Make tofu yourself: Instructions for copying

Basically making tofu is not that difficult. The only thing you have to invest is a little time. If you have gained some practice in tofu production, the individual steps go quickly.

Make tofu yourself from soybeans - how it works

Tofu has only been known to us for a comparatively short time. In contrast, vegan meat substitutes have been on the menu in Asia for hundreds of years. Vegans and vegetarians in particular eat tofu instead of meat.

• Tofu is made up of very few ingredients. The vegan meat substitute mainly consists of soybeans. Soy milk is at the beginning of tofu production. If you want to make your tofu yourself from A to Z, make the soy milk yourself. If you want to simplify your work a little, buy an unsweetened soy drink.
• You need soybeans, water and a little patience to make the soy milk. How many soybeans you need depends on the amount you want to make. For a serving of tofu, from about 200 to 250 grams, you need a liter of soy milk.
• To make soy milk, first put 250 grams of dried soybeans in a bowl of water. Add about three to four times as much water as beans to the bowl.
• The dried soybeans have to soak for about ten to twelve hours. If you soak the soybeans overnight, you can start making soy milk the next day.
• The swollen soybeans are pureed in fresh water. Use about 700 milliliters of fresh water for this.
• Then let the soy mass boil again and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes at a low to medium temperature. Stir the soy mass from time to time so that nothing burns.
• If you want to use a bought soy drink, separate the protein from the whey beforehand. To do this, use a so-called precipitant, such as lemon juice or nigari. First, put about five to six tablespoons of lemon juice in a large container. Then pour the soy drink over it. After about 15 to 20 minutes, the soy drink has curdled.

Making tofu - pressing the meat substitute

After the somewhat time-consuming preparatory work is done, it is time to manufacture the tofu.

• First, hang a strainer in a large bowl. Put a kitchen towel made of cotton or a so-called pass cloth into the sieve.
• Once you've poured the soy mass into the sieve, be patient again. Wait until the liquid has run through and there is mostly solid mass in the sieve.
• Finally, wrap the cloth around the mass so that you can squeeze out as much of the remaining liquid as possible. Alternatively, press a heavy object on the closed cloth. If you would like to make tofu more often, a tofu press may be worthwhile for you.
• Place the finished tofu piece in a fresh water storage box that you put in the fridge. The tofu lasts about four to five days. You can also freeze tofu, but the meat substitute changes its consistency.
• Refine the remaining whey with a little cinnamon, honey or fruit, for example. So you get a light, delicious drink. You can also use the whey for homemade granola or for baking.

Another meat substitute that is not as well known to us as tofu is jackfruit. In the next post you will find out what is behind it and what advantages and disadvantages the jackfruit has.