Simple Homemade Tofu

Tofu has been a major staple in our diet for quite some time but I've only consumed the store bought prepackaged tofu. I'd never eaten homemade tofu before. I didn't realize there was a difference. I thought the tofu I'd been eating was the only tofu but I was wrong. Recently we traveled to the Philippines. I noticed that the tofu there was very different than what I was used to. The way it cooked, its texture and the taste were all better to me. I wondered why and found out that it was homemade. Since returning I've been craving that same tofu, the texture, the smell, the taste. The store bought tofu just isn't the same anymore to me. Finally after researching, experimenting and failing multiple times I've found out how to make homemade tofu =)

This article contains links to products that we have purchased from Amazon. Clicking the link will take you to Amazon.com. These exact items are not required. If you have a local international food store in your area, they may have many of these items, if you don't already have them.

Ingredients:

1. 1 1/2 cups (250g or 9ozs) of soybeans

2. 5 3/4 cup and 1 tablespoon ( 1.35 L ) of water

3. 1/4 cup (60ml) of distilled white vinegar

Step 1 RINSE

Rinse 1 1/2 cups (250g or 9ozs) of soybeans in a strainer. We use these soybeans https://amzn.to/37P20Uq but any dry soybean will work

Step 2 SOAK

Place the rinsed beans in a container, cover them with 5 cups (1.2 liters) of water and allow them to soak for at least 1 hour. We typically will allow ours to soak overnight.

Step 3 BLEND

Place the soaked beans and water into a blender and blend for 2 minutes on high speed until smooth. We use a Vitamix 5200 https://amzn.to/3fKOhAE but any blender should suffice. You may have to blend it for an additional minute or 2 for lower speed blenders.

Step 4 STRAIN

Rinse your cloth in water before using to hydrate it so that it doesn't try to retain the soy liquid. Pour the mixture into your damp cloth or bag to strain it. We use cheese cloth https://amzn.to/2Yo7LoK and hemp nut milk bags https://amzn.to/2Ym0XIq. If you have time, allowing the mixture to strain without squeezing it is best but it will take a long time. We generally squeeze ours to strain it rather than letting it slowly drip for hours. If you do decide to squeeze it to help it strain faster don't worry about squeezing every last drop out because squeezing too hard will cause the okara (pulp) to ooze from the holes in the bag. We do not want the okara (pulp) in our strained liquid that is why allowing it to slowly drip is preferred over squeezing it. A little okara (pulp) is ok but try to minimize the okara (pulp) getting into the strained liquid by not squeezing too hard. When done straining put the okara (pulp) back into the blender with 2.5 cups (0.6 liters) of water and blend again for approximately 2 minutes. Strain again.

Step 5 VINEGAR LIQUID

Mix 3/4 cup and 1 tablespoon (or 190ml) of water with 1/4 cup (60ml) of distilled white vinegar.

Step 6 HEAT SOY LIQUID (SOY MILK)

Heat the liquid until it starts to boil. Constantly stir until it boils. Once it starts to boil and bubble upwards pour 2 cups (500ml) of cool water in the pot to lower the temperature and prevent it from overflowing.

Step 7 ADD THE VINEGAR LIQUID

Add the vinegar liquid to the pot a tablespoon at a time. Give it a stir after each spoonful. This will be a quick process. You'll start to see separation of the liquid and small pieces or curds starting to form. This is your tofu =) Turn off the heat.

Step 8 MOLD

You can use a tofu mold like this one https://amzn.to/3doLbkl but it isn't necessary. We tried building a wooden box instead of buying the plastic one but it didn't work out. Instead of using a mold we scoop out the curds with a ladle or spoon with holes in it into our cloth or hemp bag. After scooping all the pieces out we wrap the curds (tofu) really tight into a block shape and set it in the sink. We then place a 5 pound weight on top of the block to help press the liquid out. You can place a cutting board on top of the block of wrapped tofu and then place a few cans on top of that if you do not have weights lying around.

Allow it to sit for at least 5 minutes before unwrapping. Ours generally sits for 30 minutes to an hour before we unwrap it.

Step 9 ENJOY

After unwrapping it the tofu is ready to eat. To store it place the block in a container and fill it up with water making sure to fully cover the tofu. Place it in the fridge.

This video was extremely helpful

It is not in english. I'm not sure what language she's speaking but there are english subtitles.