White Bean Tofu With Just 2 Ingredients!

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Want to switch up your tofu routine with something soy-free? You can make tofu-style dishes from other legumes you already have in your pantry!

This is a wonderfully simple, basic recipe, and once you've got it down, you can take it in all kinds of directions.

It all started when I stumbled across a confusing recipe on an old, neglected blog. I think it was American, but I couldn't quite make sense of the instructions.

How did I even end up there? Your guess is as good as mine.

Still, the idea hooked me. I had to try it and see whether it actually worked.

The original recipe was long and fussy, calling for a thermometer, a special cotton cloth, and a sterile workspace.

It all seemed unnecessarily complicated. And as you know, I like to keep things simple. So I started experimenting on my own, and here's the result.

A Little About White Bean Tofu

I use white beans here, but you can also make this style of tofu with red beans, dried green peas, or even chickpeas.

This method doesn't work for dried soybeans. Here's how to make soy tofu. I published that recipe in 2016, and the photos are terrible!! But it's a fun project to try at home if you want to see how tofu is made.

The original recipe calls for Epsom salt. I found that regular table salt (sodium chloride) does the job—and does it pretty well.

The original also insists on carefully heating the bean milk to exactly 70°C (158°F). In my testing, that precision wasn't necessary. Bringing it to a boil and then taking it off the heat still gave me a very good result.

Keep in mind that this tofu is very soft. Think silken tofu, panna cotta, or malabi (a creamy pudding popular in Israel).

It's lovely served just as it is with soy sauce and a refreshing Asian-style salad. It's not meant for stir-frying or pan-frying the way regular firm tofu is.

White Bean Tofu With Just 2 Ingredients!

Yield 2 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup dried white beans
• 4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 piece of cotton cloth, for straining

Instructions

1. Rinse the beans under running water to wash away dust and any little hitchhikers.

2. Transfer to a deep bowl and add 3 cups of water.

3. Soak the beans for at least 8 hours.

4. After about 8 hours, transfer the beans and their soaking water to a food processor. Add another cup of water.

5. Process thoroughly until you have a smooth, liquid mixture.

6. Line another deep bowl with a clean cotton cloth, such as muslin, and pour in the blended bean mixture.

7. Gather up the cloth and squeeze thoroughly until you've extracted all the liquid. You should have just the white liquid in the bowl, with the bean pulp left in the cloth.

8. Pour the bean milk into a saucepan and add 1 teaspoon of table salt.

9. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

10. After several minutes, the milk should start to set and become thick.

11. Pour the mixture into a small mold or baking dish and refrigerate for 2 hours.

12. After about 2 hours, remove from the refrigerator, invert onto a plate, and carefully unmold.

13. Serve with a fresh Asian-style salad, soy sauce, and sesame oil.