Tofu is made from soy milk. Most of the work in making tofu is making soy milk. That is why the SoyaJoy soy milk maker can give you a big help in making tofu.
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make tofu from soy milk. Visit other pages on our web site for instructions on how to make soy milk. Many tofu recipes and tofu recipe links are provided at the end of this page.
1. Make four batches of soy milk per SoyaJoy User Manual. Once the soy milk is made, the major part of the work for making tofu is done!
2. Pour all the batches into a pot and simmer soymilk for 5to 10 minutes. Cool down to about 170 to 180 degree F.
3. Prepare coagulant – dissolve either one teaspoon Nigari (natural magnesium chloride) or two teaspoons natural calcium sulfate in one cup of warm water. Less coagulant produces softer tofu, More produces harder tofu.
4. Pour the prepared coagulant solution slowly into the soymilk while gently stirring the soymilk. Stop stirring once 3/4 of coagulant solution is added. Wait 2-3 minutes. Now, gently stir the forming curds and sprinkle the last 1/4 of coagulant solution into any milky areas. If there is no milky area left, you do not need to add the rest of coagulant solution. If there is still some milky area after adding all coagulant solution, mix some more to use.
5. Once all soymilk is separating into small white curds of tofu and an amber liquid (whey). Transfer coagulated dispersion into a tofu mold (or tofu box) lined with cheesecloth. Any container has many small holes in it to allow left over whey to drain can serve as a tofu mold. A lid is placed on the forming container. A small weight of 3 to 5 pounds is placed on the lid of the container and allowed to sit for 20 minutes or so. A pot of water can serve as the weight.
6. Empty the resulting block of tofu into a tub of cold water and allow it to sit for another hour then store the tofu in refrigerator and change soaking water daily.
You can eat the fresh tofu while it is still warm. The freshly made warm tofu taste so much better than those from the store! If you use new crop soybean, the tofu tastes even better. It is very satisfying to see tofu coming into shape from soymilk. Most every one tried it enjoys the process.
