuba comes in various shapes and sizes.

Soybeans are the main ingredient of yuba.

Heating gojiru and waiting for the perfect moment to scoop the yuba off of the top.

Skill is required to pull unbroken sheets of yuba off of the top of the mixture at just the right time.

The pale yellow skin is confirmation of the concentrated soybean goodness that yuba contains.

The ingredients are arranged before dashi stock is poured into the pot. Large pieces of yuba are placed on top and the pot is heated.

When the yuba balloons, it’s time to eat.

Senmaruya’s yuba hot pot lunch set includes rice cooked with yuba and dessert, all for ¥1,800.

Rice cooked with yuba, servings of yuba to dip in the sauce, and a dessert of gojiru with agar (gelatin cubes).

Eighth-generation Senmaruya proprietor Ochi Tadahiro.

Senmaruya’s head office and attached shop, located close to the Nishiki market in Kyoto.