Eeekk Grainy Tofu
Kym
nitenitenurse@yahoo.com
10/23/03 		Help! I've made my 4th batch of tofu using my soy milk maker and nigari, but each time my tofu turns out grainy with tiny curds. If I use less nigari then It doesnt seem to curd up at all ( I use 2tsp nigari with 4 batches of milk from my soy milk maker. It tastes great, but I want soft silky tofu.. I do use bottled water as I live in texas and the water here is quite hard. But it's bottled spring water. Would a different coagulant help? Help Help.
ellen

10/31/03 		Hello texas tofu sister!

The bittern makes a tougher tofu that the calcium.gypsum, and lemon juice or vinegar is even softer. Keep the heat as lows you can and still get the bubble up, skm off any skin, and bubble up the full three times. Let us know if you get an improvement. Ellen

Kym
nitenitenurse@yahoo.com
10/31/03 		Ok... I must be following the wrong recipe... bubble up three times? I've only been bringing it up to a hard simmer once for 5 to 10 minutes...then reducing to 170 degrees and adding my nigari... I should do it three times? then let cool to 170? My calcium is on order. Another question. About how much lemon juice should I use if I want to try that way? Thanks so much. Kym
kym

10/31/03 		Also...what is the reasoning for boiling it up three times? I use a soymilk maker, so the beans and milk are already cooked. Thanks for your time. I've recently moved from Oregon where I had fresh tofu available. I've not found any out here in the boonies west of Austin.
ellen

11/02/03 		Well, traditional hand methods for tofu say to bring it to a boiling up state, remove from heat,and skim what doesn't stir down, then return to heat. Since we are dealing with a texture problem, this might be worth a try for you.

Bulk tofu is available in the dairy area of Whole Foods in Austin.

ellen

11/02/03 		Please carefully read the recipe for making tofu in the clearlight section, it hasall the info on coagulant amounts, also that adding nigari to fast retards firming, but too slow causs hard lunps.

Traditional makers Bring the milk to foaming 3 times, remove from heat eac time, skim off wha doesn't stir in, this can help with graininess, too.

I haven't used a method that boils it hard for 5-7 minutes as you mention...

Whole Food in Austin sells bulk tofu in the dairy area,you may want to try this.

Kym

11/02/03 		Thanks Ellen, I'll give those ideas a try... The tofu book says my grainy tofu could be from adding the nigari too fast... so I'll just keep trying. It's a good thing soybeans are inexpensive.
Yuri

07/18/04 		I have a question...where do you get Nigari?
I tried tofu section...and also what kind of package is it in? Please tell me..I have been looking for it...thanks
ellen

07/23/04 		Where are you located? Nigari or bittern as it is sometimes called comes in solids (looks like salt) or liquid. I prefer a calcium hardener, it makes a firmer tofu with a good calcium content.

Natural calcium sulfate (gypsum) and magnesium chloride (nigari) are the most common tofu coagulant used. They have been used for hundreds years in Japan and China. Nigari is composed mainly of magnesium chloride, but also contains other minerals found in sea water except most of the sodium chloride (sea salt). Gypsum is a naturally occurring calcium sulfate. You can order both at:

http://www.soymilkmaker.com/coagulant.html

poornima k
poornimawasdani@yahoo.com
12/20/04 		hello
i am pornima from india
i am intersted in using nigari for making my skin fresh ,fair and wrikle free.and including it in my diet to slim down
can u tell how to use nigari and where to buy it from
at present i am in japan .kyoto.
pls
ellen

12/20/04 		Hi, Poornima,

You are where it is easy to get nigari. It is available in grocery stores in Japan to make tofu at home,the powder looks like salt. You may need spomeone who speaks Japanese if you do not to help you fing it the first time.

Soy whey from making tofu is used as a facew wash in place of water, it has natural lecithin and natural detergents and is very mild. Ellen

ellen

12/20/04 		Tofu texture

Here are two more tips:
1> Do not move the potaround once you have added coagulant, it breaks up the gel
2>Add the coagulant by puoring over the top and then cuttinhg into the milk with a spatula. Do not beat or stir it! Cut cut cut. I don 't know why it makes a diffenece, but it does. Ellen

Kane

01/11/05 		I have tried your recipe for tofu-fa from the Clearlight cooking section. I used half the amount of the soymilk and half the amount of the gypsum. I did not stir. But still, my tofu-fa looks and taste terrible, very unlike those that were made in Chinese dim-sum places. Mine aren't smooth, but grainy. What did I do wrong?
ellen

01/12/05 		I am very sorry you had trouble with the recipe! Thanks for letting me know. If you used a commercial USA soy milk, it may have failed because of the flavoring and texturing additives in the milk, or the homogenizing process used. If you want to write and tell me exactly how you proceeded- how hot the milk was, what kind of milk, how long it cooked, how it was treated after the coagulant was added, etc,use the updates email address below. I will write you back.

Also, I have never tried half the recipe. Some recipes can't be divided and this may be one.

Kane

01/18/05 		Ellen, I use Soyajoy soy milk maker to make the milk. After that, I did not re-boil the milk. I immediately pour that into the gypsum mixture and let it sit for half an hour. Half an hour later, I see the whey on top and when I poke the tofu, it wasn't "solid" but still in its liquid form and grainy, very unlike the milk to start with. I was experimenting every weekend and have wasted at least 10 containers of the milk that I decided to try half at one time. At least I still have half to drink. Let me know what I did wrong because I am determine to get it right. Thanks.
ellen

01/18/05 		OK, good soy milk. One thing right away. With both tofu and tofu fa/ dofu hwa, don't pour the milk into the coagulant. Put the milk in the pot you want it to sit in, use the directions in the dofu hwa recipe in the clear light section to heat and skim. Pour 1/2 the coagulant mix gently across the top. Cut in by slicing down to the bottom rather quickly, but not stirring or beating. Then cut in the second half the same way and cover it and leave it alone.

Does the lumpy milk change taste? Is it unpleasant? If not, it could be cooked into another dish. And very good for feeding dogs and cats, too.

ellen

01/18/05 		By the way, tofu fa is not solid, but sippable or soft spoonable, and as it sits, it gets soupier.
Kane

01/21/05 		OK, I will give it one more try this weekend. i will let you know how it turns out. By the way, the tastes didn't change; nit's just the look and texture that turns everyone off.
tailwheel
tailwheel@asia.com
03/22/05 		You can also use epson salts (magnesium sulfate) as a coagulent. Available at your local drugstore for about .50 cents a lb.

It's also good for soaking your feet when your bushed from standing and waiting for the soy milk to boil. Heh, Heh!

Epson Salts

04/13/05 		I recently discovered that you can use epson salts in making tofu. I am a vegetarian so tofu is my main dish. Is eating too much epson salts harmful?
Thanks
ellen

04/13/05 		epsom salts/ mag sulfate works fine for soft tofu, but not for tofu fa. And the amount used in tofu does not cause the runs,
Epson Salts

04/13/05 		Thanks for the response... What I was trying to ask was whether regular consumption of espson salts would be harmful to one's health or not?
justine
justinedavis@optusnet.com.su
05/08/05 		do you know where i can buy a soy milk maker in australia??
cheers
ellen

05/11/05 		In USA diets, magnesium tends to be low, so if you are eating less than a pound a day, you are unlikely to get too much magnesium!
ellen

05/11/05 		Hmm, Australia? I don't know what kind of electricity they have in Australia! Go to the soyajoy site online and email them- they will help.
Lucy
paullucy@itconnect.net.au
06/18/05 		Justine, I know where to buy a soy milk maker in Australia because I have been looking for one myself and none of the Myers or DJ's or shops in town heard about it/can help. But just found one on the net. Click on http://www.brossan.com/ and you may be able to get one from the retailer near where you lived.