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Thread: My tofu is horrible!

  1. #1
    Aradia's Avatar
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    Default My tofu is horrible!

    Hello folks

    I've just made my first ever tofu, after many years of eating lots of it!

    But it wasn't very tasty! It tasted slightly bitter when raw, before I marinated it, and it wasn't all that much better when flavoured and sauteed. And the texture wasn't great either.

    I confess my nigari was a bit (very, very) out-of-date, but I thought that as it's a sea product, it would be OK ..... am I wrong, does nigari go bad?

    Thanks

    (great forum by the way)

  2. #2
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: My tofu is horrible!

    Bitter? Not sure I've had bitter-tasting tofu - that wasn't past its eat-by date was it?

    What kind of tofu did you start with? If it's the kind that's packed in water, then I generally rinse it before preparing it as the water can be a bit manky.

    Must admit I often buy it pre-marinated, as if you do it yourself it seems to me to take a long time to take up the flavours of a marinade.

    Better luck next time, anyway!

  3. #3
    Aradia's Avatar
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    Default Re: My tofu is horrible!

    Hi Harpy

    I didn't buy the tofu - I made my own, and it was awful. I blended up soya beans and water and then cooked it up, curdled it and pressed it - but it didn't work out.

    does anybody make their own tofu and have any tips as to why mine was yuk?

  4. #4
    baffled harpy's Avatar
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    Default Re: My tofu is horrible!

    You made your own tofu? Respect!

    I expect someone can help but in the meantime I expect you've seen there are loads of tofu making web sites. This one http://www.justhungry.com/2006/03/mi...the_soy_1.html has some info about how to "de-bitter" the tofu

  5. #5
    Confused human HaplessGirl's Avatar
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    Default Re: My tofu is horrible!

    Hi Aradia...I have made my own tofu! I have the help of a home soy milk maker when I make mine, but maybe I can offer some helpful thoughts.

    Did you use a recipe??? Where did you learn how to do it?

    After blending the soybeans and water, did you filter out the blended soybean husks? You should have a cup or so of left over "okara" (blended up soybeans) after you filter the soy milk out of it.

    Did you cook the soy milk thoroughly before adding the coagulant? My soy milk maker goes through several blending and boiling cycles to cook the soy milk.

    Those are the main things I can think of...kudos on making tofu without the help of a soy milk maker though, even if it didn't turn out perfect! I bet you'll be able improve the results with more practice.

  6. #6
    Aradia's Avatar
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    Default Re: My tofu is horrible!

    Hi Haplass Girl

    Yes I did use a recipe, the one Leah Leneman gives in The Tofu Cookbook.

    Recipe is ... soak beans overnight.. blitz each cup of beans in blender with one cup cold water, then again adding one cup boiling water. Separate and discard the okara, then bring to boil and simmer for 3 minutes. After that add the coagulant and separate out the curds and whey.

    Does that sound like it's been cooked enough? I'll give it another go, but maybe I need to invest in a soy milk maker (which I'd rather not as I have so many bits of kitchen equipment to find homes for!).

    I had visions of building my own smoker for tofu and everything

  7. #7
    Confused human HaplessGirl's Avatar
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    Default Re: My tofu is horrible!

    Yes, maybe the soy milk does need to cook longer...maybe you could give that a try and see how it turns out. Also, I've always had good luck with organic soy beans - maybe it would help if you tried organic ones, or if you're already using organic, try purchasing them from a different source.

    I understand your not wanting to add more kitchen gadgets...even the ones I use all the time take up tons of space In fact, three shelves in my linen closet are filled with small kitchen appliances because there's no space left in my kitchen!

    But if you have trouble getting your tofu to turn out without a soy milk maker, I'd highly recommend buying one. They're awesome...you can't beat delicious, inexpensive soy milk and tofu!

  8. #8
    Aradia's Avatar
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    Talking Re: My tofu is horrible!

    Yay!! Just made some more tofu and it's SCRUMMY!!

    I think I may have soaked the beans too long last time. (Yes, there were organic)... this time I also took your advice Hapless and cooked them longer.... the tofu is really firm and tastes just fine.

    It's now sitting in the fridge soaking up tamari, chilli, ginger, tons of garlic and some maple syrup. When it's done, I'll saute it and mix it up with brown rice, avocado chunks, cherry toms and some herbs and a drop of dressing.

    If anyone is tempted to have a go at making their own tofu - go for it! It's quick, cheap and really tasty (when you don't mess it up! )

    Hapless Girl .... I'm now really tempted to get a soy milk maker as I spent a lot on soy milk (rice and other milks aren't as easily available here in France, although I do make nut milk a fair bit). Could you tell me what weight of beans you use to get a litre of milk? What's the max you can make at one time? And do you add anything to your milk, apple juice etc.?

    Something has gone right this week at last

  9. #9
    Confused human HaplessGirl's Avatar
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    Default Re: My tofu is horrible!

    Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner on this Aradia!

    Let's see...80 to 100 grams of soybeans makes 1/2 gallon of soy milk. 1/2 gallon of soy milk is a little less than 2 litres.

    In my soymilk maker (I have the SoyaPower model), I can make 1/2 gallon at a time. My husband and I usually soak about 3 batches worth of soybeans, and then we run the soymilk maker three times. This works well for us because it's about the right amount to fill up our two glass pitchers that we store soy milk in.

    You can add TONS of different ingredients to get different flavors and textures of milk. I haven't experimented with a ton of them, but adding a little oatmeal gives you a creamier milk. I've heard that adding soaked garbanzos is also delicious. I did try to make rice milk in the soymilk maker once, and that didn't turn out well - it made a bucket of clearish white slime that looked awful! I have no idea what I did wrong.

    Anyway, if you purchase a soy milk maker from soymilkmaker.com, you get a cookbook that gives you tons of ideas for making different types of milk and for using the leftover okara.

    And congratulations on your successful tofu-making experience!

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