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Making Tofu at Home

Ingredients

• 1 cup(s) soybeans. (Soak overnight in 4 cups of water)
• 1 1/2 tsp (8 mL) powdered nigari OR
• 2 tsp (10 mL) Epsom salts dissolved and thoroughly mixed in 1

Instructions

Materials and Equipment

Blender or food processor
Heavy cooking pot
Coarse Sieve
Strong, clean dish towel or heavy cotton material
Two other pots or bowls
Wooden spoon
Pressing device -- can be made from a 2 quart plastic ice cream carton. Poke bottom and side full of holes with a
strong fork (poke from inside out). Cut down lid to fit inside container.

Method

1. Drain soaked soybeans, add 2 2/3 cups (665 mL) water and blend two cups at a time on high speed for about 30 seconds.
2. Bring 5 cups (1.2 L) water to a boil in a large saucepan. Brush the rim of the saucepan with cooking oil to prevent boil over.
3. Stir the soy puree into the boiling water and continue to heat on high heat, stirring often. When puree suddenly boils up take pot off heat immediately.
4. Line the sieve with the straining cloth and place over clean pot or bowl. Pour hot puree through the press cloth and sieve. Quickly rinse the cooking pot and rebrush rim with oil.
5. Twist and press the cloth to squeeze as much milk as possible from the grits. Open cloth and gently shake grits and press again. Empty grits into 2 cups warm water in saucepan, stir and return to press cloth, squeezing out the additional milk.
6. Pour soy milk into the heavy pot and quickly bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook on low heat for 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off heat.
7. Add 1/3 cup (80 mL) of the precipitant solution while stirring vigorously 5 or 6 times. Stop stirring and sprinkle 1/3 cup more precipitant solution onto the milk. Stir a bit more. Cover pot and wait for curds to form (about 3 minutes).
8. Sprinkle remaining 1/3 cup (80 mL) precipitant over surface of the milk. Carefully and very slowly stir the top ½ inch of curdling milk for 15 to 20 seconds. Cover pot and wait 3 minutes (6 minutes if using Epsom salts). White aggregates of curds should now be present in pale yellow whey.
9. Rinse straining cloth clean and use it to line your pressing box. Single layer of cloth, rest hangs over the top. Place pressing box and straining cloth in sieve and pour in the curds and whey. Drain. Fold edges of cloth over top of the curds.
10. Place pressing box in convenient container to catch whey. Put lid on top of folded cloth. Place small bowl 2/3 filled with water on top of lid and weight it down with a clean brick or similar weight. Leave 15 - 20 minutes by which time whey should have stopped dripping.
11. Remove weight and carefully place the pressed curds (still in the cloth) in cold water in a large bowl. Remove cloth carefully without letting pressed curds out of the water.
12. Leave curd cake under water until firm (2 to 5 minutes). You now have tofu. Cut and drain. It can be used right away, or stored in the refrigerator in water. Change the water every day, and the tofu can be kept up to 10 days.

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