tofu from scratch with @choibites

TOFU + BIJI JJIGAE intro

두부 (pronounced dubu), or tofu, is the edible mattress that we all know and love to eat. making it from scratch is actually not as complicated as i thought either.

if there’s one person i’d ask to teach me korean food the right way, it’s the recent contestant on Netflix’s Iron Chef, Chef Esther Choi. it felt like learning from a living legend. she surpassed all expectations - kind, humorous, insightful. she has a level of confidence i aspire to achieve.

enough flattery, back to the recipe. making tofu uses hydrated soybeans. when you blend the soybeans, 2 byproducts are yielded:

1. a thin soymilk that will be heated, coagulated with nigari, and then pressed into a tofu mold.
2. a soybean pulp left in the cheesecloth that can be used for biji jjigae (비지찌개), or korean soybean stew.

truthfully, i never really liked biji jjigae that much as a kid, but when i tried Chef Esther’s version... holy fuckaroo. this might actually be one of my favorite korean foods now. fresh tofu and tofu pulp makes the world of a difference. so if you’re thinking about making this, here’s a few tips:

what’s nigari? translated to ‘bittern’ in english, it’s a food additive mainly containing magnesium chloride (which is found in seawater). the magnesium chloride reacts with soymilk to curdle and form tofu. some use vinegar as a substitution, but the best tofu is made with nigari.

what’s a tofu mold? you can easily find these on amazon, wood or plastic. it’s essentially one of those tofu presses that squeezes out the moisture. if you can’t get one, there are some DIY ones online as well.

do i need cheesecloth? yes. yes. yes. and get more than you need. you do not want any grainy bits in your tofu. also get a chinois.

anything else? high quality soybeans = high quality tofu. you will need to soak the soybeans in water overnight as well, so plan ahead. also, i’d go watch Chef Esther’s tofu video on youtube to get a better visual on the process as well.

TOFU

2 cups - hydrated soybeans (measured after soaking)
4 cups - water
1/2 tbsp - nigari (powdered)
2 tbsp - hot water

method
soak soybeans in water overnight (for best results)
in a blender, blend soybeans and water on high
blend it very fine, you do not want to see any chunks
in a large saucepan, pour soybean mixture and heat to a boil
it will foam up, stir it, then bring to a low heat and simmer for 15min
strain mixture through cheesecloth-lined chinois, and squeeze out all moisture by pressing down with a ladle or squeezing
reserve the soybean pulp to the side (this is for biji jjigae)
pour your filtered soymilk into a large saucepan (get a BIG pot)
over med-low heat, bring up to about 165F while stirring
combine nigari and hot water in a separate container
slowly pour into soymilk, gently stirring to disperse nigari coagulant
place a lid, cut the heat, and let steep for about 10min
line tofu mold with cheesecloth, and ladle coagulated soymilk in
place with lid, and add weight on top
after 10-20 min (depending on the firmness you want), remove the tofu and place in cold water until ready to serve
soak at least 30min before serving
Chef Esther serves this tofu with a fresh (non-fermented) kimchi

few more tips:
we used a slightly small tofu mold in the video, they should be twice as big when you look them up online
the amount of weight and duration of time in the tofu mold will determine whether it’s a silken tofu or a firm tofu. i don’t actually know the times and weights but maybe you can look it up online
substitutes for nigari include: lemon juice, vinegar, potato or corn starch, salt with magnesium, gelatin
my “all-black” obsession lit up when Chef told me i can use black soybeans to make black tofu (that was not a tip sorry)

BIJI JJIGAE

6 tbsp - reserved soybean pulp
1/2 lb - pork belly, diced
2 tsp - perilla oil (sub - sesame oil)
2 - garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp - gochugaru
1/2 cup - fermented kimchi, chopped
1.5 cups - anchovy stock (sub - water)
1 tsp - yondu (sub - soy sauce)
1 tsp - korean crab sauce (sub - fish sauce)
green onions
korean red peppers, thin slices

method
in a saucepan or korean dolsot, heat to med-high heat
add perilla oil and pork belly, saute until lightly browned
add garlic, gochugaru, mix until combined
add kimchi, soybean pulp, and anchovy stock
simmer on med-low, add yondu, crab sauce, and taste for seasoning
simmer until tofu is cooked through
garnish with green onions and peppers, serve hot
use a tongs/wrench to handle the hot dolsot