Making Soft Tofu Firm
Your recipe calls for firm tofu, the market is closed (or too far away) and all you have in the house is the soft variety. Don't go looking for another recipe to cook, in a matter of an hour or so, you can firm up that soft tofu and have it ready to use.
Equipment Needed
Not much really. Two dinner plates, a large saucepan and paper towels will do it. No special items needed at all. And if your kitchen sink is empty, that would be a good thing too, since the water pressed from the soft tofu will need somewhere to go after it has filled the dinner plate.
Firming it up
Line a dinner plate with two layers of paper towels. Place the block or soft tofu on the towels, centered in the plate. Cover the tofu with two additional layers of paper towels. Invert the second plate over the tofu.
Set this assembly in the kitchen sink. Fill a saucepan 1/4 full of water. Set the saucepan on top of the inverted dinner plate. Allow the tofu to press for 15 to 20 minutes.
Add more water to the saucepan, 1/2 full, 3/4 full, every 20 minutes for an hour. See if the tofu is firm enough for you to use. If not, place the saucepan back on top of the plate and continue to press for another 20 to 30 minutes.
