Hey, guys! I wanted to have this recipe come out on Valentine’s Day, but man if this recipe didn’t give me some trouble in R&D. My apologies for the slight delay. This one’s been on my list for a while, and I’m actually pretty proud with how it turned out, all things considered!
Strawberry tofu is one of the few items that has seen representation in all three MOTHER games (if you missed it in EarthBound, it’s because it was localized into Trout Yogurt for the English speaking audience). This particular recipe is based on the Mother 3 version, as it’s described as a “stylish dessert” rather than the MOTHER version that looks like someone cut whole strawberries in half (hulls intact!) and shoved it in a tofu mold:
Another note that’s somewhat Valentine’s day related is that in MOTHER, there is a doctor who is very curious about Strawberry Tofu and will reward the player with “Words of Love” if he is brought some. Then again, if you give the dessert to one of his assistants the player receives “Swear Words.” Neither of these items do anything useful in battle, they’re just a fun little diversion. Haha.
But hey, I learned a lot about tofu, and tofu making, as I worked through this recipe so click ‘Continue Reading’ to check it out and give it a try!
Before we begin, it’s worth noting that this dessert is a silken tofu, not the firm tofu you see pressed in molds (not to say that I didn’t try firm strawberry tofu, but the less said about that, the better haha.) To that end you won’t need a tofu mold, but you will need to use a steamer, or at least cobble one together like I did. And as usual, we’re starting from scratch ;]
+ Soy Milk +
ITEMS
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Dry Soy Beans | 14 oz |
| Water | as needed |
| Soaked Soy Beans | 3 cups |
| Water | 9 cups |
EQUIP
- Blender
- Large Stock Pot
- Spatula/Large Spoon
- Cheesecloth
- Colander
- Large Bowl
- Tongs
WALKTHROUGH
- We’ll need to soak the dry soybeans in water overnight, before they’ll be usable. Just find a large container that can hold all of the beans, and cover with two times as much water. Stick it in the refrigerator and come back to it the next day, and you’ll see that they’ve grown in size and should split easily when squeezed between your fingers.
- Pour the soaked soybeans into a colander, to remove the water, and then place 1 cup of the drained beans into a blender, along with 3 cups of fresh water. Blend on high for about ten seconds until no large bits remain and then pour into a large stockpot. Repeat this process two more times so by the end you have used 3 cups of soybeans and 9 cups of water. The pot will look frothy as seen below.
- Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil, while stirring occasionally. Reduce to a simmer and continue to heat the soybean mixture for 10 minutes more. WARNING: Pay attention to the pot at all times because it WILL boil over if you don’t turn the heat down when it begins to boil. I went through this 3 times and it boiled over on me twice! (Shouldn’t have answered that text haha.)
^ not fun to clean… - Now, we’ll be using cheesecloth to separate the solid soy bean pieces from the soy milk we’ve just cooked. Line a colander with cheesecloth and place it over a large mixing bowl. Slowly pour in all of the soybean mixture, being careful it doesn’t spill over the sides of the cloth. Once it has all been added, gather up the ends of the cheesecloth, to create a sachet, and use tongs (it will still be pretty hot!) in order to squeeze out the remaining liquid into the bowl.
- Reserve the soy milk and place it in the refrigerator to cool down. The solid stuff that remains in the cheesecloth is called Okara and can be saved for other culinary uses; but for the purposes of this recipe, it can be completely discarded.
+ Strawberry Silken Tofu +
ITEMS
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Cold Soy Milk | 1 cup |
| Strawberry Extract | 2 tsp |
| Simple Syrup | 1/4 cup (4 TBSP) |
| Powdered Gypsum** | 1 tsp |
| Water | 1 tsp |
EQUIP
- Small Mixing Bowl
- Steamer
- Small Bowls or Ramekins
WALKTHROUGH
**To make silken tofu, we will first be adding a coagulant, powdered gypsum, to the soy milk and then steaming it until it has set. Powdered gypsum can be found at home brewing shops, or can be ordered online, and it’s not expensive at all.
- If you have a steamer, great! Use it! However, if you’re like me and don’t have a steamer you’ll have to get creative. Basically, you just need a large pot with a lid filled with a few inches of water and something metal that can be used to hold up whatever bowl or ramekin you want to serve your tofu in. I used the base of a fondue set and an inverted cake pan and it worked out pretty well. Once you’ve assembled your steaming contraption, place it over high heat until the water begins to boil and then lower it to medium so you still get a good amount of steam working.
- Measure out 2 tsp of strawberry extract (imitation stuff is ok) and mix it with the 4 Tbsp of simple syrup until the color is homogenous (remember, simple syrup is just equal parts sugar and water heated up on the stove or in the microwave until the sugar has dissolved). Add the strawberry syrup to 1 cup of cold soy milk and stir to combine.
- In a small bowl, mix together the 1 tsp of powdered gypsum and 1 tsp water until no lumps remain, then add this to the soy milk. Give the soy milk a few more stirs, then pour it into the vessel(s) of your choice. For the serving I used in the picture above I used about 3/4 of a cup. Place the vessel(s) in the steamer and put the lid on, slightly ajar so that steam can still escape. Steam the soy milk for 12 minutes.
- Remove the tofu from the steamer (will be a little hot, so be careful). Once it has cooled down a bit, cover with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator until completely cool. There might be a little liquid on top of it, but that can be carefully decanted off.
- Garnish with strawberries if you like, but that’s all there is to it! If you soaked the full 14 oz of soybeans you’ll have a good amount left over so feel free to multiply the recipe and make as much as you want!
Happy (late) Valentine’s Day!
Hey! Thanks for reading all the the way to the end! You’re awesome :D! If you haven’t already and are looking for more nerdy food stuff, consider following me on Twitter, Facebook, tumblr and Instagram. I post a lot of work in progress pictures for the blog as well as some stuff from my real job as a pastry chef. If that sounds like something you’d be into, please check out those links above! Anyway, take care everyone and I’ll see you soon with an all new recipe!
