FRESH HOMEMADE SOY MILK

when i sat down and figured out how many individual (1L) cartons of soy milk my household was going through a week i started to think about alternatives. i am always keen to find ways to cut down on landfill and live an unprocessed life. making my own soy milk has therefore been a big winner! 

this recipe, although having quite a few steps, is simple and the final product is really impressive (says he fussy soy milk drinker). plus there is zero waste!! (the water that is drained off can be used on the garden and the bean residue left behind (okara) can be used in heaps of different recipes!)

i did the maths and it works out to be 0.37AUD per litre of fresh homemade soy milk - crazy!! i pay around 2.25AUD (when on special) for a 1L carton of soy milk from the supermarket - so you can image how happy i am with my results!

this one is definitely worth a try for those yet to explore the world of homemade non-dairy milk - enjoy!

how?

1 cup of soya beans
5 cups of cold water
4¼ cups of boiling water
1½ cups of boiling water, additional

equipment

1 large bowl with lid or plastic wrap to cover
blender/food processor
2 large (3L) stockpots, 1 with a steamer insert
1 wooden spoon
1 potato masher (optional)
muslin cloth or nut milk bag
1.5L capacity bottle to store the milk

step 1 – soaking (8 hours)

1. place your soya beans into a large bowl with the cold water
2. cover and leave to soak for at least 8 hours
3. drain your soaked beans and rinse with cold water

step 2 – blending and cooking (15-20 minutes) 

1. add half the soaked beans into a blender with 2 cups of the hot water
2. blend until smooth (~1 minute)
3. transfer to a large (3L) heavy-based stock pot
4. repeat steps 4-6 with the other half of your soaked beans
5. use the remaining ¼ cup of hot water to rinse out your blender to collect any beany goodness left behind
6. place the pot of blended beans onto a medium heat and bring to a boil
7. reduce to simmer for 8 minutes – stirring occasionally to prevent the milk catching on the bottom of the pot 

step 3 – filtering and bottling (20-30 minutes)

1. set up another pot with a steamer insert lined with muslin, or nut milk bag
2. ladle the bean mix into the bag/cloth
3. draw the edges of the muslin together to form a bag/pull the bag closed, and allow the mixture to filter through into the pot below **you may wish to use a potato masher or the back of a spoon to speed up this process by squashing the cloth/bag into the steamer insert and pushing out the milk
4. continue squeezing the bag until no more milk runs out
5. open the muslin/bag and stir the residue to loosen
6. pour 1½ cups of boiling water over the bean residue
7. draw the edges of the cloth back together/close the bag
8. repeat the filtering process by squeezing out any remaining liquid (again using a potato masher/spoon will speed up this process) ** keep the bean residue (okara) for use in a variety of recipes!
9. bottle your fresh soy milk – using a jug, pour the filtered soymilk into prepared bottles
10. leave your bottled milk to cool slightly before putting in the fridge (keeps for 3-5 days) or enjoy a glass of warm soymilk straight away! 

makes 1.5L of fresh soymilk or how about whipping up a batch of fresh homemade tofu?!