Walk into any market, health food or otherwise, and you’ll probably find displays upon displays of “alternative milk” offerings–from almond and cashew to rice, coconut, and, more recently, oat. But the original “alt milk beverage” is soy milk. I confess I do not like most commercially packaged soy milk–always tastes overly “processed” to me, no matter what brand. Also, I’m not a fan of cooking with soy milk or using it in my coffee as a dairy-free substitute, opting for almond or cashew milk instead. My aversion stems, I think, from the fact that I grew up enjoying the pleasures of fresh soy milk, the kind you can find in the refrigerated section of an Asian market–or better yet, served hot (sweet or savory) in Taiwanese or Northern Chinese restaurants. It has a clean, slightly sweet vegetal flavor and smooth, lightly creamy mouthfeel. I’m often tempted to buy some of the fresh stuff when I’m shopping at the Asian market. Problem is, my preferred unsweetened variety (I like to control the amount of sweetness), usually only comes in the larger containers, which is way more than I can consume before it goes bad.
The other day I had a hankering for fresh soy milk. I was not in the mood to drive to 99 Ranch Market nor search on Yelp for the appropriate nearby regional Chinese restaurant. I was, however, in possession of a (relatively) new kitchen appliance–the Ace Blender I bought on sale during Amazon Prime Day. Given my love of kitchen gadgets it’s surprising I didn’t already own a blender. Alas, I was waiting for the Vitamix to drop down in price. At the rock bottom price of $60, high-speed blending capabilities, and a “cooking” function (it has an actual heating element), the Ace seemed a pretty good deal. So far, I’ve made a creamy puree of cauliflower soup (made completely from start to finish in the blender), frosty ginger mango margaritas, and cashew milk. Obviously Fresh Soy Milk was next.
The process starts with soaking the dried organic soy beans, which I purchased in bulk from Sprouts. Let me tell you, a pound of dried beans goes a LONG way, especially when you only need about 3/4 c. to make 1 1/2 quarts soy milk!
After about 45 mins. of soaking in warm water, the beans were ready to be drained and rinsed. I put the softened beans into my blender, added 6 c. or 48 fl.oz. filtered water, hit the “soy milk” button, and watched the Ace do its thing. Okay, I didn’t exactly stand there and watch it the entire time–that would’ve been a little boring. Not much happens for the first 30 mins. or so because it takes a bit for the water to heat up to 212°F, then the blender periodically pulses to agitate everything while the beans cook.
Suffice it to say, the end product was a hot frothy, creamy soy milk, which I strained through a lint-free bag that came with the blender to make it even smoother.
Was the whole process worth it? I’d say definitely. I had deliciously smooth, creamy hot fresh soy milk (which I sweetened with raw sugar) for about .15 per cup.
Now all I needed to do was fry up a batch of Chinese Crullers or “donut sticks” to dip into my hot soy milk and I’m a happy camper!