How to Make Tofu at Home from Dried Soy Beans
I’ve enjoyed a vegetarian diet for much of my adult life, and tofu has been a staple in our household for as long as I can remember! Making my own tofu at home was something I always wanted to do, but I thought it was too hard, too time consuming, too messy, etc.
Boy, was I wrong. Yes, it takes a little time, but no more than about 30 minutes (aside from waiting for the tofu to press), and I find it’s easy to do at the beginning or end of the day when I’m already in the kitchen, cleaning up or getting bread or other meals ready.
Not only that, I was under the impression that freshly made tofu wouldn’t keep very well and would need to be consumed within a couple of days. Wrong again! Just like store bought tofu, this far superior homemade product (flavour, texture, aroma, everything is better) keeps for at least 7 days in the fridge, as long as the tofu or ‘bean curd’ is stored completely submerged under water, and the water is changed every other day.
Sometimes we go through our blocks of tofu in one recipe, but most often we slice off small amounts to accompany vegetable and grain or noodle dishes, for some extra protein and varied taste and texture. Plain tofu does not have much flavour by itself, but is lovely marinated and fried, or used in other well-flavoured dishes. Tofu is versatile! There are many types of tofu and methods for making it. This post shares a simple way to make a medium-firm block of regular tofu, similar to those that can be purchased in supermarkets.
Written recipe and instructions are below.
Homemade Tofu from Dried Soy Beans
*All measures Australian metric
Please view the video in YouTube for a full demonstration of the process, and more tips!
INGREDIENTS
1 cup / 180g dried soy beans
I purchase my beans from the wonderful folk at Sovereign Foods in Moorooka, Brisbane.
These ‘Hayman’ variety soy beans are grown biodynamically by Slater Farms in northern New South Wales. They are outstanding quality and are perfect for high yield homemade soy milk and tofu making!2 litres filtered tap water, plus more for soaking the beans
1.5 tsp food grade gypsum / calcium sulphate
Available from home brew suppliers and online retailers.
Note that other coagulants can be used to make tofu, however I prefer the flavour, texture and nutritional benefits (added calcium) of using food grade gypsum.*note these ingredients for one finished block of tofu (approximately 500g) cost me a total of $1.18 AUD.
EQUIPMENT
Blender
Large cooking pot of 4-5 litre capacity minimum
Large cloth or nut milk bag for straining the soy milk
Large colander for holding the soy milk as you strain it through the cloth or bag
Flat edged spoon or spatula for stirring the milk as it cooks
Smaller colander, sieve or tofu press for forming the curds into tofu
Smaller cloth for lining tofu mould
Slotted spoon for lifting the curds into the mould
Something that can act as a weight to press down the tofu (1 litre jar of water is perfect - you’ll need about 1kg/two pound weight)
METHOD
Properly soaked soy bean, uniform texture and creamy white on the inside.
1. SOAK SOY BEANS
Soak dried soy beans in fresh water for 8-18 hours. This process will be faster in warm climates and slower when it’s cool. The beans are adequately soaked when they are plump, fully hydrated and uniformly white inside the bean (see photo - split one to check).
In hot weather, change the water once or twice throughout the soaking period to keep the beans fresh. Store soaked beans in the fridge for 1-2 days if you are unable to make tofu straight away.
When ready to make the tofu, drain soaked soy beans and rinse in fresh water.
2. BLEND SOYBEANS
Add drained beans to a blender with 1.5 litres of fresh water and blend for 1-2 minutes until the mixture is smooth and creamy. The remaining 0.5L water is reserved to rinse out your blender or processor.
Blend in smaller batches if using a small or bullet style blender. An immersion blender or food processor can also be used.
If using a food processor, just blend the beans in enough water to make a very smooth paste (like a runny hummus), then mix through the remaining water after processing.
3. STRAIN RAW SOY MILK
Assemble your cooking pot with large colander and straining cloth over the top (see video). Pour the blended bean mixture into the cloth/colander and strain out the raw soy milk. Gather the cloth and twist to strain as much liquid out as possible. *For this method it is acceptable to use a large piece of polyester voile cloth (I find a double later of this material strains the milk very quickly and easily, do not use for hot liquids though). A nut milk bag would also be suitable.
You will now be left with raw soy milk in the pot (don’t drink it yet!) and the dry soy pulp - also called ‘Okara’. Store Okara in the fridge or freezer for use in other recipes, or add to compost. (Soon I’ll have an Okara Sourdough Bread recipe to share - watch this space).
4. COOK SOY MILK
To save time, I prefer to cook the soy milk on high heat, watching it and stirring the whole time, turning down once it reaches boiling point (it can boil over easily, watch for it rising in the pot and get ready to move it off the heat!). You can take things slower if you prefer a little less excitement in your tofu making process. For me, fast is good! Stir continuously to prevent the milk from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Once the soy milk reaches a boil, turn heat down to low-medium and simmer for 3-5 more minutes. The milk should smell sweet and nutty once cooked (when raw it has a bitter, beany aroma). Make sure the milk is thoroughly cooked before moving onto the next stage.
If you’ve never had fresh soy milk before, pour a small amount into a cup, add a few pinches of raw sugar (if you like), stir and taste it. This is the real taste of soy milk! I love it. So nourishing.
5. COAGULATE THE MILK
Turn off the heat under your soy milk pot and prepare the coagulant. Measure 1.5 teaspoons of food grade gypsum (calcium sulphate) and stir this into 1 cup of hot water.
See variations of this step in the video, however the basic process is this: Slowly pour all of the coagulant mixture into the soy milk (stir coagulant cup regularly as you pour from it - the gypsum concentrates at the bottom of the cup), then gently stir the soy milk a few times before covering the pot to retain heat.
Leave the mixture to stand for 10 minutes. If the curds have not completely formed after this time, VERY gently move/stir the mixture again and cover for another 5 minutes.
The soy milk is completely coagulated when clear curds are visible, floating in a non-milky whey liquid. If the liquid is milky or opaque in any way, more resting time is needed.
Soft, fresh bean curds. Notice yellow whey liquid is not milky (you can see through it).
FORM THE TOFU BLOCK
Set up your cloth-lined small colander or tofu press in the sink or over a large bowl or other draining apparatus.
Using a slotted spoon, gently transfer the curds into the mould. Use a strainer to gather the final, smaller pieces if necessary.
Fold the cloth over the curds and gently press down.
Add a weight on top of the folded cloth to press the whey out of the tofu. You can leave the weight for as long as you like! It depends on how soft and tender, or firm, you want your tofu. I like to weigh mine with a 1kg weight (jar of water) for about 30-40 minutes. Experiment! Note also that different soy beans will yield different amounts of tofu, and the texture will vary too.
REFRIGERATE or COOK and ENJOY!
Once your tofu block is the desired firmness, you can use it immediately or allow it to firm up further under refrigeration.
To store: gently unwrap the tofu from its cloth and place into a food storage container. Completely cover with fresh water and store in the fridge for up to 7 days, rinsing and refreshing the water every time you use some, or at least every other day.
There you have it, you’ve made tofu!
If you have any questions or comments, please let me know below.
Elly 🌸
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