If you enjoy cooking tofu, you'll quickly find that tofu tastes better when you make your own at home. Homemade tofu is still fresh and fragrant, so your efforts to make it pay off. Start making tofu by making soy milk first, then from the soy milk you can make tofu or finely ground tofu/Japanese tofu.
Ingredients
Soy milk
- 2 cups soybeans
- 6 cups + 4 liters of water
Solid Tofu
- 3 cups soy milk
- 1/2 teaspoon nigari (thickening agent)
- A few drops of vegetable oil
Fine Tofu/Japanese Tofu
- 3 cups soy milk
- 1/2 teaspoon nigari
Step
Method 1 of 3: Making Soy Milk
Step 1. Soak the soybeans overnight
Put the soybeans in a bowl and soak them in 6 cups of water. The amount of water should always be three times that of the soybeans. So, if you want to increase the amount of soybeans, don't forget to add three times the amount of water.
Step 2. Strain the water
When the soybeans are soft, strain the water, then transfer the soybeans to a bowl or other container.
Step 3. Bring 4 liters of water to a boil
Use a pot that is sufficient for the soybeans and water you are using.
Step 4. Puree the soybeans
Place the soybeans in a blender and blend on high or on high speed for three to four minutes until completely smooth.
Step 5. Cook the freshly mashed soybeans
Take 8 ounces of mashed soybeans and put them in a pot of boiling water. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. When the mixture starts to boil again, add two to three drops of vegetable oil to prevent the mixture from boiling again. Don't turn down the fire. Continue to cook for seven to 10 minutes.
Step 6. Filter the results
Place a sieve lined with gauze over a large bowl. Pour the soybean mixture through a sieve into a bowl. This will separate the milk from the non-liquid lumps. Cover the dough with gauze and squeeze or press down so you can get as much milk out of the bowl as possible. Now you have soy milk and are ready to make tofu.
Method 2 of 3: Making Solid Tofu
Step 1. Prepare the baking sheet or mold
Prepare a baking sheet or mold that has holes in the bottom and is lined with gauze that is about four times the size of the pan or mold. Let the excess gauze cover the edges of the print.
- You can replace gauze with cotton cloth.
- If you don't have a special mold or baking sheet for tofu, you can make holes in a regular plastic container as an alternative.
Step 2. Cook the soy milk
Put the soy milk in a saucepan and heat it over low heat with a temperature of no more than 60 degrees Celsius.
Step 3. Prepare the thickening agent
Place a glass of water and 1/2 teaspoon of nigari in a clean bowl and mix until dissolved.
You can use plaster as a thickening agent to replace the nigari. This will make your tofu a little smoother
Step 4. Mix the thickening agent with the soy milk
Add half of the thickener mixture to the saucepan. Stir continuously. After five minutes, add the remaining half of the thickener mixture and mix again.
Step 5. Heat the dough
Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low, and let the mixture heat for 15 minutes. The dough will start to thicken, and the tofu will start to separate from the liquid curd. When you see the tofu start to separate from the yellow liquid curd, it means it's time to move the tofu.
Step 6. Move the year
Use a wooden spoon to remove the tofu from the pan, then place the tofu into the baking dish or tofu mold you prepared. Pat the surface so that it is smooth. Cover the top with the remaining piece of cloth, cover the pan or mold, then place it over a container of water, and let the mold sit for 20 minutes to dry the tofu.
Step 7. Cool the tofu
Prepare a bowl of cold water. Put the mold or the tofu tin in the bowl. Then when it's cold, remove the tofu from the pan or mould, and you'll have a ready-to-cook tofu.
Method 3 of 3: Making Smooth Tofu/Japanese Tofu
Step 1. Make the thickening liquid
Put the nigari in a glass and mix it with a few tablespoons of water. Stir until the thickener dissolves in the water.
Step 2. Put the thickening agent in a bowl with the soy milk
Use a wooden spoon to combine these two ingredients. Do not stir it too often because it will make the dough thick.
Step 3. Put the dough in a heatproof bowl
You can use other containers as long as they are heat resistant.
Step 4. Put the bowl containing the dough into a deep Teflon
Pour the water over the Teflon surface until it is a few inches high, but does not enter and pool the dough in the bowl.
Step 5. Close the Teflon
Make sure the Teflon is tightly closed.
Step 6. Heat the dough
Turn on the stove over medium heat and let the water heat up steadily. Heat the tofu mixture for 10 minutes until the tofu begins to form.
Step 7. Remove the bowl of tofu from the Teflon and let it rest
Place it on the table and let stand at room temperature so that the texture is really perfect.
Step 8. Serve the tofu
You can serve it hot or chill it in the fridge to serve later. You can enjoy it with accompaniments or use it in other recipes.
Tips
- You can also use lemon or lime juice instead of nigar. But the result will not be as good as using nigari.
- You don't need to remove any remaining thick lumps. These lumps can be used to make vegetable burgers. You simply process it with garlic, onions, and others. Or you can also use it for some other recipes.
Warning
- When kneading the dough to remove as much of the soy milk as possible from the lumps of dough, it's best to use a cloth as the dough is still hot.
- After boiling, the dough will be very hot. Careful.
