Tofu (fail)

The History:

Tofu originated during the Han dynasty in China, then spread to Korea, Japan and the rest of East/Southeast Asia. (The spread of tofu is correlated with the spread of Buddhism and the vegetarian Buddhist diet.) Perhaps not linked to the spread of Buddhism, the first tofu company started in the US in 1878.  Fascinating.

The Process:
I was curious about how to make tofu, and whether homemade tofu would actually be better than store-bought. I've become a pasta snob after learning how to make my own noodles, and I was tempted to throw away my package of Trader Joe's potstickers after perfecting my own recipe over the last few weeks. Tofu was a different story.

I read a few recipes, most seemed straightforward, so I bought some organic non-GMO soybeans, and wandered the aisles of the local Asian food store until I found the coagulant that most recipes recommended: gypsum. This creeped me out a little- isn't gypsum a construction material? Should I really consume it? Apparently it is calcium sulfate dihydrate (CaSO4-2H20)... calcium! Innocuous, right?

I located a helpful looking blog, and set to work.

The Recipe:

Considering that (warning, spoiler) this project was somewhat of a failure, I hesitate to give a detailed recipe. If you are set on making your own homemade tofu, see the blog mentioned above for better, more optimistic instructions. Otherwise, buy some locally made, fresh tofu. If you're living in the New Haven area, I highly recommend Bridge Tofu, which, (if tofu can be mindblowing) blows my mind.


However, the basic steps are:
1. Soak a pound of organic non-GMO soybeans in water overnight. They'll absorb all the water.
2. Put soybeans and an equal amount of more water in your blender.
3. Blend until beans are a beige slurry (or until your blender starts smelling like overheated plastic, whichever comes first.)
4. Boil slurry with another equal amount of water for 30 minutes. Skim off foam.
5. Strain slurry through cheesecloth and a colander. (The grounds are apparently healthy. They're called 'okara' but I was not tempted to cook with them. Some people do. You can just throw them away or compost them.)
6. Reheat the soymilk (yup! the liquid is soymilk!) to 155 degrees, then remove from heat, add 2 teaspoons of gypsum dissolved in water. Stir a few seconds, and let sit for about 30 minutes.

7. While the tofu is coagulating, create some sort of tofu mold. I attempted something with a milk carton that failed, then used a handkerchief, that also failed.

8. Pour the tofu mixture into a cheesecloth lined mold. Apply pressure to help the whey drain off. After about 30 minutes with solid pressure, you'll have made tofu. In theory.

The Results:
I took the lump that we'll call 'tofu', sauteed some pieces in olive oil and splashed some soy sauce on it. I had a few friends over who agreed to test it out. We all agreed that it tasted eggy--edible, but eggy. I had made two batches, and the second batch (that I hung in a handkerchief and squeezed) was, well, awkward. I wasn't particularly inspired to cook with it, so I made it into another (my 3rd!) batch of potstickers, which masked the flavor and texture of my homemade tofu well.

Would I make it again? No. Unless I was assisting a kid with a science project, I'd avoid homemade tofu. It was messy, time-consuming, and the end result was not worth the effort. I recommend purchasing fresh tofu from your local bulk-foods or natural foods store.

But... now I know! And I'll appreciate Bridge Tofu more the next time I cook with it!