Tofu for beginners, part two Bean curd making an art

Press, 25 June 1983, Page 12

Tofu for beginners, part two Bean curd making an art

Food & Fable by

David Burton

David Burton introduced us to a tofu-style dip —- with several uses — last week. Today he reveals the mysteries of making the real thing. You are allowed to bring modern kitchen appliances to aid the process.

In Japan, professional tofu (bean curd) making is recognised as a craft as surely as any other; the mastering of the technique is seen as a spiritual path, or Way, a fulfilment in itself quite apart from any financial reward. At the same time, however, tofu has always been made in Japanese homes by amateurs, so perhaps I may be forgiven for presuming to describe the technique here in just 16 paragraphs. Necessary equipment is an electric blender or food processor, a large pot, a bowl, a cup, a sieve, a ladle, a piece of muslin or other coarse weave cloth. You will also need a forming container. In Japanese farmhouses, this consists of an oblong wooden box about 18cm x 10cm and 10cm deep, with holes drilled into the sides and bottom and a lid which slides down into it. If your cabinet-making skills are not up to making one, I suggest my own “bodgy” improvisation: take a large empty tin of the sort used for bulk tinned fruit (I scrounged mine from a cafeteria), keep the lid, and with a can opener pierce some holes in the bottom and in the sides near the bottom. Line it with a large square of muslin. The ingredients are 300 grams of dried soya beans and some coagulant. The most convenient coagulant to use is lemon juice, which yields a mildly tart tofu. A sweeter result can be got from nigari, the traditional Japanese coagulant, which is sometimes available from some health food shops. More readily available are Epsom salts, which can be bought from any chemist. Soak the soya beans overnight in about 6 cups water. Drain them'and place about half of them in a blender with 2 cups hottest tap water. Puree for a couple of minutes at top speed until thoroughly pulverised. Meanwhile, have 7% cups water boiling in a large saucepan over a high heat. Pour pureed beans into the boiling water, cover the pot and turn off the heat underneath. Puree the remaining beans with 2 further cups hot water and add to the pot. Line a colander with a square of muslin and place the colander over a large pot. Tip the soyabean mixture through the colander

and into the pot to catch the soya “milk.” Draw up the four corners of the muslin, twist them, and with a potato masher or jar press out as much moisture as possible. Open up the cloth, fluff up the solids a little, then pour over 3 cups boiling water. Stir, then draw up the muslin again and press. Place the pot of soya milk on the stove and bring to the boil over a high heat, stirring across the bottom frequently to avoid sticking. Reduce heat and simmer for 7 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, place 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice in a cup and fill it with water. If using Epsom salts or nigari, allow 2 teaspoons and stir until the crystals are dissolved. Take the pot off the stove. Pour in a third of the cup of coagulant, stirring back and forth five or six times, making sure the spoon reaches the bottom. Stir another half dozen or so times. Wait until all movement stops, then sprinkle another third of the coagulant over the surface. Leave for several minutes, then slowly stir the top centimetre or two of the surface for 20 to 30 seconds, while you pour the last oi the coagulant over any uncurdled milky areas. Leave for 3 minutes (6 minutes if using Epsom salts) for the curdling to take full effect. There should now be billowy white curds and a clear yellowish whey on the surface. Slide a spatula down the side of the pot in several places to free any uncurdled soya milk which may have been trapped at the bottom. Take a sieve and press it down into the pot so that it fills up with whey. Ladle this out and pour over the muslim which you have used to line your settling container, so that it clings to the side. Repeat the ladling until most of the whey is removed, then transfer the curds and any

.remaining whey into the settling container. ' Cover with the lid of the settling container. Fold the excess muslin over the top, and place a brick or other heavy object on the lid to weigh it down. Leave for 20 minutes, then remove the weight and immerse the settling container in cold water. Leave for 5 minutes to firm up, then remove the cake from the cloth, and it is ready to eat. Tofu is very nice eaten simply as is, perhaps with a little miso (fermented soya bean paste) or soy sauce, or shoyu (Japanese soy sauce) mixed with ground toasted sesame seeds, lemon juice, and grated root ginger. It can also be grilled or deep fried, or steamed, as in a traditional Japanese dish known as “Gizeidofu,” or Steamed Tofu Roll. To make it, place 500 grams tofu in muslin, wrap up and squeeze to extract excess moisture. Mix this with an egg, 4 tablespoons blanched and very finely diced carrot, 5 Chinese dried mushrooms (soaked in hot water and also finely chopped), 1 teaspoon sugar, Vz teaspoon salt and a pinch of monosodium glutamate (if desired). Roll the mixture into an oblong round salami shape, then wrap in muslin. Steam for 25 minutes. In Japan, this is usually served cold, although I have found it is also nice eaten hot.