Category: Soybean & Tofu
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Natto
Last year, I made tempeh, a fermented soybean from Indonesia. It is a quick ferment, ready within 48 hours. The mold to ferment tempeh is rhizopus oryzae, which is also used to make Mao tofu, a delicacy of the Anhui province of China. This summer, I made natto, another quick ferment soybean from Japan. The…
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Fermented Tofu
During the 2nd century BCE when soybean was being fermented, it was also made into curds, aka tofu. Tofu, then being fermented, was known as stinky tofu. As it ages, fermented tofu becomes pungent, fruity, and cheesy. Unlike fermented soybean, fermented tofu has not gained world-wide popularity, however remains a staple food in China. Doufu-ru,…
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Fermented Soybean
Fermented soybean originated from China during the 2nd century BCE. By the year 200 CE, it had become a staple condiment. Though losing its place to soy sauce by the year 1600 in China, thanks to Buddhist monks, its popularity had spread across East and Southeast Asia and westward as far as North East India.…
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Edible Molds
I wanted to learn about growing molds so that I could ferment soybean. A basic white rice mold, called Kōji Rice, can be purchased online to make Miso. But in order to make other types of fermented soybean, I needed to delve deeper. For example, sweet rice molds are used to make Vietnamese fermented soybean,…
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Fermenting Tofu Water
I’ve been keeping on with my tofu experiment, because the fat lady hadn’t sung yet. Using soured cheese water, aka fermented cheese whey, should have gotten me to a tofu texture closer to the tofu made with GdL. Surprisingly, it yielded an extra firm tofu instead. Furthermore, varying the salt level did not give a…
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Silken Tofu
Unless tofu is life, one would think it too much effort to ferment soy whey just to make tofu. But in East Asia, soy is life; as in elsewhere, cow milk is life. Just as folks have devised myriad ways to process cow milk, others have accumulated knowledge over millennia to turn soybeans into soy…
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Making Cheese & Tofu
I was raised on soy rather than milk. Once I grew teeth, my kiddie diet included soy milk, fried tofu, and soy sauce, but hardly any milk, and certainly no cheese. When I moved to the United States, I was surprised to find that despite the numerous tofu varieties available, none tasted like the ones…
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