How to make tofu

Tofu is a food with origins in ancient China. It is not really a staple in a vegan diet (though it can be and no doubt it is for some!). It is lovely as comfort food and it is also very versatile. You can use it in sandwiches, cakes, stews, fry it, marinate it or eat it as a snack without doing anything to it! If you want to know more about Tofu you can click on the link.

I have heard one or two people before saying that they do not like tofu. I can understand that if you do not know how to prepare it, it can be bland... however, there are soooooo many types of tofu and so many ways to prepare it that I would argue it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE that you do not like one of them at least! (allergies or other intolerances aside!)

In Santiago there are quite a few places to get tofu and soya milk. But it is difficult to get in most standard supermarkets. We have got it before in Diprovena, arte vegetal and organisk and no doubt you can get it in many other places.

As part of our wish to learn new skills in life (and a bit out of necessity as we were a bit fed up with powdered soya milk and an unreliable tofu suply!), we decided to take matters in our hands!

We got a soya milk maker! (never again we will use that powdered garbage at home any more!!!!) ;o) and we also got a tofu making kit! There are lots out there on the market, ours is not that amazing, just a tiny plastic box with some holes and a press at the top, but the one with the link looks really good!

So... HOW DOES ONE MAKE TOFU?

The process is simple, you'll need:

1. Soya beans and water to make soya milk (or you can be cheeky and buy soya milk from the local organic shop!) ;o)
2. A coagulant. Here there are several options:
• Nigari -magnesium chloride, a byproduct of obtaining sea salt, in Santiago, you can buy this in Organisk,
• Calcium Sulfate - gypsum... aparently you can get this from most health food shops
• or just lemon juice!
3. A cheese cloth or muslin to strain the water
4. A mold (this can be as simple as a box with holes in it
5. If you are very precise in your cooking, you will also need a thermometer... we did not use one...

Now... here is where it gets a bit tricky... depending which coagulant you use, the method varies slightly (though the general idea is the same: soak beans, cook beans with water, process beans, filter milk from bean residue, keep milk warm, add coagulant, wait till milk curdles, separate water from curdles, press curdles into a block)

• Here is a video of tofu making using Calcium Sulfate.
• Here is how to make tofu with nigari (just like we made ours, with great photos and tips!)

A big warning! Nigari is VERY bitter. If you want to use it, make sure you only use 1-3 spoons per liter of soya milk roughly... we didn't the first time and it was a disaster!

Anyway, we had our first lovely tofu block and Mario, Christian and I really enjoyed it! What was really amazing was to start with a cup of soaked beans and finish with a block of tofu like the one we have bought in the organic food shops so many times! :o)

Looking forward to more!