Post AaxQWPNPfAzUtKslhg by sortius@mstdn.social
(DIR) More posts by sortius@mstdn.social
(DIR) Post #AaxQWGcgD2r5k4xKka by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2023-10-20T08:10:48Z
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Because I'm feeling under the weather and sorry for myself, I'm making silken tofu. I've tried making it with nigari, which really only produced curds that can be pressed. Then I settled on gypsum for a while, but then I was reading about gluconolactate, so I ordered some and I'm trying that today. My plan is to try 1/2 the soy milk with that and, if it doesn't work, I can do gypsum for the remainder.I wish I could use store bought soymilk but it never works. 1/
(DIR) Post #AaxQWHUD01foQ605BY by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2023-10-20T08:14:54Z
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So the first step is to soak 1 cup of dried soy beans overnight in a bowl full of water. They double in size, and if you're obsessive, you'll rub the skins off the beans (it results in a less beany flavour to the soy milk). I do it kind of half-heartedly.2/
(DIR) Post #AaxQWIJbuun2zW38Iy by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2023-10-20T08:20:14Z
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The next step is to grind them with water in a blender. I don't have a stand blender but I have a stick one that does an okay job with a little more effort. It doesn't get the beans as fine a grind, but you'll see how I compensate for that. I grind in 1 cup batches (with 1.5 cups of water).The ratio of bean to water seems puzzlingly casual. Some say 1:4 ratio, others 1:3. I think if you're after soy milk for drinking the 1:4 is good, but to coagulate 1:3 is better.3/
(DIR) Post #AaxQWJLQ5fpcBPu5lQ by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2023-10-20T08:25:59Z
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After you've achieved a fine a blend/grind as you can, strain through cheesecloth (or you can use a nut milk bag, or a thai tea cloth strainer. A metal strainer will not do and a paper coffee filter is too fine and unsqueezable. Allow a few minutes to strain on it's own first. 4/
(DIR) Post #AaxQWKMsHkabMDalfc by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2023-10-20T08:28:34Z
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Once the dripping stops, you need to gather up the edges of the cloth and squeeze, squeeze, squeeze! If you have a good, powerful blender, you're done with the raw milk process, but I don't.5/
(DIR) Post #AaxQWLfLSYxTNnF26C by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2023-10-20T08:34:27Z
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Because I'm using a stick blender, I squeeze as far as I can, then put the okara (pulp) back in the jug with another 1.5 cups of water to blend again, to get more out of the beans. (Because I'm appliance adverse and I don't use a proper stand blender for anything else, I refuse to have one - also, I might be a tad masochistic). Strain the re-ground pulp through the cloth again, etc. I've never found anything remotely edible to do with the okara. I compost it.6/
(DIR) Post #AaxQWMQUdGfjk1IgaW by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2023-10-20T08:39:28Z
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Remember that we still have to add 1.5 cups of water to this. We started with 2 cups of soaked beans to which one way or another - we've used 3 cups of water to blend them, then another 1.5 to reblend the okara. So add another 1.5 to the milk and the ratio will be right to cook the milk.Soy milk needs to be cooked - not just to take the raw bean taste and smell away, but because it's indigestible uncooked. 7/
(DIR) Post #AaxQWN8619YBvFhVYG by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2023-10-20T08:43:18Z
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Soy milk has a really nasty tendency to boil over, and you will hate the clean-up. As you bring it up to a boil, watch it like a hawk. Just before it starts to foam over, it will get a thick layer of bubbles. The moment you see it start to rise, turn the heat right down. We're after a 7 minute simmer. I used to believe it needed to simmer for 15 minutes, but apparently 7 will do fine. Stir frequently, but keep it on that very gentle boil. 8/
(DIR) Post #AaxQWNstDAysGNasUK by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2023-10-20T08:55:17Z
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So I'm trying the gluconolactonate with half the batch of cooked soy milk. And with this method, you're supposedly able to skip the steaming step. 1/2 tsp of it in a tablespoon of water, mixed until it dissolves thoroughly. Pour the hot milk into the setting bowl, with the coagulant at the same time at a height, to encourage mixing. Then slam on the lid, and leave to set 15/20 minutes.9/
(DIR) Post #AaxQWOdKQW7yaPJxs8 by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2023-10-20T09:01:02Z
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And.... well, I'm a bit disappointed. It's looking a lot like the results I got with nigiri. If my aim was to put this into a press, and make a soft tofu (like a japanese style for soy and bonito flakes) it would be okay, but for Vietnamese style tofu with ginger... it's very disappointing. The curd is too watery not pudding-y enough. Perhaps I didn't use enough gluconolactonate, or didn't mix it well enough... not sure but glad I kept back half. I'll use gypsum.10/
(DIR) Post #AaxQWPNPfAzUtKslhg by sortius@mstdn.social
2023-10-20T09:03:29Z
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@Remittancegirl it's been interesting to watch the process, even if it didn't turn out like you wanted.It seems a lot like cheese making, but with a lot more that can go wrong 😆
(DIR) Post #AaxQWQ7qsW8bDMbr5U by khoji@ieji.de
2023-10-20T09:43:29Z
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@sortius @Remittancegirl Cool! But I don’t really understand why all the images are ’sensitive’. 🤷♂️
(DIR) Post #AaxQWQT7bR9SHKYqEy by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2023-10-20T09:05:02Z
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But all is not lost. I have half the soy milk left. Once it is a little cooler, I will use the gypsum as coagulant (which I am more familiar with), and then steam the container for 15 minutes. I'll try steaming the failed earlier container too and see if it firms up any, but I doubt it. That means that the rest of this thread is going to have to wait a while. I can make the ginger sauce while I'm waiting for the milk to cool down. 11/
(DIR) Post #AaxQWSjVBVRVIiEx3A by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2023-10-20T09:08:43Z
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On a positive note, I tasted the cooked milk and it's really delicious. If you wish you liked soy milk but find the commercial stuff nasty, the home-made stuff will blow your mind. Much milder, not as bitter, sweeter, creamier. I never understood how anyone could tolerate soy milk until I had the home-made stuff. It's really delicious. 12/
(DIR) Post #AaxQWUZIMQSyzdTpQ0 by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2023-10-20T09:32:09Z
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Slight detour.While I'm waiting for the rest of my soy milk to cool down, I'm having a go at steaming the first batch to see if that will firm it up any.I'm also making ginger sauce which is delicious and simple Ginger, sugar, water, a little cornstarch and a pinch of salt. I'm using a combo of brown sugar and coconut palm sugar (because I had a bit lying around) but any sugar will do.13/
(DIR) Post #AaxQWWpfwUl2119wEC by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2023-10-20T09:42:27Z
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1 cup of sugar1 cup of water1/4 of shredded fresh ginger1 tsp of cornstarch dissolved in a bit of water (optional)1 pinch of salt.If you're willing to cook the sugar water mixture down to a thick goo, you don't need the cornstarch, but I use it because it gives me the thickness while using less sugar.Get the sugar, salt and water mixture to a boil and let everything dissolve before adding in the ginger. Because overcooked ginger can lose its bite. 14/
(DIR) Post #AaxR5HEdvOb9mDPIC8 by Remittancegirl@mstdn.social
2023-10-20T09:49:49Z
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@khoji @sortius It's because I'm using the 'content warning function' as a way of grouping/titling my cooking exploits.
(DIR) Post #AaxorB8wAxcTjDY4Iq by khoji@ieji.de
2023-10-20T14:16:13Z
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@Remittancegirl @sortius Aha -- I didn't know that it worked like a thread function. Interesting.