What you need
Soya beans
Cheesecloth (muslin)
Nigari (magnesium chloride)
Container with holes for drainage
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THE Chinese New Year begins on 25 January, and to mark it – and Veganuary – I am going to make tofu. Because the subtle charms of tofu can struggle to win affection, I am including a tofu-based recipe that is not only packed with flavour, but also provides multisensory stimulation.
One way to do this is with chilli peppers, which contain a chemical called capsaicin. This activates TRPV1 receptors in your mouth, which are sensitive to heat . Some people find these sensations pleasurable, perhaps because they may stimulate the body to release hormones called endorphins, although this is speculative.
In Sichuan province, China, chillies are eaten in prodigious quantities, often alongside another ingredient with strange properties. Sichuan peppercorns come from a tree in the citrus family. Their effect is quite unique: they create a numb, tingling sensation in the mouth similar to pins and needles.
The molecule responsible is called sanshool. A 2013 study found that it that we perceive as a 50-hertz vibration, a frequency that activates our Meissner receptors, which are responsible for detecting light touch.
Making tofu is a lot like making cheese, and the first step is to create soya milk. Avoid off-the-shelf soya milk because it doesn’t coagulate well. Soak 250 grams of soya beans overnight, then drain and blend them with 2 litres of water. Heat the resultant milk until it begins to boil, then strain it through muslin and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
Curdle the soya milk by adding nigari, which you can find online. It is a salt produced from seawater, and mostly contains magnesium chloride. It acts as a coagulant because the positively charged magnesium ions .
For this, mix 15 grams of nigari with 100 millilitres of water. Bring the milk to a boil again, then remove from the heat and stir in half the nigari solution. After 2 minutes, sprinkle the rest on the milk and stir gently. After 10 minutes, you will have solid curds.
Transfer these to a muslin-lined container. This needs to allow liquid to drain out: a plastic container with holes in the base is fine. Fold the muslin over the curds and put something weighty on top to press the liquid out. Keep it there for 20 minutes, or longer for firmer tofu. Cold water will help firm it up more.
My favourite way to eat tofu, from Lizzie Mabbott’s book Chinatown Kitchen, is to dust cubes of it in cornflour and deep-fry them. Grind and toast a teaspoon of Sichuan peppercorns, then stir-fry for 3 minutes with chopped chillies. Add chopped garlic, spring onion and the tofu cubes, then fry for a few minutes more. Serve with rice or noodles. Happy New Year!
For next week
Salmon
Salt
Sugar
Dill
Next in the series
4 Tofu and Sichuan pepper Make bean curd for Chinese New Year
5 Gravlax and curing
6 Tempering chocolate
7 Umami and flavour
8 Perfect pancakes
9 Kimchi and fermentation
10 Sourdough bread
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