Whether you're a strict vegan or just enjoy good food (that's me), you'll love making your own fresh and absolutely delicious tofu. Tofu is a soy-based versatile food that takes on the flavor of whatever you add to it. I use silken tofu as the base for low-calorie, low-fat sauces. Firmer tofu is great in stir fry's, soups, lasagna, even by itself. I love to season, then grill or smoke it. All you need are two basic ingredients.
I had been making tofu from scratch for years before I began making homemade cheese (which I'll be delving in-depth in articles to come). One day – while crafting an especially tasty cheese – I had an epiphany. The process of making tofu is a lot like making cheeses; just the ingredients are different. Both start with a milk. Cheese, of course, is made from animals milk, while tofu comes from soy milk. To make both cheese and tofu, a coagulant is added which allows the solids to separate from the liquid. The coagulants for both are vastly different and I won't get into cheese-making here because, well, this is a tofu article. But if you're interested in understanding basic cheese-making principles, tofu is a great place to start.
Let's talk ingredients! Like I mentioned, only two ingredients are necessary to make tofu: soy milk and the coagulant.
Soy milk
For the tastiest most fresh tofu you've ever had, I highly recommend using your own soy milk, which is ridiculously low cost and easy to make (check out my beans to milk article for directions). Of course, unsweetened plain soy milk from the store works too, but keep in mind that it has other additives that your homemade milk doesn't which may affect how the milk reacts with the coagulant and its flavor. When I make tofu, I start by whipping up a batch of fresh soy milk, then when I get to the cooking phase (step #5) I just continue with the tofu making process below.
A little note: As an alternative to soy, other beans can be made into bean curds. However, because of soy's special protein, fat, and starch composition, the process here works for soy but not other beans. Later on I'll post an article on how to make curds with other beans.
The coagulant
Certain substances, usually minerals, are used to clump proteins and solids into curds, separating them from the liquid. I've only ever used one mineral compound, but there are a couple different ones that other people use as well. So let's go over the options...
-Magnesium sulfate (epsom salt): Although I've never used epsom salt, it's a popular choice among many home tofu makers. Epsom salt – which gets its name from a mineral spring in Surrey, England where it originated – can be produced in a laboratory, although it's usually derived from natural sources. You're probably familiar with epsom salts amazing external benefits, but it's also used internally in certain medical preparations and is one of the salts in beer brewing.
-Calcium sulfate (gypsum): This is one of two traditional coagulants used to make tofu in China and Japan. In addition to its long history in tofu making, gypsum is known as an important ingredient in stucco and also as a salt used in brewing beer. Gypsum can come from a laboratory but is often naturally sourced.
-Magnesium chloride (nigari): This is the other traditional coagulant used to make tofu and the only one I've ever tried. It works perfectly every time. Nigari comes from seawater after salt has been removed, and is used in a wide variety of applications, including for ice control on roads and as a nutritional supplement.
-Another option that some people have great success with (and one that I intend to try; I'll update here when I do) is using lemon juice, fresh or bottled. Interestingly enough, lemon juice is also a useful coagulant for curdling animal milk into soft fresh cheeses. As with cheese, I'm assuming that lemon juice will impart a slight flavor to the tofu, which the mineral coagulants don't.
All of these options are available for purchase either online or at local stores, so choose a coagulant based on what you can easily obtain.
Let's talk equipment! Just about everything needed to make tofu you probably already have in your kitchen.
(_) Stock pot - the recipe below calls for 12 cups of soy milk (3/4-gallon), so make sure you have a pot big enough.
(_) Stirring spoon
(_) Cooking thermometer – make sure it goes up at least to 200-degrees Fahrenheit.
(_) Measuring devices – spoons and cups
(_) Strainer / colander
(_) Cloth – most people use cheesecloth, but for tofu (and some cheeses) I use white broadcloth.
(_) Pressing mechanism – common home presses involve a plate or board with a dumbbell or weight on top. We made our own presses last year out of a leftover fence board and bolts with washers and wingnuts. The benefit of this design is that I can control how much pressure to apply to my tofu block.
Soft or Firm?
There are two components that control how soft or firm your tofu will be. The first has to do with the coagulant. More coagulant = firmer tofu; less = softer. The recipe below produces a fairly firm tofu, but adjust according to your desires. Here's where I encourage you to play with your food. It's all about experimenting and seeing what works for you. The other area where you can control firmness is during pressing. The more weight used and the longer the tofu presses for, the firmer it will be as more moisture is pressed out. If you want super soft and fluffy tofu, then skip the pressing stage and just let the tofu strain for an hour or so. By the way, fresh warm right-out-of-the-pot tofu is delightfully delicious.
Let's make tofu!
Ingredients:
(_) 12 cups soy milk, plain unsweetened
(_) coagulant; choose one of the following:
-1 tsp nigari
-2 tsp gypsum
-2 tbsp epsom salt
-5 tbsp lemon juice, fresh or bottled
(_) 1 cup hot water – only if using a mineral coagulant, not lemon juice
Alright, here's the nitty gritty.
1) Heat the milk
If you're going strait from making soy milk to making tofu, once you reach step #5 in the soy milk process (see from beans to milk instructions), then after the milks' usual cook time, bring the temperature to 180-degrees, using the thermometer to gauge. If you're using store bought milk, bring to a low boil for 5-minutes, then adjust the temperature. 180-degrees Fahrenheit is an important temperature. If the milk is cooler than that when adding the coagulant it won't curd properly. A little warmer than that is fine though.
2) Prepare the coagulant
If you're using lemon juice, then all you have to do is measure it out because it doesn't need to be diluted. Any of the mineral coagulants, however, are diluted in 1-cup hot water. You can heat some distilled water in a small pot on the side while your soy milk is warming, then dissolve the coagulant in the water, stirring gently.
3) Add coagulant, phase 1
Don't add the entire contents of the coagulant solution all at once. Gently pour about 1/3 of the solution into the milk at the 180-degree mark. Stir in a figure-8 pattern, gently pull milk from the bottom of the pot to the top, mixing it all together. Cover and wait 5 minutes.
4) Add coagulant, phase 2
Whether curds are forming or not, gently pour the remain solution into the pot, stirring again. Cover and wait another 5 minutes.
Troubleshooting: If you're having trouble getting curds to form, add a little bit more coagulant. One factor that can affect your milks ability to curd has to do with the water used. Tap and well waters have other things in them such as chloramine or hard minerals. I suggest using pure distilled water for making your milk, as well as for dissolving the coagulant (keep a look out for our upcoming make-your-own water distillation system project).
5) Time to strain
Line a colander with cloth. Pour the contents of the pot into the strainer. You may want to catch the liquid in a large container. This liquid is still a form of soy milk that can be used for cooking and drinking. Or, watering your plants. Let the tofu strain for a few minutes or until it's cool enough to handle.
6) Press it out
Gather the edges of the cloth and wring out the remaining excess liquid. Get your press system set up and place the wrapped tofu into it. Like I said above, how much weight applied and the length of time effects the firmness. Before we made our wood presses, I used to place a wooden board on top along with a 5-10 pound dumbbell for about 20-30 minutes. This creates a fairly firm tofu.
7) Brine or not
This step is optional. I like to impart a little salt into my extra firm tofu blocks for flavor. Fill a bowl with cold water, add 2-4 tablespoons of kosher salt, stir until dissolved, and drop in a few ice cubes to get the temperature below 60 degrees. Salt will absorb better into the block at lower temps (just like cheese). Carefully unwrap the cloth and place the block in the icy brine. Make sure it's submerged completely. I like to let it set for another 20-30 minutes, although I've gone as long as an hour before.
8) Use or store
Your tofu is now ready for eating. Enjoy immediately or store for later. To keep tofu fresh, place it in a tightly sealed container filled with water and refrigerate. Change the water daily. This will store well for up to 5 days; anything beyond that and it starts tasting funky. Tofu can also be frozen. Wrap it well in wax paper and stick it in the freezer. When ready for use, just thaw it out at room temperature. Be aware that freezing changes the texture, making in more bready or fibrous.
Wasn't that soy seriously simple? Making tofu doesn't take much practice at all to master. In my next soy article, we'll take this amazing tofu and turn it into TVP (textured vegetable protein) for use in countless culinary creations.
Tell me: how did your soy yogurt turn out?
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