Homemade Tofu is easier than Homemade Cheese

Submitted by kkwan525 on Tue, 04/14/2009 - 08:32
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 I am going to great lengths for something I could buy for 94 cents at the Asian grocery store.  I am making tofu from desiccated soybeans. 

Why?  Because, in the end, this tofu was delicate unlike any other.  It was clouds; and, while mild in flavor, a perfect base for a simple tart sesame sauce. 
 

I was inspired by (read: looking to plagiarize) a recipe published in Gourmet Magazine.  The article was about how Korean food was the new... Burmese food.  (And yes, Gourmet did take a sub-authentic spin (Re: no rice flour in Jun pancakes) on a Korean menu.)
 
Nestled betwen the glossy pages of the monthly publication was a warmed tofu dish with a sweet sesame soy sauce.  I will say that the homemade tofu made ALL THE DIFFERENCE.  It was porous and soaked up the sauce like a little sponge.  It melted in my mouth.  I downed and saved one single bite for my boyfriend.  I left the house to keep myself from finishing it off. 
 
Here is the recipe - loosely put:
 
1. Gently lower a 14-18 oz piece of homemade tofu in a saucepan of boiling water.  Cover simmer.  
 
2. Muddle 1 t minced garlic, 1/4 c chopped scallions, 2 t tasted sesame seeds, 3 T soy sauce, 1 t sesame oil, 2 t peanut oil, 1 t sugar, a splash of rice vinegar, and 1 t chili flakes together.
 
3. Remove tofu from the saucepan and drizzle with sauce.  Top with a couple more sesame seeds and some freshly chopped cilantro.

 
Sufficiently tempted?
Click here to see how I actually MADE the tofu. 
Alternatively, if soy milk is more you schtick, click here to see the milk in process!