Welcome to Gaia! ::

Baked Tofu
Basic recipe:
2/3 cup flavorful liquid
1/2 tsp sesame oil
one lb. tofu

Slice tofu into slabs about 1/4 inch thick. Place in a single layer in a baking dish (one with sides at least an inch deep). drizzle the oil over them all, pour the liquid over them, and put in the oven. Turn the oven on to 400 degrees. Take the pan out every fifteen minutes to flip all the tofu pieces with a spatula. The tofu is done 15 minutes after all the liquid has evaporated, about 1 hour.
Let cool and use on sandwhiches, or eat straight as a snack.

What is the flavorful liquid?
This is where the creativity comes in! I find it tastes best if there's salt involved and there's at least a tablespoon of vinegar (sometimes vinegar is as much as half of the liquid). You can also put spices and herbs in.

Here are some examples:

1/3 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar, dash cayenne powder, 1 clove crushed garlic (this is my favorite).

1/3 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup rice vinegar, 1 clove crushed garlic, juice from 2 tbs fresh ginger (a garlic press worsk fine for this.)

1/3 cup vegetable stock, 1/3 cup red wine vinegar, 1 clove crushed garlic, pinches of dried thyme, rosemary, and sage, dash of fresh ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt.

or make up your own!

Tofu from scratch :

Make four batches of soy milk per SoyaJoy or SoyaPower. (soy milk machines) Once the soy milk is made, the major part of the work for making tofu is done!

Pour all the batches into a pot and simmer soy milk for 5 - 10 minutes. Cool down to between 170º and 180º F.

Prepare coagulant – dissolve either one tsp. nigari (natural magnesium chloride) or two tsp. natural calcium sulfate in one cup (8 oz.) warm water. Less coagulant produces softer tofu, more produces firmer tofu.

Pour the prepared coagulant solution slowly into the soy milk, stirring gently. Stop stirring when 3/4 of coagulant solution has been added. Wait 2-3 minutes. Now, gently stir the forming curds and sprinkle the last 1/4 of the coagulant solution into any milky areas. If there are no milky areas, you do not need to add the rest of the solution. If there are still some milky areas after adding all the solution, mix and add some more. Depending on the water quality, etc., you may need slightly more or less coagulant.

Once the soymilk has separated into small white curds of tofu and an amber liquid (whey), transfer curds to a tofu mold (or tofu box) lined with cheesecloth. Any container that has many small holes to allow residual whey to drain can serve as a tofu mold. A lid is then placed on the forming container, after which a small weight of 3 - 5 pounds is placed on the lid of the container and allowed to sit for 20 minutes or so. A pot or jar of water can serve as the weight.

Empty the resulting block of tofu into a tub of cold water and allow it to sit for another hour, then store the tofu in the refrigerator and change the soaking water daily.



MISO SOUP WITH TOFU

3 c. water
1 tbsp. fish flavored stock
3 tsp. soy bean paste (Miso)
1/2 c. tofu
3 tsp. green onion, sliced thinly from top to end

Combine water and fish flavored stock, and bring to boil. Add diced tofu then dissolve soy bean paste into the soup. Just before serving, sprinkle with the sliced green onion.