Tofu is a product that has recently appeared on the Russian market as a result of the penetration of Asian dishes into the menu of restaurants and cafes. Meanwhile, the history of tofu dates back more than two thousand years.
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How to make tofu?
Tofu is a bean curd pressed to the consistency of cheese. As you know, cottage cheese is obtained by coagulation of milk protein under the influence of acid. In the case of tofu, the principle is the same, however, soya milk is used as the raw material. In order to obtain a liquid similar to milk from soybeans, the beans are soaked for several hours in water, and then rubbed into a puree with the liquid. Then the mass is squeezed out, the expressed liquid is boiled for pasteurization, and cooled. The resulting product contains a lot of protein, including all the so-called "essential" amino acids, as well as various trace elements. In the countries of Southeast Asia, soy milk is used on a par with cow because it is no less useful, and also quite easily digested.
In the East, tofu is often called "boneless meat, " because it is thanks to bean curd that Asian people get the right amount of protein.
Various coagulants are used to curd soy protein. For example, soybean puree can be boiled with sea salt, citric acid and even gypsum. In any case, the protein will curl up, and get a mass very similar to the usual cottage cheese. As in the case of homemade cheeses, the mass is squeezed and pressed, wrapped in a cloth, after which the product is placed in a vacuum package with water (like some varieties of traditional cheeses). In addition, there is the option of storing tofu in a container of water. If you change the water every day, then the cheese will be stored for at least a week.