Tofu Making... a Spiritual Experience?

There's something really satisfying about making tofu. It's so rare to make anything from scratch these days and it's very labor intensive, but I always feel a tremendous sense of accomplishment after a production day at our brand new facility.

It's almost magical how we transform organic soybeans and purified water into steaming cups of soymilk, tender blocks of tofu, and billowing sheets of yuba using a technique created thousands of years ago.

While there are very few ingredients involved in tofu-making, there is a tremendous amount of labor, care, and practice that is required, similar to cheese-making or bread-making. And like those artisan practices, tofu-making can be a source of deep satisfaction that satiates not only a physical hunger, but a spiritual one too.

The Humble Soybean

Did you know that the usable protein in a 1/2 cup of soybeans is the same as that contained in 5 ounces of steak? An 8 ounce serving of tofu has 11.5 gms of usable protein, the equivalent of 3.25 ounces of steak, 5.5 oz of hamburger, or 2 eggs (THE BOOK OF TOFU, William Shurtleff). Plus its got no cholesterol or saturated fat.

These are pretty stunning facts, not to mention that soybeans produce 33% more protein per acre of land than any other crop, and 20 times more usable protein as could be raised on an acre of land given over to grazing beef.

While the health and environmental benefits of consuming more protein from soybeans are compelling, I eat tofu mostly because it tastes great when made fresh and prepared with care.

In the case of tofu, I can satisfy my belly and my conscience....

Yuba Yuba Doo!

Yuba, or "tofu skin" is my wife's favorite thing to eat right now. She loves sushi, tartare, oysters on the half shell, and pretty much anything raw. The silky, tender, sheets of yuba have a consistency and mouthfeel that is both delicate and creamy at the same time, and not unlike some of these delicacies.

My wife loves yuba because it reminds her of something luxurious like beef tartare or uni (sea urchin) without the guilt (cholesterol, fat, etc.) and she begs me to bring home freshly made yuba all the time. Once I pluck the tender sheets of "sashimi" from steaming trays of freshly made soymilk, I immediately immerse them in glass jars and top them off with some soymilk to keep them moist.

While I'm still working, I already day dream about how we will prepare the yuba. Our favorite way is to chill and serve it with a simple sauce. Dashi sauce with bit of fresh wasabi is awesome. So is dashi with some sliced jalapenos and a touch of sesami oil. We use the sauce sparingly and only dip the yuba so we don't overwhelm its natural sweetness.

After finishing tofu making for the day, I clutch the precious jar of "tofu sashimi" and trek home, thinking about how pleased my wife will be- and maybe, I can swap the contents of this jar for her commitment to take out the trash this week..