Fresh Homemade Soy Milk

Hello again…remember me?  I’ve missed you!  I feel like a long, overdue library book.  Instead of the late fee, I owe you a few posts.  Let me make it up to you.

First things first.  Life’s been occupied with stuffy airplane cabins and security checkpoints lately.  Before unpacking from NYC was complete, we were packing up again for the North Shore of Kauai.  It’s hard to find fault (of any kind) with a place where ALL DAY wave watching is an acceptable, if not mandatory, national pastime.  A rite of passage on becoming a true local.  After having our fill of fresh coconuts, rambutans and dragon fruit, we bottled up the Aloha spirit and headed home.  Unfortunately, Seattle morphed into Siberia while we were gone.  Talk about a rude, frigid awakening.  We hunkered down, and conjured up vats of soup and dozens of cookies, as we waited for our limbs to defrost.

Now that feeling has mostly returned in my fingertips, I’m mitten-free and ready to go again.  First up:  fresh homemade soy milk.  Growing up in a Chinese/Vietnamese household, soy milk was a staple.  I’ve never been able to acclimate to the taste of soy milk from brands found at your friendly neighborhood supermarket.  They embody a strange, metallic taste I can’t shake, and frankly, makes me shudder.  If there is someone you love in this life, make this soy milk for them.  Jammed with nutrition, loads of protein and zero cholesterol – it’s the stuff long lives are made of.  Not to mention, it’s plain delicious.  Creamy, nutty, with a hint of sweetness.  Your lattes and cereals will never be the same again.  Skim, 1%, and 2%?  Bu-bye!  Those words will no longer be a part of your vocabulary.  Which frees up room for more important words like love, affection and peace.  A few whirls in your blender, some cheese cloth, and you’re basically good to go.  It might not be as fun as wave watching, but it’s pretty damn close.  Drink up!

FRESH HOMEMADE ORGANIC SOY MILK
Kiss My Spatula’s version of her childhood soy milk, yields about 5 cups

I buy dried organic soy beans in bulk at our local Island grocery store. 16 oz. sets you back $1.25 or so and produces almost 30 cups of milk!  How can you beat that?  Fresh soy milk can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Music Pairing:  The Cure, Just Like Heaven

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup dried organic yellow soy beans
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/8 cup granulated sugar, plus more to taste

Method

Rinse dried soy beans thoroughly and drain.  Soak in cold water overnight in a large bowl.  Drain again.  Pick through beans and remove those that have not expanded and softened.

Put soybeans and 2 1/2 cups of water in a blender.  Cover lid tightly and puree until smooth and milky.  Transfer the puree to a large stockpot and add 3 additional cups of water.  Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly and skimming off foam, as necessary.  Turn heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 25 minutes.

Strain milk through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a bowl, pressing on soybeans to squeeze as much liquid out as possible.  Stir in salt and sugar, adding more sugar to taste.  Serve piping hot or ice cold.