The cracking plate I make when summer has no appetite is this one – cold yuba salad, and this home cook’s version pours hot oil over a bowl of chili powder, garlic, scallion, peppercorn, and sesame – the whole dressing in one move. A home cook wrote it in eleven steps and ended where summer lives: cold plates, appetite back. I made it as written, and it is the cool, spicy-sour plate that solves the no-cooking season.

Liang ban fu zhu (凉拌腐竹) is cold yuba salad – boiled yuba sticks tossed with cucumber and roasted peanuts in a chili-garlic hot-oil dressing of soy, vinegar, sugar, salt, and chicken powder.

What Is Cold Yuba Salad?

This is the summer bowl of yuba: a spoon each of chili powder, garlic, scallion, half a spoon of Sichuan peppercorn powder, and a spoon of sesame wait in a bowl while oil heats – then it pours over them, smoking, and the whole dressing wakes at once. A spoon of soy, one of vinegar, a small spoon of sugar, salt, and chicken powder join, and the dressing is done. Pre-boiled yuba goes in a bowl with cucumber and peanuts, the dressing pours over, and two hands toss it until every piece is dressed.

For the shredded-sheet cold plate of the same bean, my cold tofu-skin salad uses pressed sheet instead of sticks.

Why This Recipe Works

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• The one-bowl dressing. Chili, garlic, scallion, peppercorn, sesame – oiled at once.

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• The smoking pour. Everything wakes together.

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• Boiled yuba, cool. Chewy, never raw.

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• Cucumber and peanuts. Cool and cracking against the chew.

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• Two-hand toss. Every stick dressed – the recipe’s move.

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Equipment Needed

• A pot
• A bowl
• A small pan for the oil

Ingredients

• Dried yuba, boiled and cooled
• 1/2 cucumber
• A handful of roasted peanuts
• 1 tbsp each of chili powder, garlic, scallion, and sesame, with 1/2 tbsp Sichuan peppercorn powder
• 1 tbsp soy, 1 tbsp vinegar, 1 tsp sugar, and salt and chicken powder to taste

Ingredient Notes

Yuba: Boiled ahead and cooled – chewy. My yuba and shiitake braise is the hot version. The dressing: Everything in one bowl, woken by hot oil. The extras: Cucumber and peanuts for the crunch.

Prep & Mise en Place

Boil and cool the yuba; cut the cucumber; ready the dressing bowl; roast the peanuts if needed.

Cooking Process

Step 1 – In a bowl: a spoon of chili powder, a spoon of garlic,

In a bowl: a spoon of chili powder, a spoon of garlic, a spoon of scallion, half a spoon of Sichuan peppercorn powder, and a spoon of sesame.

Step 2 – Pour hot oil over them to wake the fragrance

Pour hot oil over them to wake the fragrance.

Step 3 – Add a spoon of light soy

Add a spoon of light soy.

Step 4 – A spoon of vinegar

A spoon of vinegar.

Step 5 – A small spoon of sugar

A small spoon of sugar.

Step 6 – Salt and chicken powder to taste

Salt and chicken powder to taste.

Step 7 – Stir until smooth – the dressing is done

Stir until smooth – the dressing is done.

Step 8 – Add the pre-boiled yuba to a bowl with cucumber and pea

Add the pre-boiled yuba to a bowl with cucumber and peanuts.

Step 9 – Pour in the dressing

Pour in the dressing.

Step 10 – Toss with both hands and eat

Toss with both hands and eat.

Step 11 – So good – summer is for cold plates; they cut the greas

So good – summer is for cold plates; they cut the grease and wake the appetite.

Common Mistakes When Making This Dish

1. Raw, hard yuba. Cause: not boiled enough. Fix: boil it ahead until tender. 2. A raw garlic sting. Cause: oil not hot. Fix: pour it smoking. 3. A watery bowl. Cause: wet yuba. Fix: drain and cool it well. 4. A flat, salty dressing. Cause: no sugar or vinegar. Fix: the full balance. 5. Undressed sticks. Cause: a shy toss. Fix: both hands, as the recipe says.

Variations

More crunch: Extra peanuts. Milder: Less chili, more sugar. My cucumber and tofu-skin salad is the sheet version of the same cold bowl.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is yuba? Fu zhu – dried tofu-skin sticks, boiled before eating. Why pour oil over the bowl? It wakes the chili, garlic, and peppercorns at once. Why cucumber and peanuts? Cool and cracking against the chewy sticks. How long does it take? About 20 minutes. Is it spicy? Yes, warmly – the summer version, and my silken tofu potage is the calm soup to follow, yuba and pork stir the hot plate.

How to Serve

Serve cool – with cucumber and tofu-skin salad, cold tofu-skin salad, and home-style tofu for a cold table, or with red braised tofu and golden pan-fried tofu for contrast.

Storage & Reheat

Best fresh; refrigerate 1 day. Never leave out more than 2 hours.

Allergen Notice

This recipe contains soy (yuba, soy sauce) and peanuts. It is free of gluten (verify the soy), dairy, egg, fish, and shellfish.

Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

About the Author & Recipe Development

I am Jason Guo, a Chinese chef who has cooked professionally for more than five years – including time as a head chef – and now runs my own small restaurant in China, where tofu appears on the menu almost every day. This xiachufang cook’s cold yuba salad is my summer answer to no appetite, and the recipe’s one-bowl dressing is exactly how I work. I tested it as written. I have not tested the mild version, so that is your experiment, not my claim.

Authoritative References

USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service – Safe Temperature Chart for safe storage of cooked dishes.