Best Homemade Tofu Recipes

HOMEMADE BAKED TOFU

Steps:

• Drain the tofu and cut into 8 slabs crosswise. Blot well between paper towels or clean kitchen towels (or use a tofu press). Cut each slab into strips.
• Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Arrange the tofu slices in a single layer in a shallow container or baking dish and pour enough marinade over them to cover. Let stand for an hour or two-the longer the better.
• Shortly before you'd like to bake the tofu, preheat the oven to 400°F. If this is the only thing you're making, use a toaster oven-it's the perfect size. Remove the tofu slices from the marinade and transfer to a parchment-lined baking pan in a single layer. If you're using the full-size oven, roast some veggies at the same time (I like to use the excess marinade to roast eggplant or green beans).
• Bake for 20 minutes, then turn the strips and bake for 15 to 20 minutes longer, or until the tofu is firm and starting to turn light brown along the edges.
• Variations:
• Add 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (or more to taste) to the marinade for a subtle smoky flavor.
• Instead of baking, cook these tofu slices on a grill. About 5 minutes per side should do-make sure there are nice grill marks on each side.

TABLE-SIDE HOMEMADE SOFT TOFU

Steps:

• Have ready liquid measuring cup that has ml numbers and a small metric dropper (I use a dropper for measuring liquid medication for this purpose).
• Soak dry beans in 6 cups water for at least 12 hours. Drain beans. You want to get approximately 400 grams of soaked beans. You may have leftover beans after measuring. Use extra beans for other use.
• Divide the 400 gram beans in half. Divide 800 ml water in half.
• Using a blender, blend the 200 gram beans with 400 ml water until very smooth, about 2-3 minutes. Put this in non-stick pot. Repeat with remaining 200 gram beans and 400 ml water.
• Let the mixture come to boil stirring frequently and as soon as it comes to boil, turn down the heat to simmer. Cook, stirring frequently for 2-3 minutes. Make sure it does not burn.
• Using a colander and a large bowl, line the colander with heavy duty cheesecloth, muslin, or cotton cloth large enough to completely cover the colander.
• Pour in the soy milk mixture and twist close the cheesecloth, muslin, or cotton cloth. Squeeze the milk out. I use a can to help squeeze the milk out.
• Use leftover solids or okara for other use.
• Measure the milk. You want to have 700 ml soy milk. If not enough, add some hot water through the okara again to get 700 ml soy milk.
• Put soy milk back into a large non-stick pot and heat until the mixture comes to 75 C to 80°C or 167 F to 176°F.
• At the table (if you are serving this at table side), have ready a container approximately 5-6 inches x 4-5 inches and 4-5 inches depth. Basically you can use any small container that will be big enough to hold the milk, but not too big that tofu will not form up. You can also use round, square or oblong containers.
• Put in 7 ml liquid nigari into the container ready for tofu. I use a liquid medicine dropper for this purpose since I do not have anything small enough to measure 7 ml.
• Pour or dump in hot soy milk into the container with nigari. No stirring is necessary. The act of pouring in soy milk stirs the nigari enough to form the tofu. Wait 3 to 5 minutes for tofu to form.
• You can either eat immediately or refrigerate for later use. See my description above.

HOMEMADE TOFU

Steps:

• Bring soymilk to a boil in a pot on the stove. Turn off the heat and let cool to between 180 - 200 degrees F.
• Dissolve 1 teaspoon of nigari into 1 cup of warm water.
• Slowly pour 1/2 cup of nigari solution into the pot of soymilk and lightly stir. Wait 2 - 3 minutes and add more of the nigari solution until the soybean curd separates from the liquid.
• Strain the water from the curd and press into a mold to drain. The more you press the liquid out of the tofu the firmer it becomes. Be sure to press the desired amount of moisture out of the bean curd before it cools.
• Use immediately or store in water in a covered container in the refrigerator.

NONA'S TABLESIDE HOMEMADE SOFT TOFU

Steps:

• Soak the dry beans in water for at least 12 hours. Drain the beans. You want to end up with 14 ounces of soaked beans.
• Place a colander inside a larger bowl. Line the colander with a few layers of cheesecloth or a cotton towel. Use a blender to blend the beans with 14 fluid ounces of water. Pour into a nonstick saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir frequently. As soon as it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low; simmer and stir for about 3 minutes.
• Pour the soybean mixture into the lined colander. Gather the edges and twist the solids in a ball to wring out all of the liquid. I use a can to help press out all of the soy milk. You will need 3 cups of the soy milk, (24 fluid ounces). If you don't have enough, pour some more hot water over the soybean solids (okara) until you have enough.
• Pour the soymilk into a saucepan. Heat to 170 to 175 degrees F (75 to 80 degrees C).
• At the table, have a container ready that is about 4 inches deep and 4 to 6 inches across to make the tofu in. You can use any container that is big enough to hold the milk, but if it is too big, it will be more difficult to form the tofu.
• Measure the nigari into the container at the table first. Pour the hot soy milk into the container. No stirring is necessary as the act of pouring the liquid in stirs it enough to form the tofu. Wait for 3 to 5 minutes for the tofu to form. You can serve immediately, or refrigerate for later use.

HOMEMADE TOFU - REGULAR OR MOMENDOUFU

Steps:

• Have ready traditional wooden mold for tofu (you can purchase these online) or approximately 6 in round colander, 2 pieces of at least 12 x 12" cotton cloth or heavy weight cheesecloth ready.
• Soak beans in 6 C water overnight for 12 hours. Drain beans and divide in two equal portions.
• Heat 7 1/2 C water in a large non-stick pot.
• Combine 2 1/2 teaspoon nigari with 1 C water and set aside.
• Combine one portion of beans in blender with 2 C warm water. Puree at high speed for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes until very smooth. Add this to the 7 1/2 C water boiling in non-stick pot, turn off heat, and cover with lid.
• Puree the remaining soybeans with 2 C warm water. Add this to the pot and increase the heat until it comes to full boil and turn off the heat.
• Place a colander or strainer over a large bowl or pot. I usually have two bowls going for this. Line this with cheese cloth or cotton straining bag, then pour the contents of the pot into straining bag or cheese cloth.
• Twist close the bag or cheese cloth. Using a glass jar, press sack against colander to extract as much soy milk as possible. Be careful not to get any okara or solids into the milk. Rinse out the non-stick pot again for use in heating soy milk.
• Open the bag or cheesecloth and remove the solids (okara). Store okara in refrigerator for other uses.
• Boil soy milk in a large non-stick pot over high heat, and turn down the heat to simmer as soon as it comes to full boil. Simmer 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove pot from burner. Using wooden spoon, stir soy milk back and forth vigorously 5 or 6 times, and while stirring, pour in 1/3 cup coagulant solution.
• Stir 5 or 6 times more, making sure to reach bottom and sides of pot. Do not overbeat. Overbeating will produce small curds. Small curds are ideal for firm style tofu, but not for regular or soft tofu. Stop and wait until liquid movement ceases, lift out spoon. Sprinkle another 1/3 C coagulant solution over surface of soy milk, cover pot, and wait 4-5 minutes while curds form slowly - from the bottom up.
• Uncover pot and, while very slowly stirring upper 1/2 inch layer of curdling soy milk, sprinkle the remaining coagulant solution a little at a time over milky areas. Cover pot and wait 4-5 minutes. Large delicate curds should now be floating like white clouds in pale yellow whey.
• Drape clean cheesecloth over wooden tofu mold or if using a small round colander, drape cheesecloth over the colander. Gently ladle all the curds using mesh spoon into the wooden tofu mold or colander.
• Fold edges of cloth or cheesecloth neatly over curds, place wooden lid or plate if using only cheesecloth over colander, and let the liquid drain out for 2-3 minutes.
• Fill a large basin with cold water. Remove the lid, and submerge tofu-filled container or cheesecloth in water. Gently unwrap tofu under water, and leave in water for 3 to 5 minutes, until it firms up a bit.
• To enjoy the flavor, serve immediately. Tofu to be served later in the day should be refrigerated on a plate covered with plastic wrap. For a storage up to 5 to 7 days, refrigerate tofu immersed in water and change the water daily.

HOMEMADE TOFU

Steps:

• Place soy milk into a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat until milk reaches 135 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
• Remove soy milk from heat and pour into a 7-by-7-by-7-inch container. Add nigari and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 15 minutes before using.

FRESH HOMEMADE YUBA (TOFU SKIN)

Steps:

• Wash soy beans and soak in plenty of water for at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Boil 7 1/2 C water in a large non-stick pot. Let the water come to a boil then turn down heat to simmer.
• Divide drained beans in 2 equal portions. Using a blender, blend one portion of beans with 2 C hot water until very smooth and pour this into the non-stick pot containing 7 1/2 C boiling water. Repeat with remaining beans and 2 C hot water.
• Place a colander over a large bowl (I usually have two bowls ready for this to pour the extra soy milk if the first one gets too full). Colander should be lined with cheese cloth (may have to double line if thin) or preferably cotton straining bag.
• Carefully ladle the hot mixture into the cheesecloth. Be careful, it's very hot. Wear rubber gloves. Once all the mixture is ladled in, twist cheese cloth closed and with a canning jar extract soy milk by pressing down. Make sure the cheese cloth is always closed to prevent grated soy beans or okara from falling into soy milk. Pick up the twisted cheese cloth and continue to knead it to extract the milk. Now you have soy milk in the bowl and okara left in the cheese cloth. Use okara for other uses.
• Pour the soy milk into a wide non-stick pot and heat the soy milk to 175°F or 79.5 C slowly. Once you reach the temperature, it takes about 7 minutes for yuba to form. Don't rush it.
• Trim film away from the pot using a small knife and with your fingertips lift up one edge of yuba and insert a long chopstick underneath to lift up. Drain over the pot for a few seconds. Repeat until soy milk is all used up. What's left in the pot is red film known as amayuba. Scrape this off too with spatula.
• Roll each yuba into rolls.
• Variation: Half formed yuba takes 4 to 5 minutes steaming before the yuba has had the chance to attach to the sides of pot instead of 7 minutes steaming . Using your fingertips or chopstick lift the yuba (very delicate) and serve immediately.