Homemade tofu BBQ'd with mexican rub and a mix of maple syrup and honey bbq sauce

Making your own tofu is not only pretty easy but its cost comparison to store bought tofu is unbeatable. Another great reason to make your own is fresh tofu has a better texture and flavor then the store bought that has been packed in water and preservatives. I have been making my own tofu for about a year now and only buy commercial brands when I don’t have the time or energy to make my own. One of the hardest parts of making your own tofu is finding good soybeans and coagulants. I have included links to places where you can find these if there not available in your local supermarket. This batch of Tofu is being made for the BLT from scratch challenge, after pressing the blocks I will be marinating them whole and smoking them with hickory wood chips, then slicing and frying like bacon.

Blend your soaked soybeans and water until you don't hear the sounds of smashing beans anymore.

In advance: you can buy Nigari here which is the coagulant I’m using for this batch, but I’ve also had good results with natural gypsum which you can buy at the same place. Now you will need to find soybeans, I could only locally buy mine from the Greenstar which is an organic co-op in town, but you can also buy Certified Organic Soybeans here

Start by soaking your soy beans over night, if you want to make 3 pounds of tofu (this amount makes it worth the work) then soak 4 1/2 cups of dry soy beans in water overnight (make sure you do this in a container that has enough space to allow the beans to double in size).

The next day: You should be ready to give 2 hours to the cause because once you start you’ll want to turn the soy milk into tofu while its really fresh. Get a large pot big enough to hold about 20 cups of water (or you can do it in smaller batches), a good clean cheesecloth, and a colander. Place the colander on the pot, and layout the cheesecloth in the colander.

Now you need to grind all the soybeans with a lot of water so you will have to do the math based on the size of blender you have and how much tofu you plan to make. I usually blend 1 1/4 cups of pre-soaked soybeans with 6 cups of water at a time. I always end up with extra soaked soybeans which you can just store in the fridge occasionally refreshing the water, or drain the water and freeze them for your next batch of tofu.

Now pour the blended mix into the cheesecloth, while its draining blend up your next batch of beans and water. Occasionally you’ll need to take a 10-15 minute break to let the last bit of soy milk drain from the Okara. Now you will need to stir around the Okara (the pulp left in the cheesecloth) then pull together the sides of the cheesecloth, lift, and wind up gently to squeeze out the last bit of soy milk. If you end up filling the cheesecloth with Okara after squeezing it out you can just scoop it out of the cheesecloth into a bowl and set aside for later.

At the end if you have the time you can get more milk out of the Okara by blending together 1 part Okara and 1 part water then straining it through the cheesecloth once more, but I would wait until you have processed all the soybeans.

You can see the curds beginning to form, and a cloudy water floating to the top.

Continue processing the beans until you fill your pot with soy milk

Now transfer the pot to the stove and begin heating to a simmer at low-med heat, until it reaches 200 degrees Fahrenheit (you’ll need to give it a constant stir to prevent it from scorching, as if you were cooking regular milk) While the soy milk is heating mix together 3 tsp of Nigari, or 2 TBL of gypsum with 2 cups of warm water, whisk together and let sit until your ready.

Once the soy milk has reached 200 degrees Fahrenheit remove from heat stir and let the temperature drop to 176 degrees Fahrenheit. Now slowly stir in half of the coagulant mix (nigari, or gypsum) continue stirring until you feel a slight resistance to your spoon, then mix in the rest of the coagulant, stir then allow to sit for 10 minutes.

We've almost got tofu

While your soy milk is coagulating you’ll want to get your press ready, lets jump off topic for a second.

I use a pine tofu press that I ordered online, but you could also use a plastic one that you can purchase here.

Back on topic, clean your sink really well, then place the base of your press in the bottom of your sink, and line it with cheesecloth, make sure the cheesecloth is spread evenly in the bottom and hanging over the sides by at least 3 inches.

Now give one final stir to your coagulated soy milk and pour or ladle it into the form, you will need to let it drain as you go in order to fit all the curds in the form. Once the form is full of curds cover with the cheesecloth that was hanging over the sides and place your press on top. allow it to sit for 2-3 minutes then apply weight to the top (I use 6 packs of  Pediasure but can vegetables will work just as well). Let your tofu sit in the press for 15 minutes.

Now gently lift the cheesecloth out of your press and onto a cutting board. open up and flatten the cheesecloth, then top the tofu with another cutting board or plate and while holding the bottom and top cutting board flip over. Now remove the cheesecloth and let cool for 20 minutes.

3 pounds of delicious tofu

I like to cut my tofu in thirds each third is a good serving for 2 people, then place in Tupperware’s and cover with cold water. Fresh tofu will keep in the fridge for up to a week as long as you occasionally change the water. Or you can freeze for infinity (well maybe not infinity but a long time).

Now for the left over okara, you can either compost, discard, or toast in the oven then freeze for future baking or cooking.

How to toast Okara:

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, lightly oil a large cookie sheet, then evenly spread Okara no more than 1 inch thick. Place cookie sheet in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes, remove stir around and flatten again, then return to oven and bake for another 30 minutes. Once the okara has cooled place in either freezer bags or tupperwares and store in freezer until ready to use. Okara is a great source of protein, fibre and many other good things. It can be used in many recipes, or as a great compost.

Feel free to comment with any questions or Tofu making success stories. And hey if you happen to find an easier way to my method don’t be scared to make suggestions.