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Tofu

Make your own tofu!! This will make a little under 1 kilo delicious, homemade tofu. The recipe can easily be halved.

Customer Rating:
4.7 (3 votes)

Posted by: Rhona
On:

Cuisine

Japanese

Time

> 2 hrs

Skill Level

Confident

Serves

10

Courses etc.

Barbecue
Main Courses

You will need

IngredientAdd
Ingredients (Japanese names in parentheses):
500g Soy Beans (Daizu) More products
20g Bittern (Nigari)

Awaiting stock

 		More products
You will also need:
Cheesecloth
Moulds (milk cartons work fine)
Press (rolled up newspaper wrapped in plastic wrap)
Weights (plates, etc.)
Cooking thermometer

Need help converting measurements? View our recipe measurement conversion tables here.

Method

  • Soak the soy beans in water overnight (10-20 hours).
  • Be sure to use enough water so the beans can double in size.
  • Prepare the moulds using one milk carton per mould (you can use cheese moulds if you have them).
  • Cut off one side of the carton, and punch numerous holes in the sides and bottom to allow liquid to escape.
  • Reinforce the moulds by using a pair of longs sticks (one on each side) holding them together with rubber bands on the ends.
  • You should have one piece of cheesecloth per mould which should be big enough to fit squarely into the mould and cover the tofu inside.
  • The next day, pour out the water, and pulverize the beans in a blender using enough water to cover the beans (you will probably need to do this in four to five batches).
  • Pour the bean mixture into a very large pot and add enough water to double the quantity of liquid.
  • Bring the soy bean mixture to a low boil and lower the temperature, skimming off any foam that collects on the top. Boil for 20-30 min. stiring (and skimming) constantly.
  • Place a piece of cheesecloth in a colander, and pour the mixture through it into a large bowl.
  • The liquid that passes through is "soy milk" and will become the tofu. The solid material that remains in the cheesecloth is called "okara" and is useful for various Japanese dishes. You can also add okara to pasta sauces or veggie burgers.
  • Just as the temperature of the soy milk cools to 70C (158F), quickly dissolve the Nigari in about a cup of warm water. Pour in the dissolved Nigari and stir gently, just enough to mix the Nigari solution in. Do not over mix. Then allow the mixture to sit undisturbed for at least 20 minutes while it curdles.
  • White curds will separate from an amber liquid (almost immediately). Once the curdling stops (you will have big thick curds), pour the mixture into the prepared moulds to retain the soy curds only. You can use the soy whey in soups or smoothies. Cover with cheesecloth.
  • For each of the moulds, fit the cheesecloth squarely into the corners.
  • Next, place the plastic wrap covered newspapers on top of the tofu (it should fit squarely) and place weights on top to press out the liquid.
  • After at least 30 min and up to 3 hours, remove the tofu from the moulds. The longer your press it, the firmer the tofu will be.
  • If not eating the tofu within 24 hours, submerge it in water and store it in the fridge for up to 7 days, changing the water every day.
  • Alternatively, you could the tofu will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months. Tofu that has been previously frozen has a spongier texture that some people actually prefer.
  • Use your homemade tofu in your favourite recipes exactly as you would store-bought tofu.

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