Tofu

30.10.2017 Production

Around the corner from here used to be a one man tofu production company. Hence, we used this opportunity for education and payed him a visit. With lots of anticipation we followed all steps of the tofu production for 2 hours.

We arrived around 9 o’clock and had missed the soaking of the soybeans (3-12hours). We were not really bothered at all considering the 3hour waiting time. We came to observe how the soybeans are being crushed in a mill (at home you can also use a blender or kitchen aid) and by adding water turning into a mash.

Afterwards the mash was put with extra water into a huge stone pot and was heated up (max75°C). Before the watery mash becomes the so called drinkable soymilk, the pieces and rest from the grinding get caught in a cloth and will end as food for the animals.

Through the clotting of the proteins from the soymilk the Tofu is being generated. There exists many ways to get the flocculating started. Salts and acids are being used by the commercial production.  Our lovely guy though was using his own homemade recipe which his dad had also used. After a while of beating about the bush he did reveal us the recipe (to boil up coconut water, garlic, salt and sugar, that’s all). We observed how the mixture was added and the milk started to floc. It took about 10 minutes. Then the man started to drain the water and what was left was tofu which was shifted. At home a sieve with a cloth will also work for catching the protein clots.

The soy protein is put into a moist cloth which is embedded in a wooden frame (at home one can buy such tofu containers), so that water can drip out. Stacking one upon the other will allow draining more water and after 30 minutes was the first tofu ready. But it is not quite eatable yet. The further preparation is now depending on one’s personal taste.  To store the tofu it is put in a saltwater mixture and can be kept without a fridge for a whole week.