homemade tofu recipe from soybeans
Tofu, also called by the name Bean Curd, is a food obtained by curdling Soya Milk.
Equipment
- Blender
- Cheese Cloth or Muslin cloth or a thin cotton cloth or nut milk bag
- Sieve, a big bowl and some heavy weight object
Ingredients
1 cup = 200ml
FOR MAKING SOYA MILK
- 1 Cup soyabeans
- Water for washing & soaking
- 8 Cups drinking water
FOR MAKING TOFU
- 1 Litre Soya Milk recently made
- 2 tbsp Vinegar
- 2 tbsp warm Water
Instructions
MAKING OF SOYA MILK
- Wash and soak soybeans in enough water overnight.
- Rub the soyabeans to remove their skin as best you can.
- Discard water and also the skin.
- Add soybeans and 8 cups of water to blender. If your blender is of small size, then do this process in multiple batches.
- Blend until smooth.
- Transfer the blended mixture into a heavy bottomed pan.
- Once the mixture begins to boil, let it boil for 10 minutes while stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
- A foam will be seen floating over and around the mixture. Remove and discard it.
- Strain the mixture using muslin cloth or a nut milk bag.
- The strained mixture is soya milk.
MAKING OF TOFU
- Transfer soya milk in a heavy bottomed pan and let it come to boil while stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pan from the heat and keep aside for couple of minutes until it is about 80% hot.
- In the meantime mix warm water and vinegar.
- Add a spoonful of vinegar water, stir, then add more and stir again and so on.
- Keep on adding vinegar water and stirring until soya milk begins to curdle. No need to add the entire vinegar if milk curdles initially.
- Allow the mixture to sit undisturbed for couple of minutes or until small white curds will separate from amber colored liquid.
- Then pass the curds through a sieve placed on some bowl and lined with muslin or cheesecloth or a similar fabric.
- Squeeze the curds so that most of the water comes out of it.
- Fold the fabric over the curds and transfer it over a plate.
- Place a small weight on top to begin pressing out the liquid for 1 hour or until curds hold together into a block.
- Unfold and see that tofu is ready.
Notes
- In place of vinegar, you can use lemon juice or citric acid to curdle soya milk.
- In the process of making soya milk, the residue obtained after squeezing milk is called Okara. Do not discard this okara. This is very nutritious and can be used many ways by adding in patties, burgers, paratha or kneading a dough for roti.
- You can cook tofu in many ways just like Paneer.