Purple tofu.

Lewisburg.

Been making tofu of late, after picking up a copy of Andrea Nguyen's Asian Tofu. I'd been hearing that it was simple, cheap¹, and tasted better than the packages from the grocery store. All true.

Even better, the only piece of equipment I didn't have was a tofu press. Made one in the garage, using less than five bucks' worth of extra lumber, in an hour. Well, longer than that, but only because you can't do squat while the glue dries.

The process is startlingly simple. Soak soybeans overnight. Puree with water in the blender, until it's a beany milkshake. Bring to a boil with more water, with the thickness determined by your target style of tofu. Strain through cheesecloth. Boil for five minutes. Bingo, soy milk.

Rich soy milk, like heavy cream, is ideal for silken tofu. Chill, add coagulant - I use gypsum, since it's readily available from homebrew shops - and steam in ramekins for several minutes, until it sets.

Light soy milk is better for a block of tofu. Add coagulant while hot, and strain the curds through cheesecloth. Unpressed, it's basically flower bean curd. Heavier, longer pressing makes for a progressively firmer block. I still haven't achieved the grill-stable firmness of supermarket extra-firm, but whatever. It tastes better.

This week, I've been putting some of my own soybeans to use. Buy them, and you're almost guaranteed to get tan beans. Grow 'em yourself, and you can have varieties with black skin:



These black beans were intended for dry only; this year, I'm growing a different variety that's supposed to be good both fresh and dry. Now that the edamame window has passed, I'm simply waiting on them to dry properly.

Go through the steps, and eventually they go into the press. A water-filled mason jar works well:



At the end, I'll do a little hand-squeezing, too, if I want it nice and firm. Just the water weight, for twenty minutes, is really nice for noodle soups, where a little looseness is desirable. Unmold in cool water, so it can set up, and it's good to go.

And, as one might expect, black skins lend some serious color:



A low-saturation purple, it was a little odd at first. But tossed with a cold salad of somen noodles, garden vegetables, and herbs, it actually looked pretty sharp. Which is good. I've got more black beans waiting.

* * * * *

¹Not that store-bought's at all expensive.