Homemade Soy Milk Food

HOMEMADE SOY MILK

Steps:

• Place soy beans in a very large bowl. Add enough water so that the ratio of water to soy beans is 2 to 1; let soy beans soak overnight at room temperature.
• Drain soy beans. Working in batches, transfer soy beans to the jar of a blender. Add enough water to the jar of the blender so that the ratio of water to soy beans is 1 to 1; blend until smooth. Transfer pureed soybeans to a large bowl. Repeat process with remaining soy beans and water.
• Place 6 1/2 cups water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in soy bean mixture using a kibera or a wooden spoon. Bring mixture to a simmer and immediately remove from heat.
• Line a fine mesh sieve set over a large bowl with cheesecloth. Pour soy bean mixture into lined sieve; let stand until cooled.
• Squeeze remaining soy milk through cheesecloth; discard cheesecloth and any remaining solids.

HOMEMADE SOY MILK

Steps:

• Soak the beans:
• Put the dried beans in a colander and rinse under tap water to remove any surface dirt. Transfer the beans to a bowl. Add water to cover by 2 to 3 inches, then set aside to soak at room temperature. The soaking time varies by season, and below is a rough estimate of the time required depending on the air temperature:
• 80°F: 8 hours 70°F: 10 hours 60°F: 13½ hours 50°F: 17½ hours
• Test the beans to determine their readiness. Squeeze one between your fingertips and it should split apart into two long halves. The beans are sufficiently soaked if the surfaces of the halves are flat with an even buttercup yellow color and if you can easily break one of the halves crosswise. If the surfaces are concave and/or darker in the middle than at the edge, and if halves bend in a rubbery manner, soak longer. Adequately soaked beans are easier to grind. Drain and rinse the soaked beans in a colander.
• Note: It is possible, but not easy, to oversoak the beans. If you see bubbles or foam on the surface, discard the water, then use the beans. Each 6 ounces of dried beans weighs about 14 ounces (and measures about 2¼ cups) after soaking.
• DO AHEAD: When soaking the beans in advance, transfer the drained beans to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days; discard or keep the soaking water refrigerated in a separate container, if you like. Refrigerating the beans in the soaking liquid is fine for 2 days; beyond that, the flavor may be compromised. If the beans look suspect, rinse them before using; throw out the soaking liquid if it smells funky. Regardless, return both beans and liquid to room temperature before proceeding. Soaked soybeans can be frozen but the soy milk and tofu produced from them are not as superlative as those produced from soaked, unfrozen beans.
• Render the soy milk:
• Set up your soy milk making equipment. For the straining station, put a 3- or 4-quart pot in the sink and place the colander (or mesh strainer) inside it. Put the soy milk pressing cloth (thin unbleached muslin works well) in the colander, letting its edges drape over the rim. Have your pressing tool (a potato masher is what I use) nearby. If you don't have muslin, a nut milk bag could be substituted.
• Put a 5-quart pot (nonstick is great for easy cleanup!) on the stove. Kickstart the cooking process by heating 3 cups of water in the pot over high or medium-high heat. If the water comes to a boil before you've ground all the beans, lower the heat and cover the pot; raise the heat once you've added the ground beans.
• Meanwhile, use a blender to grind the soybeans with 2 cups of water. Run the blender on the highest speed for 1 to 2 minutes to yield a thick, smooth, ivory white puree - a beany milkshake. (If you scale up this recipe, grind in several batches. To rinse out the blender container, add ½ cup of water and run the blender for 10 to 15 seconds. Pour into the larger pot and scrape out any residual bits.
• Cook the soybean mixture, stirring the bottom frequently with a wooden spatula to avoid scorching, until frothy foam forms and begins to rise, 3 to 6 minutes. This can suddenly sneak up on you, so monitor the pot. Look for a very thick layer of foam that resembles softly whipped egg whites. When you see the foam rise like a beer head, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the heat to prevent boiling over. Stir the pot a few times and wait for the foam to deflate a bit.
• To strain out the milk, pour the hot mixture into the pressing cloth, pausing when the colander is full and waiting for the milk to pass through before adding more from the larger pot. Scrape out any soybeans remaining in the pot.
• Gather up the pressing cloth and twist it closed into a sack. It will be hot; it's fine to wait a few minutes for the contents to cool slightly. Use your pressing tool to mash the sack against the colander and extract more soy milk.
• Extract additional milk via a second pressing. Open up the pressing cloth and spread the solids (lees) out. Add ½ cup of water to the lees; stir to combine into a polenta-like mixture. If the lees are still steaming hot, let them cool for 3 to 5 minutes. When you are able, twist the cloth closed and wring out more soy milk. Open up the pressing cloth, and transfer the soft white lees to a bowl. Let cool before using, refrigerating or discarding. Remove the colander and pressing cloth to reveal the soy milk in the smaller pot.
• Recook the soy milk:
• Soybean protein needs to be cooked for a certain amount of time to ensure that it is fully digestible. Bring the smaller pot of soy milk to a gentle simmer over medium-high or high heat, stirring the bottom frequently with a wooden spatula. When bubbles percolate at the surface, lower the heat slightly to maintain that pace of gentle cooking for 5 minutes, minding the pot and stirring. If a light film forms at the top, remove it (eat it with a bit of soy sauce as a super delicate fresh tofu skin!). Should the milk scorch, your tofu will have a certain rustic smoky taste, as if it were made over a wood fire. After this second cooking, the soy milk is ready to be used for cooking or drinking. Enjoy warm or chilled.
• To quickly cool the soy milk, I move the pot to a cool burner, blast the exhaust and occasionally stir the pot for about 15 minutes to aerate and prevent a skin from forming; then I transfer the milk to Mason jars to store. You can leave the pot unattended to cool, but the hot milk will form a skin, which is delicious.
• NOTE: Don't discard the crumbly soft lees from the pressing cloth after you've wring out all the soy milk! What you may consider the dregs is a valuable food source. Called dou fu zha or xue hua cai, okara, and biji in Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean, respectively, the lees are loaded with dietary fiber and nutrients. The lees can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for several months; thaw it at room temperature or in the refrigerator before using. Add some to a Korean hot pot, and you'll thicken it into a creamy chowderlike consistency. Season and sauté them with vegetables for unohana, an old-fashioned Japanese favorite. Or bake cookies or make doughnuts with okara for a modern hybrid twist. Lees can also be used as a meat extender for dishes from many different cuisines.

HOMEMADE SOY MILK WITH YOUTIAO

Steps:

• Rinse the soybeans, put them in a medium bowl and pick through them to remove any dark-colored beans (which are spoiled). Add enough cold water to come 2 inches above the beans. Cover and soak at room temperature for at least 12 hours and up to 18 hours. Line a large mesh sieve with 2 layers of cheesecloth or a nut milk bag and set it over a large Dutch oven (see Cook's Note).
• Gently massage the beans to remove some of the skin. Repeat this step until most of the skins have come off. It is okay if some skins remain. Transfer the drained beans to a blender. Add 2 cups of cold water to just cover the beans. Blend on medium-high speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add 2 more cups of cold water and blend on low speed until smooth, about 30 seconds. (If your blender is not large enough to hold the entire contents, blend half the beans with 1 cup cold water and transfer to a bowl; repeat to blend the remaining beans and 1 cup water. Then blend this mixture again in 2 batches, each with another 1 cup of water, for a total of 4 cups water)
• Transfer half of the blended mixture to the lined sieve. Blend the remaining half with 2 more cups of cold water on low speed until smooth, about 30 seconds.
• Stir the bean mixture in the sieve to let some liquid through and then gather the 4 corners of the cheesecloth or the top of the nut bag together in a bunch and twist to close. Gently press and squeeze on the cheesecloth or nut bag to extract the soy milk into the pot. Pour the remaining bean mixture into the cheesecloth or nut bag and repeat the same action to extract more soy milk. During straining, try not to squeeze too hard as the mixture can burst out of the top of the cheesecloth or nut bag and become messy quickly.
• Gently unwrap the cheesecloth or nut bag, break up the bean paste into smaller pieces, slowly pour another 4 cups of cold water over the bean paste and mix until combined. Wrap the cheesecloth or nut bag again and gently squeeze out as much soy milk as possible. Reserve the bean paste for another use (see Cook's Note).
• Bring the soy milk to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently to avoid scorching the bottom. Lower the heat to medium and let simmer, skimming the foam from the top as needed, until the soy milk has slightly reduced and doesn't taste bitter, about 20 minutes. Skim foam occasionally as needed.
• For sweetened soy milk, stir in the sugar if using and 1/2 teaspoon salt. For savory soy milk, omit the sugar and stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Enjoy the soy milk while it's hot or let cool completely and then refrigerate in an airtight container for at least 8 hours and up to 5 days.
• When ready to serve, preheat the oven or a toaster oven to 400 degrees F. Bake the frozen youtiaos on a baking sheet until crisp, about 5 minutes. If desired, heat the soy milk in a medium pot over medium-high heat until steaming, 4 to 5 minutes. Enjoy the soy milk cold or hot with the youtiao.

SOY MILK

Steps:

• 1.Clean whole soy beans and soak for 4-8 hours. Steam for about 15 minutes.
• 2.Drain soy beans and let cool.
• 3.Measure 1½ cups of cooked beans. Place beans, sugar, and water into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.
• 4.Select Variable 1.
• 5.Turn machine on and slowly increase to Variable 10, then to High.
• 6.Blend for 1½ minutes until smooth.
• To obtain a commercial style soy milk, strain through a filtration bag. Flavor soy milk with ½ teaspoon table salt and ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract or sweeten to taste with your favorite sweetener. Store extra soaked and steamed beans in the refrigerator for a few days or freeze in their cooking liquid for longer storage.

SOY MILK

Steps:

• Drop soaked soybeans in continuous 4 cups boiling water with baking soda. Blanch for 5 mins and rinse.
• . After rinsing, add a cup of hot water and process the beans in a food processor or blender. Careful, it's hot so be sure to cover it well.
• Next, boil the remaining 7 cups of water and put in the processed beans and sugar/maple syrup/vanilla for 20 mins stirring occasionally and removing the thin film formed on top.
• Strain the bean particles using a cheesecloth. The soy milk would be hot so this serves as a warning. Either use silicon gloves, or press the spatula against the cheesecloth to strain out the liquid.
• Drink hot or cold and can last til a week in a ref.
• Freeze or use the okara (bean residue) for other recipes.