Hoisin Glazed Yuba and Eggplant Sandwiches
These Hoisin Glazed Yuba and Eggplant Sandwiches provide the perfect chewy bite while packing in your protein and veggies all summer long.
Summer is for veggie skewers, and for me they may look a little different from your traditional skewers. Yes, you can always chop up your favorite veggies like eggplants, summer squash, and mushrooms to thread onto your skewers. I’ve even made my fair share of tofu skewers to munch on.
This year, I wanted something more satisfying and chewier, so I’m relying on some yuba or “tofu skin” for my skewering needs.
What is yuba?
Yuba, “tofu skin”, or bean curd skin is the natural by product of the tofu making process. These sheets form when the soy milk is simmering and then are pulled off. While you can make yuba at home, you can also find fresh or dried in store. I like to keep a packet of dried yuba in my pantry since it is shelf stable and cheap, which allows me to make protein-rich meals whenever I need them.
Why You’ll Love These Hoisin Glazed Yuba and Eggplant Sandwiches
- Veggie and Protein Forward. Yuba serves as our protein and the eggplant and slaw count towards our veggies. All three help to build an incredibly nourishing and satisfying meal.
- Great texture. I love using yuba along with summer veggies on skewers as they lend to the perfect chewy bite that feels meaty and hearty.
- Easy to modify. These skewers are fantastic as written, but easy enough to modify based on your preferences. Peep the notes below for suggestions on how to make these your own!
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Dried Yuba: Find this ingredient at your local Asian market. I found mine in the aisles of HMart, but you can also find them online.
- Eggplant: I recommend using small and thin eggplants like Chinese eggplants so that they are about the same size as the yuba strips. If using regular eggplant, I still recommend using smaller varieties as they tend to be less bitter in flavor. If you feel your strips are too wide, just cut them in half to make thinner strips. Alternatively, try the skewers with summer squashes like zucchini and yellow squash.
- Red Cabbage: Green cabbage also works, it just won’t have the same color.
- Hoisin Sauce: Use a gluten-free hoisin sauce if needed.
- Tamari: I used a naturally gluten-free tamari, but some can contain gluten. If you are sensitive, please check ingredients. Alternatively, use soy sauce or coconut aminos.
- Rice Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar is a great option too.
- Mayo: Personally, I use vegan mayo. Use the brand that you love.
- Sesame Seeds: Totally optional if you don’t have them.
How to Make Hoisin Glazed Yuba and Eggplant Sandwiches
Slaw: To a bowl add the cabbage, onion, vinegar, lime juice, mayo, maple syrup, sesame oil, sesame seeds, white pepper, and a generous pinch of salt. Massage the ingredients into the cabbage and onions until they start to soften. Cover and refrigerate.
Rehydrate Yuba: Add the dried strips to a large heat safe bowl with a crushed bouillon cube over top. Pour 2 cups boiling water on top of the strips and allow the strips to soften, about 10-15 mins. Drain and gently squeeze excess moisture out of the yuba. Return to the cleared bowl and set aside.
Make Sauce: While the yuba rehydrates, add the hoisin sauce, ketchup, tamari, maple syrup, rice vinegar, and five spice to a small bowl and whisk together.
Prep Veggies and Yuba: Thinly slice the eggplant into strips. Pour about 2-3 tbsp of the sauce into a large bowl, add the sliced eggplant then cover with 2-3 more tbsp of the sauce. Gently toss or brush the slices to coat. Pour 3-4 tbsp of the sauce over the yuba strips and toss to coat.
Skewer and Cook: Alternate threading the yuba and eggplant strips onto each skewer. Heat up a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and brush the surface with some oil. Place the skewers on the surface and cook for 3-4 mins on each side or until they start to lightly char on the bottom. Brush the tops of the skewers with the remaining sauce, flip and allow to cook for 2-3 mins. Repeat with the other side then transfer the skewers to a serving plate.
Assemble: Spread buns with a smear of extra mayo if desired. Remove the strips and eggplant from the skewers and arrange onto the bottom bun. Layer with some pink slaw, pickles, then top with the remaining bun and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Adjust recipe for desired servings. I often scale down this recipe when I just want 1-2 servings. I’ll just make the sauce in advance for the week and use as much as I like to coat a smaller portion of yuba and eggplant strips. I can then skewer and cook 2-4 skewers, which significantly cuts the time down for this recipe.
- Finding yuba. Yuba also can be found as “tofu skin” or “bean curb skin”. You can find them in strips or slices. The one’s used in this recipe were dried and in slice form which looks like strips when rehydrated. You can find them online or at your local Asian market. I specifically found my strips in the aisles at a local HMart.
- Fresh yuba. If you’re lucky enough to find fresh yuba, feel free to cut it and use it as desired. You don’t need to rehydrate it, so feel free to skip straight to coating it in the hoisin sauce.
- Use tofu. If you are not interested in intruding a new ingredient into your pantry, make eggplant skewers and make this tofu deli meat instead. See FAQ for allergen suggestions.
- If you’re feeling lazy, skip these steps. Instead of skewering, stir-fry the eggplant and yuba up in a wok. You can also replace making your own sauce with your favorite brand of sweet and savory barbecue sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Instead of the yuba, make these “tofu” deli slices, but use Big Mountain Foods Soy-Free Tofu. You will also need to replace the sauce used in this recipe with your favorite soy-free sweet and savory barbecue sauce.
First, ensure you use gluten-free hoisin sauce and a gluten-free tamari to make the filling gluten-free. Once the skewers are prepared, you can enjoy them straight off the skewer with your favorite veggie and grain sides. I love having the skewers with rice, but you can also have them with your favorite added sauces and greens all stuffed in a gluten-free wrap.
Yes! I meal prepped a few batches of this recipe after cooking the skewers. Just allow to cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can eat them cold or reheat the skewers in a skillet or cooked in a toaster oven/air fryer for a few minutes to warm through.
Make It Balanced
When built as a sandwich served with the slaw, this sandwich provides energy sustaining carbohydrates, protein from the yuba, veggies from the eggplant and slaw, plus some healthy fats to help absorb the micronutrients in our meal.
Here are some other ways to serve your skewers:
- Enjoy in a bowl with some rice/quinoa served with the slaw on the side
- Wrap it in a whole grain pita or wrap along with the slaw
- Blend up your favorite bean spread to add the skewers on top of for added fiber
More Veggie Loaded Sandwiches to Try
- Caramelized Lemon Chickpea Salad Sandwich
- Peanut Miso Cucumber Crunch Sandwich
- Marinated Tofu and Zucchini Sandwich
- Smoky Shredded Tofu Breakfast Sandwich
- Spinach Artichoke White Bean Sandwich
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
Print
Hoisin Glazed Yuba and Eggplant Sandwiches
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Grilling
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These Hoisin Glazed Yuba and Eggplant Sandwiches provide the perfect chewy bite while packing in your protein and veggies all summer long.
Ingredients
Pink Slaw
- 3 cups shredded red cabbage
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1–2 tbsp vegan mayo
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
- 1/4 tsp white pepper (optional)
- Kosher salt
Tofu and Eggplant Strips
- 1, 120g package of dried yuba strips or bean curd slices (see notes for alternatives)
- 1 vegetable bouillon cube
- 2 Chinese eggplants
- Avocado oil for cooking
- Lime wedges for serving
Hoisin BBQ Sauce
- 1/3 cup hoisin sauce (gluten-free if needed)
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 tbsp tamari (gluten-free if needed)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/2 tsp five spice (optional)
Sandwich Assembly
- 4 hamburger buns
- Dill pickles
- Vegan mayo
Instructions
- To make the slaw, add the cabbage and onion to a large mixing bowl. Add the vinegar, lime juice, mayo, maple syrup, sesame oil, sesame seeds, white pepper, and a generous pinch of salt. With clean hands, massage the ingredients into the cabbage and onions until they start to soften. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- If using dried yuba, boil at least 2 cups of water in a tea kettle. Transfer the dried strips to a large heat safe bowl and crush the bouillon cube over top. Pour the water on top of the strips and allow the strips to soften, about 10-15 minutes. Drain the yuba, and gently squeeze excess moisture out of it. Return to the cleared bowl and set aside.
- While you wait for the yuba to soak, prep the sauce. Add the hoisin sauce, ketchup, tamari, maple syrup, rice vinegar, and five spice to a small bowl and whisk together well to combine.
- Thinly slice the eggplant into bendable strips. You can do this carefully with a mandoline for the most efficiency, a y-vegetable peeler, or with a sharp knife. Pour about 2-3 tbsp of the sauce into a large bowl, then add the sliced eggplant. Cover the top of the eggplant with 2-3 more tbsp of the sauce and gently toss or brush the slices of the eggplant to coat. As needed, add additional sauce to make sure the eggplant is properly coated.
- Pour 3-4 tbsp of the over the yuba strips and toss to coat.
- Alternating between the yuba strips and eggplant strips, fold each strip up on itself then thread each piece onto a skewer until completely covered. For reference, I used 6-inch stainless steel skewers which made 8-10 full skewers. The number of skewers made will depend on the thickness of your eggplant slices.
- Heat up a large skillet or griddle over medium heat, brushing the surface with some oil. Place the skewers on the surface and leave them to cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes on each side or until they start to lightly char.
- Brush the tops of the cooked skewers well with the remaining hoisin bbq sauce then flip and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Repeat with the other side if desired then transfer the skewers to a serving plate. Feel free to add a squeeze of lime overtop.
- To assemble a sandwich, spread your buns with a smear of mayo if desired. Remove the strips and eggplant from the skewers and arrange them onto the bottom bun. Layer with a handful of the pink slaw, pickles, then top with the remaining bun and enjoy!
Notes
Adjust recipe for desired servings. I often scale down this recipe when I just want 1-2 servings. I’ll just make the sauce in advance for the week and use as much as I like to coat a smaller portion of yuba and eggplant strips. I can then skewer and cook 2-4 skewers, which significantly cuts the time down for this recipe.
Finding yuba. Yuba also can be found as “tofu skin” or “bean curb skin”. You can find them in strips or slices. The one’s used in this recipe were dried and in slice form which looks like strips when rehydrated. You can find them online or at your local Asian market. I specifically found my strips in the aisles at a local HMart.
Fresh yuba. If you’re lucky enough to find fresh yuba, feel free to cut it and use it as desired. You don’t need to rehydrate it, so feel free to skip straight to coating it in the hoisin sauce.
Use tofu. If you are not interested in intruding a new ingredient into your pantry, make eggplant skewers and make this tofu deli meat instead. See FAQ for allergen suggestions.
If you’re feeling lazy, skip these steps. Instead of skewering, stir-fry the eggplant and yuba up in a wok. You can also replace making your own sauce with your favorite brand of sweet and savory barbecue sauce.
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