A nutritious substitute for cow’s milk is soymilk. Proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, fiber, and a potent variety of phytonutrients make up soybeans, which have been shown to help lower blood cholesterol and hence promote cardiovascular health. Also suitable for lactose sensitive people.
| Prep Time: | 1 hr |
| Cook Time: | 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 30 mins |
| Servings: | 6 |
| Yield: | 1 1/2 quarts |
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups dried soybeans
- 2 quarts water
- 1 pandan leaf
- 1 slice fresh ginger root
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup white sugar
Instructions
- Soak beans overnight in water. Drain, rinse, and discard water. Combine soaked beans with 2 quarts fresh water. In a food processor or blender, process beans with water until smooth.
- Strain into a pot through a double layer of cheesecloth, or a fine sieve. Add pandan leaf or ginger, and sugar to taste. Boil soy milk for 15 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent skin from forming. Remove pandan leaf or ginger, then flavor with vanilla. Stir in sugar to taste. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
- The pandan leaf, ginger, and vanilla are optional, but they help disguise the bean flavor.
Reviews
This worked perfect. It actually more complicated with all the straining that it looks. I let it soak longer to see if I could get more of the husk to come off but it didn’t. I did find another method which claims that boiling it a little will help. However with the husk on and using my food processor it worked out perfectly fine. I did do a double strain through the cheese cloth too and the milk is super fine. I also opted to go with no Pandan or Ginger and lowered the sugar. I figure if they want it sweeter they can add more sugar later. I used a little less water too as it overflowed my food processor. In the future I would have to do it in 3 portion.
Adjustment: don’t add the 2-quart water at a time into the blender. Instead, just add 2 1/2 cup water, then scoop the bean paste out, add 1/4 of them to a drainer, then use a spoon to stir while adding in water , about 1/2 cup at a time (see picture). then first batch(by adding about 6 cups water), you can get really rich taste. I will make one more batch, not rich but still very good. Get the organic soybean, this protein is always better than the protein from meat/poultry. Enjoy!
I make my own Soybean milk, and this recipe is definitely workable. I agree with a reviewer that we have to squeeze the soybean milk out of the strainer/cheese cloth. And yes, you can use the leftover ground soybeans in recipes. For a healthy twist, I mix this with an equal amount of ground beef to make my own burgers. If the burgers do not stick well, just add a bit of corn starch to the mixture. Season with salt, black pepper & your choice of herbs to taste. 🙂
I’m not sure how to rate this but I did comment on my experience with this. The things I like about this are that you can make your own soymilk and know what is going into it. Also, you can adjust the flavor and sweetness to taste. However, some cautions to first-time makers. It is more complicated than it looks — the straining is quite difficult, as quite a large amount is strained out. I ended up squeezing mine through the cheesecloth; otherwise it would have had to sit and strain for quite awhile! I think I let a bit too much through, but it is fine and not noticeably thick. Also, I had hoped that this would be a money-saver, but you have to use quite a lot of soybeans to get a little bit of milk, so I don’t think it’s economical in the long run. Also, I did think the taste was very good, though I could get used to it. My other question is why is the calorie and fat content so high? I used artificial sweetener rather than sugar to cut back on calories, but I am concerned about the fat.
This recipe makes a delicious soybean milk. I’ve already made it twice. The 2nd time was easier. From now on, I’ll always use my food processor, less messy than the blender. During the soaking stage, I removed as many bean skins as I could, for a smoother taste. I strained the mashed beans + liquid twice – first, through a fine strainer without cheesecloth, and then through the same strainer lined with cheesecloth. I didn’t bother with vanilla or ginger, since we don’t mind the taste of soybean milk. We just add a little sugar when we’re having a glass of the delicious liquid. It’s more flexible that way anyway. The final product makes all the work worthwhile. Furthermore, I read on the Net one could use the soybean grounds (okara) in recipes. Great! For soybean milk lovers.