Pure delight of tau foo fah

TOFU known as a rich source of protein, especially among vegetarians and non-vegetarians, has been celebrated on July 26 on World Tofu Day since 2014.

It has come a long way since it was first made, as it is believed to have been around since the Han Dynasty in 179BC.Nothing celebrates tofu in its purest form as beautifully as tau foo fah.

Tau foo fah is tofu served with a simple syrup of ginger or palm sugar. — Photos: LOW BOON TAT/THE STAR

Tofu is essentially soy milk that has been solidified. The traditional coagulant is gypsum powder or calcium sulfate but because gypsum has low solubility, it results in a more brittle texture that is usually pressed out to create firm tofu.

Another approach uses acid coagulants which may give a slight sour taste to the finished product, but produces a fine smooth texture as is seen in silken tofu. Glucono delta-lactone (GDL) is a naturally-occurring organic acid used in cheese-making and has proven to be a fail-safe coagulant for tau foo fah. Just one teaspoon is enough to set three litres of soy milk.

By far, the most time-consuming task is removing the husks from the soybeans.

My mother-in-law says they can be removed by rubbing the soaked beans over a rough basket but I find it still takes a long time to extricate the husks from the beans.

You may skip this step and grind the husks with the beans but you may taste a slight bitterness in the final product.

You may choose to serve tau foo fah with palm sugar syrup or ginger syrup.

This recipe makes enough to serve three litres of tau foo fah even if you make just one syrup.

You may store any leftover tofu in the refrigerator but finish it within 24 hours because tofu has a very short shelf life.

Tau foo fah

Ingredients

300g dried soybeans

3 litres water

Coagulant slurry

½ cup cold water

50g cornstarch

1 tsp GDL powder

Palm sugar syrup

250g palm sugar

1 cup water

3 pandan leaves

Ginger syrup

250g granulated sugar

20g ginger

1 cup water

3 pandan leaves

Method

Prepare syrups ahead and let them simmer until slightly thickened. Then strain with wire mesh and store in jars.

Rinse soybeans in water and soak them in cold water overnight or for at least five hours.

Drain off soaking liquid and discard. If you have time, rub off the husk from the soaked beans, otherwise, leave them on.

Grind soaked beans with two litres of water in an electric mill until completely pulverised.

Press soy milk in a filter bag or muslin cloth. I have a tea sock which works well but because it is small, I have to press in batches.

Reserve solid particles to be milled a second time with the remaining one litre of water and continue pressing all the milk from the soybeans.

Then rinse the tea sock to get rid of any particles. Use the clean cloth to give the whole batch of soy milk a final filter. Do not press but allow gravity to pull the liquid out until the dripping stops.

Stir cornstarch and GDL powder in water until combined. Set aside until needed.

Fill a pot with soy milk until it reaches the three-litre mark. If needed, top up with cold water. I use a thermal pot but any thick pot that retains heat will do.Bring to a boil over medium heat and remove any foam that rises to the surface. Simmer on low for about five minutes so skin doesn’t form on the surface, then turn off the heat.

Stir the coagulant slurry again until it is completely dissolved and pour into the bottom of a big pot.

Immediately pour the hot soy milk from a height of about 30 to 40cm into the pot so everything gets swirled together like a whirlpool. Give it a quick stir.

Quickly remove any foam that emerges and immediately cover the pot with a lid.

Do not disturb the pot for the next half an hour, to allow the beancurd to set.

When the tofu is ready, scoop it out with a paddle or shallow ladle.

Serve warm with either palm sugar syrup or ginger syrup.

Finish the warm tau foo fah within two hours or if stored in the refrigerator, within 24 hours.