Ingredients
1 quart natural soy milk*
5 teaspoons (25 ml) nigari liquid**
*Soy milk must be the natural kind with no additives (i.e. it has to be made only from pure water and soy beans).
**Nigari, which is the byproduct of the sea salt, is the extract of the sea water. In the traditional tofu making in Japan, only nigari is used as the coagulator of tofu, while most of the commercial kinds of tofu you find in the US use many additives. Nigari is considered to have many health benefits. Nigari liquid can be found at large Japanese grocery stores or some online specialty stores.
Procedure
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1.In a classic-style donabe, combine the soy milk and nigari liquid. Mix well and cover with the lid.
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2.Place the donabe on the stove-top over medium-heat. When the mixture starts almost boiling, turn down the heat to low, stir gently, then cover with the lid again. Make sure not to let the mixture boil.
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3.Let it cook over low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until the bamboo skewer inserted in the mixture comes out clean. Turn off the heat and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
For the softer “sukui tofu” style, you can serve the tofu in the donabe. For the less softer style, you can use a strainer to drain the water content of the tofu before serving.
Serve with your choice of the condiments, such as soy sauce, wasabi, dashi shoyu, yuzu-kosho, etc.
