Nigari
Nigari
| Latin name | Magnesii chloridum |
|---|---|
| Family | Texture agents |
| Origin | Japanese salt pans |
| Season (France) | All year |
| Flavour | Bitter · Briny · Marine |
| Typical price (France) | 8–20 €/kg |
What it is
Nigari is what is left when seawater has given up its salt: a magnesium-heavy bittern whose name comes straight from nigai, bitter. Tofu makers were buying the salt trade's waste long before anyone had written down what magnesium chloride does to soy protein.
In the kitchen
About 2.5 g per litre of soy milk, dissolved in a little water and added at 75 C in three goes, with one slow stroke of the paddle between each. Tip it in at once and you get a coarse, grainy curd and a cloudy whey.
Goes with
Soybean Silken tofu (kinugoshi) Yuba Negi Ginger Kombu Katsuobushi (dried bonito) Soy sauce
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