Skip the store bought and make your own!
In East Asian monastic culture, making tofu is truly an artform. Traditional methods lend to a simplistic yet meditative recipe that can be enjoyed by all.
Traditional tofu, sometimes referred to as soy bean curd, is made similarly to cheese. You must first coagulate the soy milk to create the curd and then press into a mold. Through this method, traditional tofu yields a subtle and somewhat sweet flavor. It is highly versatile and can be seasoned or marinated to suit your palate.
Regardless of the form – silken, soft, firm, or extra firm, tofu plays a huge role in Buddhist monastic cuisine. Not only is it a fantastic source of protein, but also vital trace minerals. Unfortunately, in our current day and age, the market is saturated with GMO soybeans. Hence, we promote consulting only non-GMO and organic soybean products.
DIY Traditional Monastic Tofu
With this recipe, we hope that you can experience the joy and artform of making tofu the traditional way from your own home. Although more time intensive than grocery store pickup, we are confident that you will see the value of this traditional monastic recipe.
Note: We use calcium sulfate as our coagulant here. This produces a delicate flavor that is both sweet and nutty. Other coagulants include: nigari, vinegar/lemon juice, and gluconic acid.
Feel free to follow along with this recipe on our YouTube channel!
Materials Required:
- Large bowl
- High speed blender
- Cheesecloth
- Large pot
- Pouring vessel
Ingredients:
- 3 cups dry soy beans
- 20 g calcium sulfate
- Water
Directions:
- In a large bowl, soak 3 cups of dry soy beans in water overnight until doubled in size.
- After soaking, using fresh water – add a ratio of 1:2 beans to water to a blender.
- Blend at high speed until completely smooth.
- Using a large bowl, filter out the blended mixture with a cheesecloth.
- Transfer the liquid (soy milk) to a large pot and heat until it boils. Boil an additional 5-10 minutes to ensure it is completely cooked. Don’t skip this step!
- Next, dissolve two tbsp of calcium sulfate (20g) into 4 tbsp soy milk.
- When the soy milk is done cooking, put it into a pouring vessel.
- Ensuring that the soy milk remains hot (90℃), pour the calcium sulfate mixture into a large pot. Immediately pour the soy milk in to combine. Do not mix besides skimming off excess foam.
- Let this mixture sit for 15-30 minutes to coagulate.
- In a tofu press with a cheesecloth, scoop the curds in. Here’s the press we used.
- Cover and apply pressure on top to solidify the shape. You can place a rock on top. Allow to drain for at least thirty minutes.
- As a general guideline, a 5-7 lb weight on top will yield –
- Super soft tofu within 2 hours
- Soft tofu within 4 hours
- Medium soft tofu overnight
- Medium hard tofu over 24 hours
- Be patient & enjoy!