Imagine the flavour of roasted nuts captured into a creamy pudding. That’s what Hazelnut Dofu is all about. It’s inspired by Goma Dofu, a traditional Japanese appetiser that is made with sesame seeds and kuzu starch. But you can follow the same method and turn any nut into an incredible dessert.
Goma Dofu is a traditional dish of Shōjin Ryōri, the Japanese Buddhist cuisine, and is usually served as a savoury appetiser. But simply by adding a little bit of sugar, you can turn it into an exciting sweet version that works with any nut. For this recipe, I used hazelnuts. If you do the same, I highly recommend drizzling the finished tofu with a little bit of date molasses. It’s a combination I recently discovered after adding some molasses on a toast with hazelnut butter. The flavour is out of this world!
Is it Actually Tofu?
Traditionally, tofu is made from curdled soy bean milk. So, no, this hazelnut dofu is not an authentic tofu. However, the Japanese appetiser is also referred to as a tofu or ‘dofu’, not so much because of its authenticity, but more because of its texture, which is similar to a silken tofu.
Nut Butter
Making your own nut butter is simple, and even easier with the help of a high-speed blender. Just roast the nuts of your choice until golden (10-15 minutes at 180°C). Let them cool off for 10 minutes, then blend with a pinch of salt to a creamy butter. With a Vitamix E310, the blending takes around 1-2 minutes. For less powerful blenders, it’ll take a little longer and you might need to scrape down the sides every now and then. If it doesn’t turn into a butter at all, you can help the blender by adding 1 tablespoon of a neutral oil (such as vegetable oil) to speed up the process.
Storage: You can store the tofu covered in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
Serves 4
Ingredients
Nut Butter (optional)
- 300g raw blanched hazelnuts (or nuts of your choice)
- 1/8 tsp salt
Hazelnut Tofu
- 50g cornstarch (called cornflour in the UK); you can also use potato starch
- 500ml water
- 150g nut butter (from above or store-bought)
- 30g dark muscovado sugar (or golden granulated sugar)
- 1/4 tsp salt (4g)
- 2 tbsp date molasses (optional, to serve)
Method
To make your own hazelnut butter (or nut butter of choice), pre-heat the oven to 180°C and roast the nuts for 15 minutes or until golden (or 10 minutes for smaller nuts like pistachios). Let them cool for 10 minutes, then blend with the salt in a high-speed blender to a smooth butter, scraping down the sides occasionally. This makes more than required, but you can store it in a jar at room temperature for several weeks.
For the tofu, whisk the cornstarch and water together in a saucepan, then whisk in the nut butter, sugar and salt. Heat the liquid over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it begins to thicken. Reduce the heat to low and use a spatula to keep stirring until it has turned to a custard-like consistency and the spatula leaves a trail on the bottom of the pan. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often, then turn off the heat.
Moisten the inside of a 20 cm x 20 cm mould with water and pour in the mixture. Smoothen out the top and tap the mould to remove any air bubbles. Then dribble 2-3 tablespoons of water over the surface to prevent it from drying out. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before refrigerating for 1 hour or until set. You can store it covered in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
To serve, remove from the mould and cut into four equal pieces. Serve each piece on a plate and drizzle with the date molasses.
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Hazelnut Tofu (Hazelnut Dofu)
Ingredients
Nut Butter (Optional)
- 300 g raw blanched hazelnuts (or nuts of your choice)
- 1/8 tsp salt
Hazelnut Tofu
- 50 g cornstarch (called cornflour in the UK; you can also use potato starch)
- 500 ml water
- 150 g nut butter (from above or store-bought)
- 30 g dark muscovado sugar (or golden granulated sugar)
- 1/4 tsp salt (4g)
- 2 tbsp date molasses (optional, to serve)
Instructions
Hazelnut Butter (optional)
- To make your own hazelnut butter (or nut butter of choice), pre-heat the oven to 180°C and roast the nuts for 15 minutes or until golden (or 10 minutes for smaller nuts like pistachios). Let them cool for 10 minutes, then blend with the salt in a high-speed blender to a smooth butter, scraping down the sides occasionally. This makes more than required, but you can store it in a jar at room temperature for several weeks.
Hazelnut Tofu
- For the tofu, whisk the cornstarch and water together in a saucepan, then whisk in the nut butter, sugar and salt. Heat the liquid over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it begins to thicken. Reduce the heat to low and use a spatula to keep stirring until it has turned to a custard-like consistency and the spatula leaves a trail on the bottom of the pan. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring often, then turn off the heat.
- Moisten the inside of a 20 cm x 20 cm mould with water and pour in the mixture. Smoothen out the top and tap the mould to remove any air bubbles. Then dribble 2-3 tablespoons of water over the surface to prevent it from drying out. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before refrigerating for 1 hour or until set. You can store it covered in the refrigerator for 3–4 days.
- To serve, remove from the mould and cut into four equal pieces. Serve each piece on a plate and drizzle with the date molasses.
Can you do this with tapioca or arrowroot starch?
Thank you!
Yes, that should work. The texture might turn out a little different as each starch varies slightly. So it might be just a bit softer or firmer, but it should still coagulate it enough! Let me know if it worked.
My husband cane back from Uganda with a 2L jug of a traditional blend of peanut butter and sesame butter. I used this as a base for this recipe and it is delicious!!
The perfect occasion for it! Exciting! Hope you like it.