Easy As Tofu

I never realized how easy it was to make fresh tofu. All you need are some soybeans, water, and a sea water mineral. Oh, a food processor, pot, thermometer, heating device, cheesecloth, and spoon would help, too. One last recipe from the conference. 

We got this one from one of the most genuine people that I have ever met, Mie Naka. She's the one on the left, in the traditional Japanese garb. She and her husband, Hiroyuki Naka, operate a macrobiotic cooking school in Osaka, Japan. Hiroyuki started a macrobiotic restaurant with help from his chef (pictured in toque). This chef, who will remain nameless because I've totally forgotten his name, is the one who demonstrated the tofu making.

He has an interesting story as well. He has a son with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disorder that attacks the joints. They discovered it when the boy was two-years-old. He always had a swollen face and didn't want to eat food. So his father quit his job and began to cook macrobiotically for his son. The son is now six, no longer swollen, and continues to eat macrobiotically. He's really cute and looks younger than he is. It's good to see a tight-knit family.

Anyway, back to tofu.

Tofu
3 c soybeans
nigari (magnesium chloride)

Soak soybeans in 2 qt water overnight. Grind the soaked soybeans in a blender or food processor for 3-5 minutes. Add  2/3 c of water to the soybeans in the blender. This is called "kure-jiru." Boil  2 3/4 c of water and then add the kure-jiru. Stir with wooden spatula at medium heat. When it boils, scoop off foam and simmer at low heat for 5-10 minutes. When it starts to smell and taste good, turn off heat and strain through cheesecloth.

Now you have soy milk and okara (textured soy protein). Heat soy milk at low heat to 160*F, then add nigari (mix with water before incorporating, also, more nigari and more time in the tofu mould means firmer tofu). Stir immediately until it curdles. Put the tofu in a bamboo tofu tray to form. For firm tofu, put cotton cheese cloth inside the tofu tray and pour in curdled soy milk. Press with a stone or weight to press and drain water. For soft "tofu flower" like the dessert at dim sum restaurants, it's ready to serve.

Granted, this is not the most specific recipe I've ever shared. I'll experiment with the amount of nigari after getting unpacked and settled in the new place and keep you posted. Fresh tofu is amazing. It has a lighter flavor. You can also be assured that it is of the highest quality and chemical free, if you use organic soybeans, filtered water and natural nigari (derived from sea water).

Mie made other tofu dishes. Tofu-gurt (pictured, far back) with sweet miso and blueberries; fried tofu with onions, peas, and turmeric to give it an eggier, yellow color; and tofu salad with strawberries, steamed broccoli and dressing of sweet miso, mustard, and lemon juice.

Mie believes that everyone should sing a song at least once a day, to lift spirits and bring joy. So at the end of the cooking class, she began to play the Carpenters version of the song "Sing" and asked everyone to sing along. I was the assistant for the class so I had to participate. I felt very silly at first buy y'know, she was totally right. By the end of it we all got so into it we started waving our hands in the air. 

It's really incredible. It's not often I run into such a genuinely good natured/hearted person. I'm so glad I went to the conference for so many reasons, one being because I met and got to work with Mie Naka.