Simple Tofu Making Technique
A simple homemade method for tofu or pressed tofu, using gypsum as a coagulant.
Ingredients
Yellow soybeans (shelled and sifted clean)
5 kg
Raw gypsum (roasted and ground into powder)
250 g
Water (for soaking and grinding)
to taste
Instructions
1
Ingredient Preparation
Take 5 kg of yellow soybeans, shell and sift them clean, wash them, and place them in a water vat to soak — soak for 4–5 hours in winter, or 2.5–3 hours in summer. Place 250 g of raw gypsum over the fire to roast.
2
Grinding and Straining the Milk
Once the soybeans are done soaking, drain them and grind them with water at a ratio of 6 kg water per 1 kg soybeans. Place the slurry into a cloth bag, pinch the opening shut, and squeeze forcefully to extract the soy milk. After the first pressing, open the bag, add 3 kg of water, mix well, and press again to extract a second batch of milk.
3
Cooking the Milk and Adding Coagulant
Pour the extracted raw milk into a pot and bring to a boil, skimming off the foam as it rises. Grind the roasted gypsum into a fine powder and mix it with about 0.5 kg of clean water to form a gypsum slurry. Pour the gypsum slurry into the soy milk that has just been ladled out of the pot, and stir gently with a spoon. After a few minutes, it will coagulate into tofu curds (tofu flower).
4
Making Soft Tofu
Within about 15 minutes after the curds have set, gently ladle them into a wooden tray already lined with cheesecloth. Once the tray is full, wrap the curds with the cloth, cover with a board, and press for 10–20 minutes to make soft tofu.
5
Making Firm Tofu
Ladle the curds into a wooden tray, wrap with cloth, cover with a wooden board, pile stones on top, and press out all of the water to make firm tofu (tofu gan).
