Homemade Tofu: How to Make Tofu at Home

Directions

• Soak & Blend Soybeans
  Rinse the dry soybeans well after adding them to a fine mesh filter.
  Move the soybeans to a big bowl and fill it with at least 2 to 3 inches of lukewarm water. Cover and soak for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight, at room temperature. Squeezing the beans gently should cause them to split in two.
  Fill a powerful blender with the beans after draining and giving them a thorough washing. Blend with three cups of fresh water until fully smooth.
  Meanwhile, fill a large stockpot or Dutch oven with four more cups of water and bring it to a medium boil.
• Cook the Soy Milk
  Once the water has started to boil, add the mixed soybeans to it.
  Fill the blender with one additional cup of fresh water, then blend to remove any remaining soybeans. Next, transfer this into the pot. (At this point, you ought to have used all eight cups of water.)
  Skim the foam from the mixture’s top using a sieve or slotted spoon. Turn up the heat to medium-high for the raw soy milk. Keep a close eye on things and mix occasionally with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Soy milk tends to build a layer at the bottom of the saucepan that can scorch, so be sure to stir and scrape along that area.
  Transfer the soy milk into a second stockpot by straining it through a colander, fine mesh sieve, or nut milk bag that has been lined with cheesecloth or muslin. Give the mixture a few minutes to cool.
  To extract as much soy milk as possible, wring out the soybean pulp once the mixture cools down enough for you to handle. You may keep the pulp, sometimes called okara, and use it in many different recipes.
  After bringing the soy milk back to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer it for 10-15 minutes. (Removing the beany flavor takes longer.) This is the boiled soy milk.
• Make the Tofu
  After turning off the heat, let the soy milk cool for roughly 5 minutes. (If you have one, please let it cool to about 180°F.)
  As you have time, get your nigari solution ready. Mix one and a half tsp powdered nigari with water until it dissolves.
  You should also get your tofu mold ready now. I like to line a wooden mold with reusable cheesecloth that has been well wrung out after it has been completely wet.
  Add one-third of the nigari solution to the soy milk, and mix it gently three to four times. There should be a small curdling of the mixture. Top with another third of the nigari, stir gently once more, cover, and set a timer for two minutes to allow the mixture to congeal.
  Top the soy milk with the remaining nigari solution and give it another gentle toss. The tofu curds should be easily visible as they separate from the liquid. Steer clear of over stirring and mashing the curds. Reheat the combination on low for a few minutes until you see the separation happening if it’s not curdling.
• Shape the Tofu
  After the curds have formed, we will shape them in our ready-made mold. Eliminating some of the surplus fluids beforehand is really beneficial. For this, I prefer to use a fine-mesh sieve. Press the soy curds down with it to separate part of the liquid, which can then be ladled out and thrown away.
  Now that the excess liquid has been drained, ladle or pour the soybean curds into the tofu mold that you have ready. Using a spatula or spoon, gently level the top. Then, neatly fold the cheesecloth that overhangs over the top and place the top on the mold.
  The tofu will then be weighed down using a hefty item. For a medium-firm block of tofu, I prefer to use a can of beans or tomatoes and cook it for about thirty minutes. For a tougher tofu, increase the weight and cooking time; for a softer tofu, decrease it.
  After pressing, take the tofu out of the cheesecloth and place it in a dish of cold water. This will aid in firming it up and get rid of any last traces of sourness or bitterness in the coagulant.