Welcome to my blog.

After a few random posts I've decided to dedicate this blog to my life long project of Japanese food
and culture (and my life in general, especially my travels).

Since my first taste of sushi back in 1997 I've been interested in, and frequently been making
Japanese food.
My interest in the country and culture started long before and continues to evolve.
I was lucky to finally visit Japan in October 2008, again in November 2019 and hope to be back soon.
In July 2012 I visited Japantown in San Fransisco, the next best thing!
I was lucky to be back in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019 thanks to the fact that we now have family living in California.
Both small and big adventures will from now on, as time permits, be shared with you.

I will post other recipes and pictures too, mainly cooking projects, plants and art projects
(including my new love - making kumihimo braided objects).

I hope you'll find it interesting, and feel free to leave a comment or ask questions!

I write mainly in English, but there will be some Norwegian too, especially posts about things
that mainly have Norwegian interest. Tutorials are bi-lingual.

Monday 18 January 2010

Homemade soy milk and tofu - step by step, part 2

My first tofu.

So, after making your own soy milk from beans, you're left with about 2 liters of fresh soy milk.
It's time to turn it into tofu!
(The tofu you make at home will come out as "cotton", not "silken", just for the record.)

First, you need a box or special tofu form to press the tofu in. I made my own out of a plastic box with some holes pinched, and the lid cut a bit smaller to fit inside the box with a weight on top. Line it with a cheese cloth or similar piece of loose-woven fabric, damp from being rinsed in cold water.Heat the soy milk up until about 80-90 degrees, hot, but not boiling. Use a thermometer if you have one. Switch off the heat and add your coagulant of choice, stir a couple of times and wait. You might have to add some more, but the less, the better.

I used apple cider vinegar because I couldn't get hold of nigari or gypsum. I added about 2 tbsp to 2 liters of soy milk.
When you see the whey and the solids separate into small curds, put the lid on the kettle and wait 10-15 minutes.
Take the lid off and check the state of things. If the curds are quite large and separated from the whey, you're all good. If they're small and still kinda integrated, add a bit more coagulant and put the lid back on. If you're happy, try to get most of the whey out before scooping the curds into your tofu form. Use a sieve and a large spoon.
Spoon the curds into your form lined with sieve cloth. Your final tofu block will be about half the size of the initial mixture. You might want to pour some in, wait for it to drain some, and then add more. When all is in, wrap the cloth over the top, put the lid on and weigh it down with a can or something else heavy. Place it in a bowl or in the sink so the liquid that comes out is collected. Leave for 20 min - 1 hour depending on how hard you like the tofu.
I drained mine for about 30-40 minutes.
Carefully slide your tofu out of the form and into a bowl of cold water. Remove the sieve cloth. Take the tofu out of the water and dry it with some kitchen paper. Enjoy!
It keeps 2-3 days in the fridge if you store it in a box with water.

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