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Decompressing a bit today about surviving my first solo reading and pouting over the cool weather when I was hoping for summer temps. I have a new (new to me anyways) vintage bike I’m looking forward to breaking in and want some nice weather for my first official ride. It’s my first bike and I’m looking forward to getting used to riding. Please forgive if there's a ton of typos today, my brain's a tad distracted lately as am I.
I also got a reminder from Outpost that my order of soy beans is in and it got me thinking about making my own tofu. I’ve found since I stopped eating meat I’ve had some grilled and sautéed tofu I really liked and am looking forward to learning how to prepare it myself. I really need to cook more and tightened the food budget with needing to pay off bills and prepare to afford school this fall.
Until I get the soymilk maker I want (the Soyapower Plus runs around $170) I’m going to either have to buy the soymilk or make it myself. Since I have the bulk beans coming (soon as next paycheck comes and I go pick them up) I figured I’d start with searching out some easy soy milk making instructions.
One of the sites I found mentioned soaking the beans for several days so that the skins come off easily. Removing the skins is said to lesson the beany taste of the milk. This is done by placing about half the soaked beans (a batch is about 1 cup of dried beans) in a bowl and soaking them in hot water for a few minutes. You rub off the skins by hand and as the skins float to the top and you can remove them while you drain off the water. After a circular stir the water is drained off and the process begins again. This seems like a lot of work, but I’ll give it a try anyways.
The next step involves a powerful blender. Take half a cup of the drained (skinned) soybeans and in the blender add them to 3 cups boiling water. (safety tip: to avoid burns leave the plastic center piece of the blender lid out and cover with a folded tea towel because if steam builds up inside an unventilated blender it could explode) Blend on high about one minute.
Dump the pasty mush into a cloth-lined colander set into a 5 quart or bigger pan. Pour half a cup of cold water into the blender, swish it around and pour over the mash. Twist and squeeze the cloth to drain out all the milk from soy pulp/okara into the bowl. Knead the lump of okara until it’s as dry as you can get it. Clean the colander and the cloth off well for the next batch. Now they mention storing the okara so I assume I can use it as well for other things. I’d hate to have to just toss it in the worm bin or compost heap. I do know the soy pulp/okara must be cooked before eating. Maybe I can season and brown it for use on pizzas and the like.
Now next comes the cooking. Since I want to do this all at once I’m going to use the stove top method. They mention using something called a flame tamer which is a round metal burner cover with holes in it and a handle. I’ll have to look into getting one of those. So I set the pan on the flame tamer and bring the milk just to a boil. Then as soon as it boils, I turn the milk down to a low simmer, cover, and cook 30 minutes, stirring often.
Now the next step is flavoring, which I can do to the quarts of milk for drinking, but not with the stuff for tofu. I have some agave sweetener that might be good for this purpose. About a tablespoon of sweetener and a forth of a teaspoon of salt per quart. The instructions say don’t eliminate the salt and sweetener unless it's just for cooking-- dairy milk is naturally high in sodium and milk sugar; these flavors have to be added to soymilk. If you like, whisk in 3/4 T. calcium carbonate powder (purchase from your pharmacist). (This adds about 300 mg of calcium per cup, or about the same as regular milk.) Shake well before pouring.
Now if I am saving some of the soymilk for drinking I’ll need to have a few sterilized quart jars ready for this purpose. I do admit I really enjoyed the dried fruit and granola with soy milk I ate yesterday while I was in Madison, so I might save some for this depending on how much I need for the tofu. Plenty of room in the fridge. Side note: they say if the containers are tightly sealed (and not opened until you need them), kept cold, and generally treated like any milk, the soymilk will keep for 1 and 1/2-2 weeks. If the milk separates after cooling, shake the container well. If it goes sour, it can be used in cooking and baking like buttermilk. Also if the jar is left open, it will solidify like yogurt and can be used as such.
Making the Tofu
Looks like I need to make two batches of soymilk (I need about 4 1/2 quarts of milk) if I want enough milk for tofu and milk to drink. The milk had to be heated to about 180 degrees (not boiling) and then a coagulant is added. My first try I think I will use two heaping tablespoons of Epsom salts, dissolved in 1/2 cup boiling water. It’s cheap. Ofter I get good at it I can play with some other kinds. The coagulant mixture must be very hot when added to the heated milk. Drizzle the coagulant mix over the top and then blend using a single gentle stir, no more.
After adding the coagulant the heat is turned to its lowest setting (or off in the case of an electric stove). Leave it for about 10 minutes and then do one more single gentle stir. At this point the curds and whey should separate. The instruction say if after 10 minutes or so, curds have formed, but the liquid still is milky white (instead of clear amber), that means a little more coagulant is needed. Mix up a little more, making sure it is very hot, and drizzle over the top. On more gentle stir and within another couple minutes, the liquid should change to a clear amber.
Now at this step a tofu box is mentioned. I haven’t been able to find one of those locally and figure for my first try I’ll make my own. I couldn’t find some good instructions on making one so looks as though I’ll have to order one online. In the meantime I will see what makeshift ideas I can dig up for my box. In either case I carefully spoon/pour the contents of the pan into a damp very finely woven cheesecloth filled colander until you only have the curds in the cloth. Cloth and all transfer the curds to the pressing box. Do not take too long, you want everything to not cool too much. Cover the curds with the excess cheesecloth and press with 20 pounds of weight for about 45 minutes for a firm tofu and 5 pounds for 15 minutes for a softer tofu.
After that the instructions say once the tofu has cooled, place it in a container, cover it with fresh, cold water, and cover the container. Refrigerate and change the water every day. It will keep about a week. Looking at the amount of work required I am really wishing for the soy milk maker. Three batches in the maker will make a batch of tofu. So besides the beans I need a box, a flame tamer, and some good quality cheese cloth as well as the coagulant. I think this experiment might need to wait until after Think Galacticon when life slows down a tad. I’ll keep ya’ll posted.
I also got a reminder from Outpost that my order of soy beans is in and it got me thinking about making my own tofu. I’ve found since I stopped eating meat I’ve had some grilled and sautéed tofu I really liked and am looking forward to learning how to prepare it myself. I really need to cook more and tightened the food budget with needing to pay off bills and prepare to afford school this fall.
Until I get the soymilk maker I want (the Soyapower Plus runs around $170) I’m going to either have to buy the soymilk or make it myself. Since I have the bulk beans coming (soon as next paycheck comes and I go pick them up) I figured I’d start with searching out some easy soy milk making instructions.
One of the sites I found mentioned soaking the beans for several days so that the skins come off easily. Removing the skins is said to lesson the beany taste of the milk. This is done by placing about half the soaked beans (a batch is about 1 cup of dried beans) in a bowl and soaking them in hot water for a few minutes. You rub off the skins by hand and as the skins float to the top and you can remove them while you drain off the water. After a circular stir the water is drained off and the process begins again. This seems like a lot of work, but I’ll give it a try anyways.
The next step involves a powerful blender. Take half a cup of the drained (skinned) soybeans and in the blender add them to 3 cups boiling water. (safety tip: to avoid burns leave the plastic center piece of the blender lid out and cover with a folded tea towel because if steam builds up inside an unventilated blender it could explode) Blend on high about one minute.
Dump the pasty mush into a cloth-lined colander set into a 5 quart or bigger pan. Pour half a cup of cold water into the blender, swish it around and pour over the mash. Twist and squeeze the cloth to drain out all the milk from soy pulp/okara into the bowl. Knead the lump of okara until it’s as dry as you can get it. Clean the colander and the cloth off well for the next batch. Now they mention storing the okara so I assume I can use it as well for other things. I’d hate to have to just toss it in the worm bin or compost heap. I do know the soy pulp/okara must be cooked before eating. Maybe I can season and brown it for use on pizzas and the like.
Now next comes the cooking. Since I want to do this all at once I’m going to use the stove top method. They mention using something called a flame tamer which is a round metal burner cover with holes in it and a handle. I’ll have to look into getting one of those. So I set the pan on the flame tamer and bring the milk just to a boil. Then as soon as it boils, I turn the milk down to a low simmer, cover, and cook 30 minutes, stirring often.
Now the next step is flavoring, which I can do to the quarts of milk for drinking, but not with the stuff for tofu. I have some agave sweetener that might be good for this purpose. About a tablespoon of sweetener and a forth of a teaspoon of salt per quart. The instructions say don’t eliminate the salt and sweetener unless it's just for cooking-- dairy milk is naturally high in sodium and milk sugar; these flavors have to be added to soymilk. If you like, whisk in 3/4 T. calcium carbonate powder (purchase from your pharmacist). (This adds about 300 mg of calcium per cup, or about the same as regular milk.) Shake well before pouring.
Now if I am saving some of the soymilk for drinking I’ll need to have a few sterilized quart jars ready for this purpose. I do admit I really enjoyed the dried fruit and granola with soy milk I ate yesterday while I was in Madison, so I might save some for this depending on how much I need for the tofu. Plenty of room in the fridge. Side note: they say if the containers are tightly sealed (and not opened until you need them), kept cold, and generally treated like any milk, the soymilk will keep for 1 and 1/2-2 weeks. If the milk separates after cooling, shake the container well. If it goes sour, it can be used in cooking and baking like buttermilk. Also if the jar is left open, it will solidify like yogurt and can be used as such.
Making the Tofu
Looks like I need to make two batches of soymilk (I need about 4 1/2 quarts of milk) if I want enough milk for tofu and milk to drink. The milk had to be heated to about 180 degrees (not boiling) and then a coagulant is added. My first try I think I will use two heaping tablespoons of Epsom salts, dissolved in 1/2 cup boiling water. It’s cheap. Ofter I get good at it I can play with some other kinds. The coagulant mixture must be very hot when added to the heated milk. Drizzle the coagulant mix over the top and then blend using a single gentle stir, no more.
After adding the coagulant the heat is turned to its lowest setting (or off in the case of an electric stove). Leave it for about 10 minutes and then do one more single gentle stir. At this point the curds and whey should separate. The instruction say if after 10 minutes or so, curds have formed, but the liquid still is milky white (instead of clear amber), that means a little more coagulant is needed. Mix up a little more, making sure it is very hot, and drizzle over the top. On more gentle stir and within another couple minutes, the liquid should change to a clear amber.
Now at this step a tofu box is mentioned. I haven’t been able to find one of those locally and figure for my first try I’ll make my own. I couldn’t find some good instructions on making one so looks as though I’ll have to order one online. In the meantime I will see what makeshift ideas I can dig up for my box. In either case I carefully spoon/pour the contents of the pan into a damp very finely woven cheesecloth filled colander until you only have the curds in the cloth. Cloth and all transfer the curds to the pressing box. Do not take too long, you want everything to not cool too much. Cover the curds with the excess cheesecloth and press with 20 pounds of weight for about 45 minutes for a firm tofu and 5 pounds for 15 minutes for a softer tofu.
After that the instructions say once the tofu has cooled, place it in a container, cover it with fresh, cold water, and cover the container. Refrigerate and change the water every day. It will keep about a week. Looking at the amount of work required I am really wishing for the soy milk maker. Three batches in the maker will make a batch of tofu. So besides the beans I need a box, a flame tamer, and some good quality cheese cloth as well as the coagulant. I think this experiment might need to wait until after Think Galacticon when life slows down a tad. I’ll keep ya’ll posted.
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