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Tofu is made by coagulating soymilk with salts such as calcium sulphate / magnesium chloride. Oriental people make daily fresh tofu but in Western countries only very few people have ever tried. Home made tofu tastes very fresh and contains no preservatives. When we make tofu we also make our own soy milk, usually with a soy milk maker, such as the filterless Soyquick. The only special equipment you need is a tofu mould, which is a plastic or stainless steel container with holes. You can buy a tofu mould from companies that sell automatic soy milk makers, or you can make your own by drilling holes in a plastic container. Here we explain how to make tofu in a several simple steps.

Ingredients

To produce about 200 g of tofu you need 1 liter soy milk and two teaspoons natural calcium sulphate.

Curdling the milk

Boil the soy milk for about 5 minutes and cool down to about 75 C. If you make soy milk with an automatic soy milk maker you only have to cool down the soy mil a bit, no need to boil it again.
Dissolve two teaspoons natural calcium sulphate in one cup of warm water. Do not leave the coagulant to long in the water, otherwise it will harden. Less coagulant produces softer tofu, more produces harder tofu. Pour the prepared coagulant solution slowly into the hot soya milk while gently stirring the soya milk and allow the mixture to stand for about 20 min. If there is still some milky area after adding all coagulant solution, mix some more to use.

Forming the tofu

Once all soya milk is separating into small white curds of tofu and an amber liquid, transfer coagulated dispersion into a mould lined with cheesecloth. Any plastic container with small holes can be used as mould. A small weight is placed on the lid of the container and allowed to sit for 20 minutes or so. Empty the resulting block of tofu, which should be firm enough to hold together, into a tub of cold water and store it in refrigerator and change soaking water daily. When you intend to eat the tofu the same day, or the day after, there is no need to store the tofu in the water. To make tofu with extra texture, place it in a sealable container, cover with water and freeze. After unthawing the tofu will have a more fibrous texture.