But in your opinion, can tofu hold up a nutritional comparison to other protein foods?
For those who still do not know it enough, tofu is one of the most popular vegetable foods derived from soy: it has also been baptized "soy cheese" for the particular method of preparation that reflects, in some ways, that of animal cheese. Tofu is appreciated not only by those who follow a diet free of animal foods, but also by those who are lactose intolerant or suffer from disorders related to hypercholesterolemia. It is a food low in fat, free of lactose and cholesterol, and rich in vitamins of group B and vegetable proteins.
Let's see how to prepare tofu with nigari, an inorganic clotting agent extracted from sea salt.
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Identity Card of the Recipe
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Ingrediants
For 230-250 g of tofu
- 1 liter of soy milk
- 4 g of nigari
- 100 ml of water
- 1 teaspoon of untreated lemon
- Q.b. of salt
Materials Needed
- Casserole
- Colander
- Wooden spoon
- Dishcloth
- Mold for tofu or fuscella
Preparation
Please note
The basic ingredient of tofu is soy milk, so for this recipe we made soy milk at home. Let's review the preparation!
Gather 200 g of yellow soybeans in a bowl and fill with warm water: soak the soy for at least 6 hours, changing the water if necessary.
Drain the soy, rinse it to eliminate phytates and other anti-nutritional elements. Bring two liters of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt and a piece of kombu seaweed: boil the soy for an hour or until the seeds are soft.
When the soy is ready, introduce the immersion mixer and blend until a thick liquid is obtained. Alternatively, blend with the glass mixer.
Filter the thick liquid thus obtained through a cloth to separate the soy milk from the okara (depleted legume).
Collect the soy milk (under the tea towel), weigh 1 liter, and use it to prepare the tofu.- Pour the natural (unsweetened) soy milk into a saucepan and bring to a temperature of 80-85 ° C.
- Transfer the milk to a glass or plastic bowl: steel could in fact negatively affect the yield of the final product.
- Meanwhile, dissolve the nigari in hot water, stirring with a wooden stick.
Did you know that
The nigari is a particular natural rennet composed of magnesium chloride and other trace elements present in sea salt: it is the substance that remains after extracting the sodium chloride from sea water.- Slowly pour the water with the coagulating agent into the hot soy milk, repeatedly, continuing to mix for about ten seconds. Also add a teaspoon of lemon juice: it will help to promote the coagulation of soy proteins.
- Cover with cling film and let the soy protein coagulate for 10 minutes.
- Line a colander or a rectangular tofu mold with a clean cloth, which does not smell of detergent. Place the strainer (or mold) on top of a small overturned container, inside a large bowl. Slowly pour the curd, squeezing gently to remove the whey: at this stage, it is recommended that the dripping whey does not come into contact with the tofu contained in the container.Salt to taste or season with spices.
- Let the curd drip for an hour.
The advice OK
To facilitate drainage, it is advisable to place a weight on top of the tofu: in this way, the whey will separate more quickly from the curd.- Remove the tofu stick and consume to taste. The whey can be used to mix meatballs or biscuits, or to preserve the tofu itself: the vegetable cheese should be consumed within 3-4 days, and stored in the fridge.
Alice's comment - PersonalCooker
With its neutral flavor, tofu lends itself to the creation of many dishes, ranging from the most classic (eg tofu with vegetables) to the most elaborate (eg vegetable cannelloni). It can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days, preferably immersed in its own whey or in water.Nutritional values and Health Comment on the recipe
ATTENTION! Since this is a food obtained from the chemical extraction of proteins, it is almost impossible to indirectly establish the exact chemical profile. For this reason, the values referring to specific nutrients are not shown in the table opposite.
Tofu is a product of plant origin. Contains soy milk proteins coagulated by adding nigari. It should have a lower energy intake than cheeses of animal origin, with a higher protein and significantly lower lipid content. Cholesterol is absent and fatty acids they should be mostly unsaturated.
Fiber and carbohydrates represent a marginal component.
The medium portion is quite generous; certainly higher than that referred to traditional cheeses.
