When we moved to the countryside from London, finding good tofu at a reasonable price became genuinely tricky. At first, we ordered it online or made do on trips to the city. Then one afternoon, out of curiosity more than necessity, I decided to try making it myself, and I honestly couldn't believe how straightforward it was.

Once you have your rich homemade soya milk, the tofu itself comes together in under an hour. No specialist equipment, no mystery ingredients: just soya milk, a coagulant, and a little patience. I used to be a fan of silken tofu from the shops, but now I find it hard to go back. This version is soft, rich with real soya bean flavour, and incredibly satisfying to make from scratch.

We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Recipe

Total time: about 1 hour (not including making the soya milk).

Ingredients

Makes one block of tofu (using 1 litre of soya milk).

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Note: If you can find Nigari (magnesium chloride), it is the traditional Japanese coagulant for tofu and gives a slightly cleaner flavour. Use it in the same quantity as the Epsom salt. Either works well.

Tools

Instructions

  1. Put 1 teaspoon of food-grade Epsom salt into 3 teaspoons of hot water, stirring until the salt dissolves. Set aside.
  2. Pour the soya milk into a saucepan and heat over medium, scraping the bottom with a spatula as needed to prevent burning.
  1. Check the temperature with a cooking thermometer. Once it reaches 75-80˚C, turn off the heat. Pour the Epsom salt solution evenly over the surface of the hot soya milk. Stir gently two or three times, just a few slow strokes to distribute it. Then put the lid on and leave undisturbed for 20 minutes to allow the tofu to set.
  1. While you wait, prepare your mould: place the cheesecloth or tenugui inside the mould (or colander/sieve), dampen it, then wring it out.

We made some holes in the plastic container to use as a tofu mould until we get a wooden one!

  1. Using a ladle, gently scoop the set tofu into the mould, distributing it evenly. Try not to break it up too much, and keep your movements slow and deliberate.
  2. Fold the cloth over the top of the tofu and press gently by hand. Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up and release excess water. If you'd like it firmer, add a small weight on top (a Tupperware filled with water works well).
  1. Once pressed, transfer the tofu to a bowl of cold water and soak for about 30 minutes. This step removes the slight bitterness that Epsom salt can leave behind. We learned this the hard way on our first batch! After soaking, store in a container of fresh cold water in the fridge and eat within 4 to 5 days, changing the water daily.

How do we eat the homemade tofu?

The beauty of homemade tofu is that it shines in both simple and more elaborate dishes. Here are some of our favourites:

Hiyayakko

This is the simplest and one of the best ways to enjoy fresh tofu. Serve it cold with grated ginger, chopped spring onions, katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), and a splash of soya sauce. It's a wonderful side dish, especially in summer when you want something light and refreshing.

Yudofu

The winter counterpart to hiyayakko. Tofu gently simmered in a light kombu (kelp) broth, served with ponzu and toppings like spring onions and grated ginger. We often turn it into a more substantial meal by adding Chinese leaf, sliced carrot, leek, and shiitake mushrooms. Yudofu is traditionally vegan, but we sometimes add a little chicken for extra richness.

Miso soup

Adding homemade tofu to miso soup is something else entirely compared to using shop-bought. It holds its shape beautifully and adds a depth of flavour you simply don't get from packaged tofu. We love it with wakame seaweed and chopped spring onions, but honestly, miso soup is very forgiving, so you can almost add whatever you have.

Agedashi dofu

This is what I always order at an izakaya when we're in Japan. The tofu is lightly coated in corn flour or potato starch and deep-fried until crispy, then served in a savoury dashi-based broth with grated mooli, spring onion, grated ginger, and katsuobushi. Some pieces stay crunchy, some soak up the broth and go soft; it's the contrast that makes it so good. We'll share our recipe for this soon!

Tofu teriyaki

I first came across this dish when I started working at a Japanese restaurant in London. I wasn't expecting much from a vegetarian main, but it completely won me over. It goes beautifully with steamed rice, and even my husband, who is usually less enthusiastic about vegetarian meals, loves this one.

Miso dengaku

If you enjoy sweet and savoury flavours together, you'll love this. I made it for a barbecue party last summer, and it disappeared very quickly. It's also one of the simplest things you can do with a block of tofu. We'll be sharing the full recipe soon, so keep an eye out!

Closing words

And there you have it, homemade tofu, made with your own homemade soya milk! It's a small but genuinely satisfying thing to make from scratch, and once you've tasted the difference, it's hard to go back to the shop-bought kind. If you give this recipe a try, do let us know how it goes in the comments or tag us on social media, we love seeing your makes.

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