These drumsticks are unbelievably vegetarian. They’re made from yuba or tofu skin that is marinaded and wrapped around a sugar cane stick to create the most drumstick experience. And when I saw Woon Heng’s recipe for it, I knew I had to give it a go.
Vegan Yuba Skin Drumsticks
Equipment
- air fryer
Ingredients
- 10 yuba sheets fresh sheets work best and can be found in the frozen section
- 3 C. water
- 10 sticks fresh sugar cane cut into 1/2" x 5" lengths, substitute popsicle sticks
- 1 tsp vegetable oil for greasing the pan
Marinade
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. vegetable bouillon
- 1/2 tbsp. sugar
- 1/2 tsp. onion powder
- 1/4 tsp. 5-spice powder
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1/4 C. water
Cornstarch glue
- 2 tbsp. corn starch
- 1 tbsp. water
Sauce
- 1 tbsp. water
- 1½ tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp. honey substitute use sugar to make it vegan
Instructions
Reconstituting Yuba
- Fold the yuba sheets in half and cut into 1 1/2" strips.
- Place the strips in a very large bowl and cover with 3 cup of water. Toss to coat and soak for 2 minutes. The strips with soften and become opaque in color.
- Take a handful of yuba strips and squeeze out the excess water. Transfer to a dry bowl.
- In a small bowl, combine all of the marinade ingredients. Pour over the yuba strips and toss to coat.
- In a small bowl mix the cornstarch and water into a paste.
Wrapping The Sugar Cane Sticks
- Use a spoon to spread a layer of cornstarch glue onto the sugar cane leaving 1½" uncoated.
- Begin wrapping the sugar cane with the marinaded yuba strips using some tension to create a tight layers. Overlap the strips and build the layers to form a drumstick shape leaving the uncoated portion of the sugar cane bare as a handle.
- Use a piece of plastic film to wrap the drumstick twisting the ends tightly. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the yuba to firm up.
Cooking The Drumsticks
- In a small bowl combine all of the sauce ingredients and mix well.
- Unwrap the chilled drumsticks. Use a pastry brush and gently brush on a coating of sauce. Allow the sauce to soak in and after a few minutes repeat with another layer of sauce.
- Preheat air fryer to 325˚F(163˚C).
- Lightly the bottom of the air fryer before adding the drumsticks. Cook for 4 minutes before flipping and cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes or until the glaze is caramelized. For added shine brush with a little vegetable oil. Serve immediately.
Notes
This recipe is adapted from Woon Heng’s.
Nutrition
Calories: 208kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 9gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 586mgPotassium: 28mgFiber: 3gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 6IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 85mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Emmy,
What if you reconstitute it first with a heavily seasoned broth.. then cut it in long strips? I’m thinking of doing this for my vegan husband could you please include recipes to use with all the yuba?
P.S I’ve stopped FB and Instagram would love to see more of you on TIKTOK
Made these tonight and while it was a fun and interesting recipe to try out, they just weren’t for me. The flavour is very nice and the technique creates a cool effect so it’s no shade on Emmy, but unless you really love tofu the overall effect is hard to get past. Like she says in her Youtube video, it’s not really like chicken in any way other than the shape. If you love yuba in other formats though, I could imagine this would be the recipe for you!