Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Making Tofu (豆腐, 豆腐, とうふ, 두부, đậu phụ, tokwa, tauhu, เต้าหู้) Using Nigari Salts Solution, yummy marmite tofu!

The tofu that are commonly available commercially are normally made using gypsum (sek ko fun, calcium sulfate) as coagulant. Sek Ko Fun is widely used in China to make tofu. Many claim that sek ko fun is not good for health. However, Sek Ko Fun (Calcium sulfate) is a good source of calcium that helps to make our bones strong. The Japanese people have been using Nigari salt (sea salt, magnesium chloride) as coagulant for tofu and I was told that Nigari is a better choice than sek ko fun. Anyway there are many types of coagulant for tofu like for example the Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate) that is popularly used to flush gall bladder stone. Our normal kitchen vinegar can also be used as a coagulant but I have yet to try this method. I do no have a tofu making box with drainage hole, so a plastic sieve that I use to soak vegetables will work just fine. In order to make the tofu with fine texture, you must stir the coagulant and soya bean juice mixture one time clockwise and one anti clockwise. Pressing it using some weights will turn the tofu into blocks. Here is the step by step instruction to make tofu.

1) Soya Bean milk that I bought from the Kepong wet market, around 5 cups. Nigari salt solution.
2) Heat up soya bean milk to around 60 to 70 Deg C. Do not boil. Add 2 table spoons of Nigari salt solutions. Nigari salt has bitter taste so use it sparingly. The soya bean milk will start to coagulate after 15 to 20 minutes.
3) Drape a fine cloth over the sieve. I guess my new handkerchief works just fine. The best material would be your Pagoda T-shirt.....but you better use a new one or else, no one will eat your tofu...ha ha ha!
4) Pour the coagulated tofu into the cloth.
5) Tie up the cloth and put some heavy stuff on top of it. I used a bowl filled with water
6) When the tofu hardened, soak it in clean water to wash away the nigari salt so that it will not taste bitter.
7) My tofu, Peteformation production! See the sieve pattern on it?
8) Cook the tofu immediately because there are no preservative in it. I cooked Marmite Tofu with it. Want to know the taste of my home made tofu? Fresh and yummy!

16 comments:

Ayie said...

no way pete...i'll just buy tofu!

PengPeng彬彬 said...

that looks absolutely delicious !!! my mouth water already... yum yum.

Pete said...

Ayie : Actually quite fun to make, but agree, buying would be easier but then they might put in some preservatives.

Pete said...

Peng Peng : Home made tofu is special and yummy! LOL!

rainbow angeles said...

Hi Pete! I hv quite a lotta things to say to you actually.. I first 'saw' u at misti's blog but only started to follow your blog a few weeks ago because I think I was googling something and your link came up (forgot what i was looking for though..)

Anyway, where did you buy the nigari? My dad was looking for it the last time he was in KL.. like you, he also wanted to make his own tofu! :p We went to Jusco and that Shojikaya shop but dun hv.. where did you get yours?

Also, I wanted to say that you look a bit familiar although I donno anyone by the name of Pete in BW haha.. yup, I'm fr Pg as well and when you mentioned that restaurant in Chai Leng Park in your previous post, I thought, hmmm, maybe we went to the same tuition centre b4?? LOL.. just kidding...

See, I told you I had alotta things to say! Last nite I was a bit lazy to comment but today with this 'nigari' entry, I must comment!! :p

Hv a good day ahead! :)

suituapui said...

Ya...I would just go and buy too! I dunno how to make tofu...but at one time, I enjoyed making soya bean milk. Thick rich one!

Reanaclaire said...

hahhaa... Pete, u r a WONDER! tau foo also u wont lepas tangan.. i really must pai u as sifu... sifu of all dishes, home made..

Anonymous said...

Using salt as coagulant is a better option than gypsum. I like tofu.

Josephine said...

5 cup x RM1 == RM5?

How much is a ready made tofu in Kepong market?

RM2???

But home made is always fresher geh...

Pete said...

Rainbow Angeles : Ya, we might have met before. I spend my school days in Butterworth and Penang. LOL, same home town kah khi lang leh! ha ha ha!
You can get Nigari salt at Woods Organic Restaurant in Jalan Telawi 2 in Bangsar. But you will need to refigerate the solutions unless you buy the dry salt crystal.
Thks for visiting my blog! Cheers!

STP : Quite fun to make, I will try different style of tofu.....

Claire : My wife says I can open a restaurant already but then cooking for many people is different and quite taxing....LOL!

Mei Teng : That is what I read but gypsum has more calcium. I think it is ok if we did not overconsume the gypsum made tofu

Josephine : I actually bought a big packet of soya bean from the wholesaler 10 cups for only RM3. Half my family drank and half I used to make tofu. So cost maybe around RM1.70. The cost will be low only if you make your own soya bean milk. But then it would take up too much time....he he he!

Tching said...

I made soya bean milk before, but not tofu. How was your tofu taste like?

Pete said...

Tching : A little hard and not that smooth because I stirred it too many times. Must stir only twice. But the overall taste is good!

Pete said...

Tching : A little hard and not that smooth because I stirred it too many times. Must stir only twice. But the overall taste is good!

Anonymous said...

Waaaaa... make own tofu. You're too free liao la, Pete. LOL... eii.. mana marmite tofu recipe ah? Secret ah?

Pete said...

Cleff : Almost same like the marmite chicken......actually can't really recall what I put in that day....rushed to prepare the meal, LOL! Have to retry again....

Unknown said...

WOW (impressed look). Your tofu dish looks so yummy.

Here I bought a sauce pack for Sauce for Mapo Tofu so as to skip all the seasonings! and i will try this friday after work.
http://yummiexpress.freetzi.com