YES, it is time consuming, and yes, you can just run to any grocery store and buy one. But the difference between homemade tofu and store bought tofu is… well it’s different – I was thinking about comparing to frozen pizza versus homemade pizza and it is not quite the case so oh well… What I can say is even though you don’t like tofu, you might like the homemade one because it’s fresh and has less of those bean smell.   

The reason I started to make tofu was because of poor access to great quality tofu while living in a non Far East-Asia(Korea & Japan) region. My tofu making ‘bloomed’ while I lived in the Geneva, Switzerland area where you only have access to SouthEast-Asian style tofu: the flavor and texture is very different from Korean or Japanese tofu. I no longer make tofu as much as I used to because moved back to the US where I can get any kind of tofu I want, but once in a while I crave for that nutty flavor, the sweet under taste you can only get from a fresh homemade tofu. 

Here I’m using a slightly altered version to make the process easier. In traditional tofu making method, first you cook the soaked soybeans in the water and food process it, and of course old days no one had a food processor so they used hug stones to grind the beans, then squeeze out the hot liquid using a cloth with two thick wood sticks. It is more difficult because you have to handle hot liquid and it is also quite dangerous as well so I use the modern/twisted version which is putting the beans through the food processor and straining it through a cloth before cooking it.

The slow juicer will help most of the squeezing process so if you have one, use it! While a slow juicer is somewhat optional in this recipe, the nut milk bag is a must. I’ve tried many types of cloth while making tofu, and the nut milk bag kind of changed my life.I know many of you prefer natural material, and so do I, but synthetics are much more easier when it comes to making tofu. As far as you’re going to stick to the modern version and don’t strain hot liquid through the nut milk bag, I think synthetic is safe enough to use for food. 

[Caution] While cooking the soy milk, never stop or leave the stove. If you stop stirring, the bottom of the pan might burn and your tofu will be full of lumps, and if you leave the stove, the soy milk will overflow in no time and you will have to add another episode to your kitchen disaster list. 

[Nigari] Nigari is sea water, mostly used as for making tofu. I am using a liquid type nigari in the recipe because it was the only I could get at my local Japanese grocery store. If you don’t have a Japanese grocery store nearby, you can also get it online. I’ve seen many nigari on Amazon so check it out. If you are using dry type nigari, use 1 Tablespoon for the recipe I suggested. Dissolve the nigari(salt) completely in quarter cup of water and then use it. 1 Tablespoon will be approximately 7 grams. Also, Nigari(にがり) is a Japanese word. If you live in Korea, look for Kansu(간수).  

Have fun making tofu and hope you enjoy!

 

 

[Ingredients]

2 Cups Dry Soy Beans
Enough water to soak the beans (keep in mind that the beans will quadruple in size)
5 Cups Water (for tofu making)

1 Tbsp Sesami Oil
1 1/2 Tbsp Nigari

* You will need either a food processor or a masticating type juicer, a nut milk bag, and a large pot to prevent the soy milk from overflowing.