Yuba Kobo Godai (Godai, the Yuba Workshop)

As you may already know, soy beans are the most fundamental ingredient for Japanese dishes and many kinds of dishes are made from them such as tofu, edamame, natto, miso and maybe the most well-known, shoyu, or soy sauce.

Recently, many of them (excluding natto, we guess) are popular among non-Japanese people who are vegetarians and vegans, and are sold worldwide.

Tofu, or bean curd, must be the most popular one. It is made from mixing soy milk and coagulants, and pressing them into a block, much like cheese is made from milk. Then, how about “yuba”?

It must be easier to understand what it is and how to make it than tofu. In fact, it is the skin that forms on the surface when soy milk is heated, which is something immediately recognizable if you like hot milk or hot chocolate. Now, we can imagine your unhappy face… However, soymilk is different from cow milk! It is full of delicate soy flavor and pleasantly chewy, believe it or not.

“Yuba Koubou Godai”, or Yuba Workshop Godai, literally, is a leading producer of Yuba that represents Minobu-cho. It was established by Mr. Itsuo Mochizuki about 30 years ago. With his love and curiosity toward the potentiality of yuba, numerous “yuba” products have been created. Also, people who work in this workshop love their job and each one is an artisan pursuing the highest level of quality.

In their cold display, you will find many kinds of yuba products. Even for Japanese people who already know what yuba is, it is difficult to choose what to buy.

“Kaku yuba”, literally means “square yuba” looks like tofu. But it is multiple thin yuba piled up like millefeuille, which is the speciality of this Yuba Workshop Godai. There are also yuba ready to be deep-fried, square yuba pickled in miso bean paste and smoked with cherry wood chips, yuba buns filled with yuba, which bamboo shoots, and shiitake mushrooms. For deserts, there are yuba in a cup and yuba icecream!

Recently various companies sell a wide range of vegetable milk for vegans. Yuba Workshop Godai is no exception. Peanuts Yuba is available here!

“The secrets of making delicious ‘yuba’ is to wash well the beans with good groundwater water of this place in Minobu-cho thoroughly and to select good soy beans,” says Mr. Mochizuki, the president.

“Yuba Workshop Godai” is about 5 minutes by car from Minobu Station towards the Shimobe hot springs area. But as it is not on the main road, it is quite difficult to find. Take someone who speaks Japanese with you for the first visit or send us a message beforehand!