Soy Asparagus Salad (Fuzhu)

Name: Soy Asparagus Salad: Easy Fuzhu (Yuba) Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Cuisine: Chinese cuisine
Ingredients: Dry soy asparagus (fuzhu, yuba, fupi) 400 g; Carrot 1; Garlic 1 head; Ginger 30 g; Hot chili pepper 1-2; Cilantro 1 bunch; Green onion 2-3 stalks; Cold water for soaking and boiling; Brown sugar 0.5-1 tsp (or 1 tbsp mirin) (2–5 g); Soy sauce 1-1.5 tbsp; Rice vinegar 1 tbsp; Sesame seeds 1 tsp (3 g); Sesame oil 3 tbsp

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15 mins

In recent years, with the growing interest in all sorts of diet “systems”, legumes and products made from them are increasingly used as a protein substitute for meat. One of them is soy asparagus. It is now often found in shops, and its popularity around the world keeps growing. I admit I did not expect to like a soy asparagus salad. My daughter taught me how to make it, thanks for the idea.

This product is common mainly in Southeast Asia, on the island nations, in Japan and in Central Asia. The names used in different regions are fuzhu, fupi and yuba. It is a fairly thick skin that is lifted off soy milk. It can be used right away, but for sale it is dried and packed in bags, and that is how it is sold. It is worth saying that this product has nothing to do with asparagus. It just looks a little like it.

Fuzhu forms on the surface of hot soy milk when it is boiled during the making of tofu. It is a thick, fatty layer. Once skimmed off, it is ready to use, or to be dried and then packed. The dry product has more than 400 kcal per 100 grams. As it dries, the skin shrivels and stretches out. You can make salads and appetizers from it, stir-fry it with vegetables, or simply eat it dipped in a sauce.

A simple salad of lightly boiled yuba with garlic, herbs and chili can be a great spicy appetizer or a main dish for vegetarians. If you soak the dry sticks in advance, the dish takes 10-15 mins. If you like, make the salad hotter or add other ingredients to your taste.

Dry soy asparagus must be soaked in cold water, for at least a few hours. You can leave it in the water overnight or longer. For the soy asparagus salad to be soft, the pieces need to be boiled briefly after soaking.

In our shops soy asparagus is usually sold in bags of 400-500 grams. That is enough for 6-8 servings of the appetizer. The shriveled dry sticks are quite long.
They really do look like the young shoots of that well-known delicacy. They have a reddish-orange tint, which disappears when the sticks are soaked and boiled.

Ingredients

6-8 servings

For the salad
Dry soy asparagus (fuzhu, yuba, fupi) 400 g
Carrot 1
Garlic 1 head
Ginger 30 g
Hot chili pepper 1-2
Cilantro 1 bunch
Green onion 2-3 stalks
Cold water for soaking and boiling
For the dressing
Brown sugar 0.5-1 tsp (or 1 tbsp mirin) (2–5 g)
Soy sauce 1-1.5 tbsp
Rice vinegar 1 tbsp
Sesame seeds 1 tsp (3 g)
Sesame oil 3 tbsp

Step-by-step recipe

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Soaking

How much salad to make is up to you. I give all the ingredients to my own taste, for a whole 400 gram pack. Dry soy asparagus is sold in different pack sizes and can be stored for some time even once the bag is open. The fuzhu must be soaked in advance.
Put the required amount of dry asparagus into a deep bowl or pot.
Pour in cold water and cover with an upside-down saucer to keep the sticks slightly submerged. If needed, put a small weight on top.
Leave to soak for at least 2 hours. You can leave it in the water overnight or longer.

Boiling

Prepare the vegetables and herbs. Peel a piece of fresh ginger.
Fuzhu salad is very tasty with plenty of garlic, so add it boldly. The amount of chili is to taste and depends on how hot the pepper is. Fresh cilantro is a must. I recommend adding a stalk of green onion. You also need the ingredients typical of Asian cuisines: rice vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce and, possibly, a little brown sugar.
Rinse the soaked soy asparagus with cold water. The sticks are already soft but a little “rubbery”. That is their normal texture.
Cut them with a knife into 5 cm pieces.
Transfer to a pot, cover with water and put on the heat. Boil over low heat for 5 mins after it comes to a boil.
I always boil it, and it turns out fine. If the asparagus turns to mush while boiling, you may have got a semi-cooked (already boiled) kind, which only needs soaking.
Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water. Leave until all the liquid has drained off.

Sauce and salad

Prepare the sauce in a large bowl. Cut the peeled ginger into small pieces and put it through a garlic press. Crush the peeled garlic cloves the same way.
Seed the chili and chop it very finely.
Mix everything together, add the finely chopped cilantro and the sliced green onion.
Peel the carrot and grate it. Mix all the vegetables.
Add 0.5-1 tsp brown sugar (2–5 g). By the way, brown sugar can be replaced with 1 tbsp mirin, a sweet rice “liqueur”.
When the sugar has dissolved, add 1-1.5 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sesame seeds (3 g) and pour in about 3 tbsp sesame oil. Stir the sauce. No salt is needed, as there is some in the soy sauce.
The soy asparagus is ready and almost free of moisture. Combine the vegetable sauce with the fuzhu and mix well.
The appetizer is basically ready, but it is better to let it stand in the fridge for a while. It will soak up the flavors and only get tastier.

Serving

Put the soy asparagus salad into small bowls or plates.
Garnish with cilantro sprigs and thinly sliced rings of chili pepper. In China, dishes like this are usually eaten with chopsticks.

Calories and macros

110 kcal

Serving ≈ 230 g

Protein3 g11% of kcal
Fat7 g64% of kcal
Carbs7 g25% of kcal

100 g46 kcalProtein 1.2 gFat 3.2 gCarbs 2.8 g

Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.

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