Tofu is not only one of the healthiest sources of protein, it also tastes great.
While there is a huge variety of tofu available nowadays in the supermarkets and at very reasonable prices, I sometimes miss the rough look and strong soy taste of artisan tofu that my mother used to buy when I was a child.
That handmade tofu looks nothing like the delicate pearl-white jelly you have commercially. It tastes more authentic and have a fuller bite.
This recipe shows you how you can make your own artisan tofu at home!
Types of coagulants
The chemical process of tofu making is very straight forward. You first make a soy milk, cook it, then add a coagulant to separate the soy whey from the soy curd.
Commercial tofu all use edible gypsum, which is calcium sulphate, as the coagulant. The problem with that is that gypsum is also mildly toxic.
Artisan tofu uses white vinegar, which is what this recipe is using here.
Equipment you need
First of all you need a tofu mold. I am using one I bought online, and it came with a muslin cloth at 30cm by 30cm.
You will also need a big pot that holds more than 10 litres, a big strainer, a blender and a big basin.
Ingredients
- 500g soy beans
- 6 litres water
- 20ml apple cider or white rice vinegar
- 100ml water
Instructions
- Soak the soy beans completely in water in a basin for more than 24 hours until they are swollen and plump. Discard the bad (black) beans.
- Drain the beans in a strainer and rinse them under running water about 3 times.
- Finely blend the beans in a blender in batches with 4 litres of water. Pour the raw blended soy milk into a big pot. Rinse your blender with 1 litre of water and pour that into the big pot.
- With the strainer placed over a big basin, strain the raw soy milk for about 3 times to remove all the crushed beans (*tip: save the crushed beans). At the end you should have a smooth white soy milk in your big pot.
- Cook the raw soy milk in the big pot on high heat stirring constantly for about 10 minutes. Be careful not to cover it or let it boil over! The soy milk boils extremely quickly and will erupt if not removed from the fire in time!
- Once your soy milk reaches boiling point at 100 degrees Celsius, take it off the fire immediately. Use your ladle or strainer to get rid of the excess foam on the surface.
- Add 1 litre of water to the soy milk to cool it down to 80 degrees Celsius. Put it back on the fire and cook it on medium heat, stirring constantly. Switch off the fire after 5 minutes.
- Mix 20ml vinegar with 100ml water. Slowly add that to your cooked soy milk using a ladle. You will see the soy curd coagulating and separating from the clear whey. Cover and leave it for 15 minutes.
- Put the pot back on low heat and very gently stirring it to further encourage the coagulating process for another 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
- Lay your muslin cloth over the tofu mold. Use a rubber band to keep the sides down. Place the mold over the strainer that is over a big basin.
- Slowly pour the coagulated soy curd and whey into the mold until it fills up the mold as the whey is collected inside the basin.
- Once all the soy curd fills up the mold, remove the rubber band and fold the sides of the muslin cloth inside the mold. Place the press of the mold on top of the cloth to squeeze out more whey. Place a container filled with water to weigh down the press. The heavier the press, the firmer the tofu will be. Leave the press on for 15-30 minutes.
- Once done, gently move the tofu from the mold onto a plate and unfold the muslin cloth. Leave the tofu to dry for an hour or place it in the fridge for faster drying. The process creates a tougher exterior for the tofu to prevent it from falling apart.
- To store your tofu, put it in a glass container filled with the whey you have collected and cover it tightly. You can use the rest of the whey in your protein shake or smoothie so no wastage!
Enjoy your artisan tofu!
*Tip: You can save the crushed beans to make your own fermented miso paste.
