Is there one restaurant dish that you could eat for dinner every night? For me, that's the oboro tofu from Eiji that Angi introduced me to a few months back. Many food-loving folks in SF are probably shaking their heads yup right along with me. It's a dish that comforts with its cloud-like simplicity, and unfortunately for me, it's served at a Japanese restaurant that's located a 36-minute BART ride from my house (flanked by a 15-minute walk on either side).
In other words, much further than I like!
Naturally, when the craving struck hard earlier this summer, I set out to make a pot of silken oboro tofu at home.
I bought a half-gallon of fresh soy milk from Hodo Foods with a plan to somehow turn it into soft silken tofu curds. Remember when I mentioned meeting Princess Tofu at a picnic? Talk about dumb luck! I plopped down next to her, optimistic that the princess of tofu (much like the Wizard of Oz) could give me the key to tofu-making (like, for example, how much coagulant should I put in? And also where can I procure said coagulant in the next few hours?).
That's when she confessed that she'd never made her own tofu before. Her nom de plume came from a Chinese dish she saw on a menu once - princess tofu.
With some crazy alignment of the stars, though, she led me back to her loft where she pulled out a worn vintage paperback copy of The Book of Tofu and flipped to the page where oboro-dofu was described with detailed steps and a few accompanying black and white sketches of the process. This is a manual of all tofu. And of course she owned it.
The book details the process of going from uncooked soybeans in a 10-hour soaking bath to soy milk to oboro tofu. I had soymilk from Hodo Foods, so I cut out the first step. And then guessed at the proportions as I scaled the recipe down to serve two. I chatted with my friends at Hodo Foods, who gave me more insight on how to make soft tofu at home, even bringing by a little container of their calcium sulfate coagulant!
I've now made it so many times that we've redesignated this red clay pot from paella to "the tofu pot."
In Japanese, oboro means cloudy or hazy. Accordingly, when soy milk simmers over the stove, it curdles into a soft fluffy cloud-like consistency that's called oboro tofu.
The Book of Tofu likens curdling soy milk to "a translucent, amber sky filled with soft white clouds." In short, oboro tofu is simply tofu before being pressed and formed. The tofu curds are ladled out with a slotted spoon and served in bowls with an assortment of toppings as a warm almost custard-like soup.
Bon Appetit describes the texture of these smooth tofu curds somewhere along a scale from cottage cheese to burrata to panna cotta.
Oboro tofu has a slight nuttiness from the fresh soy milk with the nigari lending a subtle sweetness. Unlike most store-bought tofu, these homemade curds are flavorful enough to eat with just a splash of tamari and a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds, scallions, ginger, or bonito flakes. This is tofu in its purest form and it promises to soothe the soul.
Toss it in a bowl of miso soup or your favorite noodle dish if you're so inclined. Go crazy.
Recipe
Oboro Tofu: Silken Tofu Curds
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh soy milk, unsweetened (*see note)
- 2 to 2½ teaspoons liquid nigari or calcium sulfate/gypsum, **see note
- ½ cup of water
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions
- 2 tablespoons bonito flakes
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- Tamari or soy sauce
INSTRUCTIONS
- Mix 2 teaspoons of the liquid nigari with the water in a small bowl and set aside.
- Bring the soy milk to boil over medium heat in a clay pot, stirring constantly. Boil for 5-7 minutes, continually stirring. Turn off heat.
- Stir the soy milk back and forth 5 times, and while stirring, pour in half of the water/nigari solution. Stir 5 times more and remove the spoon. Sprinkle the rest of the water/nigari solution over the top of the soy milk. Cover and let rest for 8-10 minutes.
- Lift the lid and with the back of a large spoon, press down to test the firmness of the tofu. When it is ready, any liquid should be a clear yellow, and should no longer be milky. If you still see milky liquid, mix the remaining ½ teaspoon of nigari with 2 tablespoons of water and sprinkle it in the area where the tofu hasn't set. Cover and return to heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit covered another 3-4 minutes until set.
- Ladle into bowls to serve. Eat it plain, topped with a splash of tamari sauce (gluten-free soy sauce), or sprinkled with any combination of toppings listed above.
masala girl -
this sounds *amazing*
is this the type of tofu in soon tofu soup?
Sarah Menanix -
Thank you! It's one of my all-time favorite comfort foods! I've never had soon tofu soup, so I'm not entirely sure, but a quick google seems to suggest that soup is made with uncurdled tofu (not sure what that is?). Either way though, these oboro tofu curds would be perfect to toss into any soup!
stephanie -
i have been dying to make oboro tofu but i have yet to get my hands on a coagulant...i'm really going to have to change that soon because your description is giving me a major craving!!
Sarah Menanix -
I hope you're able to find it because oboro tofu is probably the second most-cooked dish in my kitchen. Mmm. If you don't have any luck, let me know and I'll mail you some! :)
phi -
coming over for dinner - you save me some right??? ;)
also, I'm glad people like you exist so I don't have to make my own tofu!!
Sarah Menanix -
You're welcome any time! Bahaha - I feel the same way about you, except for with rice noodles and lettuce stem. :)
[email protected] -
this looks super yummy
Annie | MontgomeryFest -
you came to SF and didn't tell me??! also, did we ever figure out what a coagulant is?
Sarah Menanix -
Hehe - Never! My trip to Phi's loft was before we'd even met! (Except I did eat at Eiji once and not tell you, and I felt really guilty because my plan was to get there early and deliver baked goods to you, but I ran out of time - it's the thought that counts?). Didn't we make this dish on the night we met? So really, we can consider it friendship tofu if we want.
The nigari coagulant is just what turns the soy milk into tofu, so...in other words: it's the magic potion. The nigari I have is made from seawater, but I've used powdered calcium sulfate for a slightly sweeter smoother oboro tofu. That was more information than you wanted, I think. But I'M JUST GOING TO KEEP RAMBLING. Over and out.
Alex Caspero MA,RD (@delishknowledge) -
I have never had this! So interesting! I really do love tofu and cannot wait to try something like this. I love the story about Princess Tofu - only food bloggers would invite you in to find a recipe :)
Sarah Menanix -
Right?! "Oh, I have a recipe for that somewhere - come back to my place." She instantly made me feel like a part of such an amazingly welcoming community. It's true what they say - food brings people together. I hope you do end up trying this - would love to hear what you think!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter -
Oh my goodness, I am so impressed that you made your own tofu, Sarah! It looks absolutely incredible! I can just imagine how flavorful and amazing this tastes!
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks, Kelly! Once you find the ingredients it's surprisingly simple to make and so so comforting.
ellie | fit for the soul -
Hmmmm interesting, Sarah! Out of all Japanese dishes this is one of the few I haven't even seen before.....0_0 It sounds so good because of its fluffiness as you described. It's virtually almost calorie-less too, hah! Me thinks you and I would get along so well via Asian food~
Sarah Menanix -
I think we will too - I could eat Asian food for every meal. Some day, you'll come visit and I'll make this Oboro tofu for you. (But I urge you to find the ingredients and make it at home first because it's just too good to wait for:)
Alanna -
Yay!!! I LOVE oboro tofu! I can't believe how simple it is to make. Thank you so much for cracking this recipe - I can't wait for our sushi + tofu feast! These photos are gorgeous - only you could make tofu curds look so sexy. Rrrrrrooooowwwwww....
Sarah Menanix -
Did Catamus hack this comment? Hehe. I can't wait to finally make this for you - I tried really hard to make it as a side dish to our chickpea pasta, but apparently those don't pair well...haha.
Sharon @ What The Fork Food Blog -
Wow, homemade tofu! Sounds so impressive! I'm not a big tofu eater but I think homemade tofu sounds so good!
Sarah Menanix -
I think this is the perfect dish to ease in a non-tofu eater. I served it up to a family of steak and potato eaters from Texas and they all ate it!
Thalia @ butter and brioche -
Wow this post is beyond impressive.. serious props for making your own tofu Sarah. I definitely want to try my hand at the recipe, hopefully I can get my hands on all the ingredients!
Sarah Menanix -
I hope you can find them - this is a staple in our house and one of the easiest simplest things to make that tastes sooooo delicious. Do you have an asian supermarket near you?
Lisa / Good on Paper -
um. wow. i can't believe you made your own tofu. i bow down to you girlfriend.
Sarah Menanix -
You give me way too much credit - two ingredients + water and you've got these silken soft tofu curds in your bowl. Maybe we need to have a tofu lunch date and I'll make this for you?
Lisa / Good on Paper -
yes, please ;)
Marly -
I thought I had tried tofu in every variation possible, but somehow missed this cloud-filled amber sky variety. I'm also still looking for an amber sky, but think that I might get close around sunset..which might be a perfect time to be eating this soup. Thanks for this recipe - can't wait to create a tofu pot and some of this soup of our own!
Sarah Menanix -
I hope you do try it and love it as much as I do. It's exactly the dish I want on any night when I don't feel like anything else.
Chris @ Shared Appetite -
Just a 35 minute ride away? Sounds totally worth it to me... I'd make it a weekly stop for sure haha. Love this story about Princess Tofu... and how she just totally invited you back to her loft! Hahaha, so awesome. And really, you made your own tofu?! #overachiever. This looks so great!
Sarah Menanix -
I like how you think - maybe I should reprioritize to get in once a week:) Food bloggers are the friendliest crowd, aren't they?
Amy | Club Narwhal -
Ah, this looks so crazy good! I haven't even thought about making homemade tofu but you have me convinced. This looks like just the soup to warm me up on this frigid day :)
Sarah Menanix -
Thanks, Amy! It's so so simple, but has a HUGE flavor pay off. I don't even feel like I captured well enough HOW addicting these soft tofu curds are, but I strongly urge you to try it at home!
Ashley @ A Lady Goes West -
Based on your description of taste and texture, I think I would like this. Very interesting! And hey, that's not too far to travel for good food. :)
Sarah Menanix -
Haha - I'm glad you support my Eiji addiction. Would love to meet you there for dinner one night:)
Cyndi @ My Kitchen Craze -
So I have never had tofu left alone make my own. You are genius! This looks delicious Sarah! Like for these cold night we've been having! Yum!!
Sarah Menanix -
Oh man - I'm a huge tofu fan and I'm positive that even if you've never had tofu before, you'd love this homemade one. It's mild and deep in flavor in all the right ways.
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely -
I have just added Eiji to my "must try" restaurant list the next time I'm in San Francisco. Even though it's only about 40 minutes away, we don't make it out there very often. Mostly because of parking, ick! But until then I can make this soup at home! It sounds so creamy and decadent.
Sarah Menanix -
YES! Maybe....we should have a date to Eiji just to force you to take BART with me into the city... :)
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom -
I'm so impressed that you made your own tofu. . wow!!! I never have either. . and don't know who princess tofu is but will be checking out her blog. This oboro tofu looks amazing!!!
Sarah Menanix -
She makes BEAUTIFUL and delicious vegetarian recipes that will have you salivating instantly and is widely talented in the kitchen. Thank you so much, Alice - surprisingly homemade tofu isn't all that difficult at all!