How to make tofu at home

It’s time to rethink tofu. The Asian ingredient is so much more than a vegetarian meat substitute, but is a delicious plant-based cheese that, when made correctly, is creamy and smooth with sweet and nutty flavors.

Tofu is hugely versatile and can go into an infinite number of salads, soups, ramen, simmering dishes, even desserts and sweets. The great thing about tofu is that it is so easy to make at home with as few as two ingredients and apart from a tofu mold, which you can easily make yourself, or substitute with a Tupperware container with holes cut along the bottom, you won’t need any equipment other than what’s already in your kitchen.

Of course there are many, many variations on how to make tofu at home, and much like any traditional recipe, everyone will have their own tips and tricks for making the best tofu. The method essentially remains the same across all of them. It’s simple: heat soy bean milk, strain the solids and press them together, draining liquid for the desired consistency.

Once made, tofu offers so many culinary possibilities. There are a thousand ways to use your tofu and as we are all trying to reduce the amount of meat we are eating, making tofu at home and understanding the way you and your family like it, is a great way to do your part for the planet. Tofu is low in calories but relatively high in protein making it a future food. It’s fun to make, versatile, easy to prepare and can be delicious and satisfying. Below, read all you need to know about how to make tofu at home.

What is tofu?

Consumed in China for over 2000 years, there is evidence of tofu as far back as the Han Dynasty. It is likely that tofu travelled to Vietnam and other East Asian cooking in parallel with the spread of Buddhism and the plant-based diet of its devotees. Today tofu is an important ingredient in East and Southeast Asian cuisines.

What is tofu made of?

Tofu is simply compressed soy bean curd. Japanese-style tofu is also known as ‘silken tofu’ and is wetter than regular tofu. Firmer or drier tofu styles are more suitable for adding to soups and ramen. Tofu can be seasoned when you are making it, you can add your choice of seasoning, herbs, and flavors, much like with fresh cheese, it can be smoked, and even fermented in water, salt, and rice wine vinegar.

How to make tofu at home

Prepare your soy milk

The primary ingredient of your tofu is soy beans, which are used to make soy milk. You can buy soy milk in your local supermarket and use that. Make sure you choose a good, organic brand, but it is better to prepare the soymilk yourself.

How to make soy milk

Take 1lb/454g of dried soy beans and soak them in water overnight. In the morning, they will be plump and rehydrated. Take the soy beans and blend them with about 2 cups/500ml cups of water, about a quarter of the amount at a time. Leave it to sit for a couple of hours, giving the mixture a light stir from time to time.

Next, you want to strain the mixture to separate the liquid from the solids. The liquid will be your soy milk. To do this use a cheese cloth, or a piece of light, plain cotton, like a large scarf that is folded in two.

Pour the mixture into the cloth a little at a time and twist over a bowl, so that the liquid runs out. It should appear a nice off-white color. Place the solids aside, these are known as okara and can be used to make delicious patties, dumplings, biscuits, or even energy balls.

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How to make tofu

Place the tofu in a large saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove any solids from the top with a ladle. Some techniques call for brining the milk to a boil and then letting it cool, but for this method, allow it to simmer for 7-10 minutes, while tracing a ‘z’ shaped stir through the liquid constantly. Remove from the heat and continue to stir as it cools.

Coagulants

There are different ingredients you can use to coagulate your soy milk into tofu. Traditionally gypsum is used. Gypsum is calcium sulfate, a naturally occurring mineral salt. Other traditions call for nigari, basically the liquid left over from concentrating sea water and removing the salt from it.  The leftover liquid is mainly magnesium sulfate and can be bought in liquid or powder form. If these are unavailable, you can improvise and use vinegar or lemon juice.

Dissolve two tablespoons of gypsum in two cups of warm water. You will then add the gypsum to the soy milk in three phases. Firstly, add a third in one go, stir gently, and cover for three minutes. Uncover and add the second third of gypsum one teaspoon at a time. Cover and allow to sit for three minutes. Uncover and repeat the process with the last third. Allow the mixture to sit and curdle, stirring gently to agitate any bigger curds that fall to the bottom of the mixture.

The skin that forms on the top of your tofu mixture is called yuba. Don’t throw this away either as it can be used to make dim sum or a delicious yuba roll, filled with stir-fried vegetables.

When the entire mixture resembles thickly curdled milk, you are going to prepare your tofu mold. Line it with a fine cheese cloth, then take the tofu mixture and gently press down with a sieve, use a ladle to scoop out any excess liquid.

Add a little of the liquid to the cheesecloth-lined tofu mold to moisten the cloth and then transfer your mixture to the mold. Place two or four small weights—cans of beans will suffice. The heavier the weight, the drier or firmer the tofu will be so experiment until you understand the right weight to use.

Allow the tofu to set in the mold for a few hours and you can then remove it, transfer to a container and cover it with water until you decide to use it.

Try these tofu recipes with your homemade tofu

Deep-fried tofu with wasabi, daikon, and herbs

Try this delicious way to use your tofu by deep frying it and serving with the full flavors of daikon, wasabi, and Asian herbs. Deep-frying gives you a crispy crust on the outside of the tofu, while it stays creamy and soft on the inside.

Fried tofu with sesame seeds and spring onions

This is a classic preparation for tofu. The more traditional recipes call for chicken stock, but you can leave that out for a vegetarian version. The more traditional recipes call for chicken stock, but you can leave that out for a vegetarian version.

Tofu stir fry

What better way to cook with your homemade tofu than a traditional stir-fry? Because of its subtle flavor profile, you can match tofu with virtually any stir-fry vegetables and traditional sauces, according to your preferences.