Home-made Tofu

Pour the soya milk into a pan and heat it till it reaches approximately 80C (about 175F). I donu2019t have a kitchen thermometer and I just dipped the tip of my finger in a bit of the milk to to judge how hot it was. This isnu2019t very scientific or very safe, but it works for me!

Dissolve the Epsom salt in 1/2 a cup of water and add it to the soya milk. Stir gently with a wooden spoon and you will see the soya milk starting to curdle. It took me about 5 minutes of gentle stirring on low heat (not boiling) before the soya milk curdled well.

The milkiness of the soya milk should have given way to clear amber/ light yellowish coloured whey and curdled solids. If there is some milkiness, add a little more coagulant (about 1/2 tsp Epsom salt in a little water) to the mixture and stir gently till no milkiness is visible.

Take the pan off the heat and allow the curdled mixture to stand for about 10 minutes.

If you have a tofu mould, line it with cheesecloth and pour the curdled mixture into it. I donu2019t have a mould so I used a strainer which I lined with a thin cotton kitchen towel. I placed over a bowl so that the whey could drain into it.That is why my tofu is mound shaped rather than the usual rectangle.

Once most of the whey has drained out of the tofu, tightly wrap the ends of the towel or cheesecloth over the tofu and place some weight (I used a jar of dried beans) over it so the excess moisture is pressed out and the tofu is packed into shape.

Remove the weight after about 20 minutes and open out the towel. I believe pressing it down for longer (about 30 to 40 minutes) will give you firmer tofu.

Turn out the tofu and its ready for use. Use it within a day.

If you are not going to use it immediately, place the tofu in a sealable container and cover it with water. Change the water everyday and use the tofu within a couple of days.

One litre of soya milk gave me about 1 1/2 cups of soft tofu.

Now that the tofu was made, all I needed was to figure what to make with it. According to various sources, tofu made with Epsom salts should turn out soft and sweet. So I did a taste test, and though the tofu was really soft (but firm enough to hold its shape), I didnu2019t even get a hint of sweetness. I can say with much conviction that tofu is a taste I am yet to acquire.

In case you are wondering why my tofu is a dirty brownish colour, thatu2019s because the soya milk was a light brown colour! I thought soya milk was meant to be white or very light creamish in colour.

In case anyone is interested, I used the Godrej brand of natural soya milk.

Given that tofu isnu2019t on anyoneu2019s list of favourites here, I thought it was best to make something where the tofu had a large enough presence without taking the leading part in the show!

The perfect kind of recipe for this seemed a Tropical Tofu Smoothie that I adapted from MyRecipes.

I must say that while I havenu2019t become a tofu fan, I have no objections having my tofu in a smoothie like this. The tofu gave the smoothie some volume and a creamy texture, and if I didnu2019t actually put it into the blender I wouldnu2019t have known there was any tofu in it!

Tropical Tofu Smoothie

Process the tofu, chopped mango pieces and the banana (if using) in a blender till smooth. Add all the remaining ingredients and process again till smooth.

Serve immediately.

This recipe makes 2 tall glasses of delicious smoothie.