How to Make Tofu and Soy Milk

Most soy goods are an extremely healthy food source, helping our bodies to fight chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, high cholesterol and osteoporosis. Additionally, it assists menopausal women by reducing the number of hot flashes and battling insomnia. As a bonus, freshly made soy products not only taste better than their manufactured counterparts, but are free of chemical additives.

Things You'll Need

• ½ pint dried soya (soy) beans
• 1 gallon water
• Cheese or muslin cloth
• Large pot
• Colander or sieve
• 1 gallon soy milk (as made above)
• 2 tsp. Epsom salts or Nigari

Instructions

Soy Milk

1. Sort the soy beans. Dry beans may have tiny pebbles mixed in with them, which is normal in the bean gathering process. Discard them and any beans that look unhealthy since they produce a bitter taste.

2. Soak the soy beans overnight in a large pot. Fill the pot with water until the water level is 3 to 4 inches above the beans. This is typically 3 to 4 cups of water per cup of dry soy beans. As the beans absorb the water, they'll plump in shape. Don't worry if the concoction is smelly the next day or appears to have a bubbled surface; this is normal. You can expedite this process by soaking the beans in extremely hot water for 3 hours, but the texture and taste won't be as good.

3. Drain the dirty water from the beans. Some skin may have peeled from the beans, but this is normal. Place the beans in a colander and rinse with clean water.

4. Grind the beans into flour then slowly add boiling water. Use 8 cups of water per 1 cup of soy powder. Simmer the slurry for approximately 20 minutes, stirring often to ensure the mixture doesn't scald and spoil the milk's delicate texture.

5. Line a sieve or colander with cheese or muslin cloth and place it over a container. Slowly pour the slurry onto the cloth. The liquid will begin to drain through the cloth and sieve, leaving the pulp behind. Pull the sides of the cloth up around the pulp, shaping it into a ball. Twist it tightly to extract the liquid left in the mash.

6. Refrigerate the soy milk (soy milk) if you are not using it immediately. It will keep for 5 days.

Tofu

1. Boil the soy milk gently for 4 to 5 minutes if it's been refrigerated. If it's room temperature, skip this step.

2. Take the milk off the heat and stir in the salt. Nigari (a type of sea salt) gives tofu a better taste, but it is harder to find than the ubiquitous Epsom salts. Leave the salted milk for about 30 minutes to curdle.

3. Line a sieve or colander with cheese or muslin cloth and place it over a container. Wrap the cloth around the curds, covering them completely. Slowly squeeze the moisture out. Place some weight, like a bag of dry beans, flour or sugar, upon the clothed curds to yield a uniform texture. The longer you allow the liquid to be pressed from the curds, the denser the tofu will become.

4. Store the tofu in a container of water and refrigerate. Change the water daily. It will keep for 10 days.

Tips & Warnings

• Add spices, herbs or pieces of vegetables, like minced onion, to the curds before pressing to add flavor to the tofu block.

• Soured soy milk forms curds by natural fermentation. If these curds are solid, not discolored or slimy, they can be made into soy cheese. Boil them for 30 to 40 minutes to kill the bacteria and use as is, or follow step 3 in the tofu-making section for denser cheese.