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
For serving
- 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.
Notes
*I find fresh soy milk at the local Asian supermarket, but you can also make your own soy milk. If you're in the Bay Area, you can get Hodo Soy fresh soy milk from Good Eggs.
**I find liquid nigari at the local Japanese markets - see the picture of the bottle above. You can also buy powdered nigari online here and use half the amount as you would prepared liquid nigari. I've heard you can get food-grade gysum from home-brew shops too. According to The Book of Tofu, you could also use epsom salts, but I haven't tried it. Here's a guide to the different coagulants and where you might find them
Adapted from The Book of Tofu
