Tofu​—Nutrition in an Unusual Package

By “Awake!” correspondent in Japan

“WHAT are those white cubes in the sukiyaki?” I asked. “They look like marshmallows, but that is impossible!”

I was told that the white cubes in the bubbling sukiyaki were tofu. Further, I was informed they are made from Glycine max. “What is that?” I asked. “Soybeans!” was the answer. But the color and shape certainly were not what I remembered soybeans to look like. So later I did some investigating.

I learned that while the main protein sources in Western diets are meat and dairy products, soybeans have for centuries served the same function in the East. And tofu is an important part of the Easterner’s diet, although each country has a distinctive name for it​—dowfu in Cantonese, tubu in Korean, and so on. Some English-speaking people call it bean curd or vegetable cheese, but this is not entirely correct. Actually tofu is made from soybean curds, which are pressed and drained to be made into tofu. Yet other expressions call tofu “meat of the fields” or “meat without a bone.”

Tofu​—Its Nutritional Value

Why are these little cubes such an important part of the Oriental diet? For one thing, a report from Depthnews, headlined “Soybean Joins Fight Against Famine,” states that tofu is “cholesterol-free and low in saturated fats.” The World Book Encyclopedia further highlights the soybean’s worth by stating: “It has more protein than beef, more calcium than milk, and more of a fatty substance called lecithin than eggs. . . . Soybeans also are rich in vitamins, minerals, and acids.” Soybeans rank among the highest in plant food protein, and since tofu is made from soybeans, it is an excellent source of protein.

This is of note because in many parts of the earth, there are acute food shortages, protein shortages in particular. The result is great physical and mental harm to many of earth’s inhabitants. Soybeans thus have tremendous potential as a good source of protein, and tofu is a refreshing product of the soybean.

How Can It Be Used?

Tofu is mild, delicate, and almost tasteless. Therefore, tofu can be used in a wide variety of ways. Tofu enhances dressings, sauces, salads, soups, egg dishes, dairy substitutes, casseroles, and, of course, Oriental cuisine. It can be parboiled, fried, pressed, squeezed, crumbled, drained, or reshaped; eaten raw or frozen; substituted for cottage cheese in some dishes; and used as an ingredient in Oriental recipes calling for bean curd. Its use is limited only by the imagination and inventiveness of the cook preparing a meal.

Would you like to put it on your menu? Tofu is readily available in Japan and other countries in the East. And in the West, more and more stores are selling the finished product. Nevertheless, you may not be able to find it near you. So why not try making it? It is not too difficult. Of course, you will need the proper utensils, though you may be able to improvise for some of them. On the next page are outlined the steps in making tofu.

Simply put, to make tofu, presoaked beans are crushed and cooked in water to release the milk. This is heated and then pressed, so that you now have a container with white milk and an amount of pulp.

The pulp can be used in scrambled eggs, as “burgers,” in croquettes, in pancakes or muffins, and so forth. It contains 17 percent of the original soybean protein.

Now the milk is brought to a boil, and a coagulating agent, nigari in Japanese, is added to produce white curds and a yellowish-colored whey.

Don’t throw away the whey, however! It can cut oil and dirt as an effective soap. It can also be used as plant food. Or use it in place of water when making bread or pie dough. In broth or soup stock it will add B vitamins and 9 percent of the original soybean protein.

The curds have to be ladled out and put into a settling container to press out the whey and compress the curds into tofu. The tofu should be removed from the utensil and cloth covering under water, where it can remain till used.

The final product​—tofu—​contains 74 percent of the original soybean protein.a Here is a product with many uses, and you do not have to waste any of it. Since no seasonings were added, you are free to use it in almost any way your imagination desires in preparing meals for your family.

Soybeans are less expensive than other protein sources, and this could mean much money saved. And because they are nutritious, your family can eat well even if meat products become expensive or hard to get. So if this small package of nutrition is not already a part of your diet, why not give it a try?

[Footnotes]

[Box/​Pictures on page 26, 27]

Homemade Tofub

You will need the following utensils: a blender, meat grinder, or mortar to crush the soaked soybeans so as to form a puree. Two large cooking pots of at least six to eight-quart capacity, with lids. A colander that will fit into the cooking pots. Cheesecloth or clean dishcloth about two feet (60 cm) square. A settling container, although the cheesecloth can be used, making the finished product ball-shaped. (If you want to, you can make a special settling container four inches (10 cm) by four inches (10 cm) by seven inches (18 cm) (inside measurements) with drain holes and a lid that will fit inside and can be weighted to press the tofu into a rectangular block.) A wooden spoon, a rubber spatula, measuring cups and spoons, a ladle, and a potato masher or strong glass bottle for pressing will round out your set of utensils.

Wash and then soak one and a half cups of soybeans in six cups of water for ten hours. Rinse and drain them.

You will now need 16 cups of water and a coagulant. In Japanese it is nigari, or bittern. Other commonly used coagulants are: calcium sulfate; calcium chloride; magnesium chloride. The first is the most common. Lemon or vinegar can be used, with the result that the tofu will be slightly tart. Experimenting with the different coagulants will enable you to find what suits your taste.

The making of tofu has been divided into eight steps. It might be wise for you to read this over several times before attempting to follow it.

Step one: Heat seven and a half cups of water in a cooking pot.

Step two: Divide the soybeans into two portions and blend each into puree with two cups of water (using blender, grinder, or mortar) and pour into water being heated. Continue heating, stirring frequently until foam rises in the cooking pot. (A) Remove from heat and pour into pressing cloth (cheesecloth) in colander placed in other cooking pot. (B) Rinse the first cooking pot.

Step three: Folding over the pressing cloth and using the potato masher or bottle, press out as much of the soymilk as possible. (C) Return the pulp to the cooking pot and add three cups of water. Stir well and empty into pressing cloth again, and squeeze out all the soymilk. (D) Put the pulp into the cooking pot and set aside.

Step four: Measure two teaspoons of coagulant and put this into a dry one-cup measuring cup and set aside. If you use lemon juice or vinegar, it should be four and three tablespoons respectively.

Step five: Bring the soymilk to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook it for five to seven minutes. Remove it from heat.

Step six: Add one cup of water to coagulant, stirring to dissolve it. (E) Stir the soymilk with to-and-fro movements five or six times, and at the same time add one third of the coagulant and give the mixture one more stir. After it has settled, sprinkle one third cup of coagulant over the soymilk. Cover the cooking pot and wait three minutes. Sprinkle the final third of the coagulant over the soymilk. Stir slowly the upper one-half-inch (1.3-cm) layer of thickened, curdling milk for 20 seconds. Cover the pot and wait another three minutes. Finally, stir the surface layer for 30 seconds or until all the milky liquid curdles.

Step seven: Place the pot next to the settling container. Carefully ladle curds one layer at a time into the settling container. (F) Fold the edges of lining cloth over the curds and place lid on cloth. (G) Weight it with a one-half to one and one-half pound weight for 10 to 15 minutes or until the whey no longer drips out. (H)

Step eight: Fill sink with water. After removing weight, immerse settling container holding tofu into water. (I) Remove from container while in the water, and set container aside. Keeping it under water, unfold cloth from tofu. Allow tofu to remain under water a few minutes until firm. You can cut it into serving pieces under water. If you do not plan to use it right away, keep it in the refrigerator​—but change the water every day. (J)

Now you are ready to use your homemade tofu.

[Footnotes]

[Chart on page 25]

Percentage of original soybean protein contained in by-products of the tofu-making process

Whole dry soybeans (100%)

Okara, pulp (17%)

Soymilk (83%)

Whey (9%)

Curds (74%)

Tofu soaking water (0.5%)

Final tofu (73.5%)