When I was little, my mom would homemake soy milk or dou-jang (豆漿). Growing up in the culture of drinking soy milk, I refuse to call the "soy milk" that Western markets sell "soy milk". What soy milk should taste like is this thick and aromatic milk-like consistency, but the soy milk that can be found in the Western culture is this think, runny, watery and non-aromatic liquid with soy content.
When I was young, I'd wake up to this aromatic soy milk smell in the morning and have a bowl of it with brown sugar and have some bread or buns before going to school. Every time I smell the true soy milk aroma, it brings me back to the sweetness of the life back then.
So that's why today I'm going to pass down the TRUE soy milk that has been in the Chinese culture for thousands of years; the real soy milk that is use for making bean curd/doupi (豆皮), tofu (豆腐), douhua/tofu jelly (豆花) and varieties of other Chinese soy milk products.
Fully soaked soy beans
Soy bean ground with cheese cloth and squeezed-out soy milk
The process is actually pretty simple: soak the soy beans, blend them with water, squeeze the liquid out of it and boil. I just don't understand how are these simple steps got messed up in the Western industry and made some tasteless soy milk in the market and still have the pride of selling them... (snobby)
Real Soy Milk that is Aromatic and Thick from the Chinese Tradition
Preparation time: 30 minutes (plus 8 hours of soaking soy beans)
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: about 1 liter
| Metrics Measurements | U.S. Measurements | Ingredients |
| 355 mL | 1½ cup | dried soy beans |
| 592 mL | 2½ cups | water (for blending) |
| Need a blender or food processor | ||
| Need a big pot, preferably with higher rims | ||
| Need a big cheese cloth that can be folded into 2 layers |
Direction:
1. Soak the soy beans in water over night or for at least 8 hours, till soaked into the center. (You can pick one up and eat it, if it's crunchy and chew-able to the center, it's finished soaking) Fully soaked soy beans can expand to about 2 to 2.5 times the size of dried soy beans.
2. Drain the fully soaked soy beans out and save the soaking water. Place the soy beans into a blender or food processor. Pour in 2½ cups of soaking water and blend till it is a silky fine consistency and soy beans are in very fine particles.
3. Prepare a big pot, preferably a high big pot, place 2 layers of cheese cloth over it and secure the cloth as you pour 1/3 blended soy bean and liquid slowly and carefully onto the cheese cloth.
4. Stop and squeeze the cheese cloth so all the liquid from soy beans came out into the pot. Save the soy bean particle in another bowl.
5. Repeat step 3 and 4 till all the juice is separated from the soy bean into the pot.
6. Simmer the soy milk over medium to low heat for 15 minutes or till the aroma changes to that of a special soy smell. Stir it constantly to make sure the foam doesn't overflow and the bottom doesn't burn.
You can drink it cool, drink it warm or drink it with a bit of brown sugar (traditional)!
Now, this is what we do with the soy bean ground that are left from making soy milk:
Soy bean pie in the making
Soy Bean Pancake
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: about 4 pieces (8-cm diameter)
| Metrics Measurements | U.S. Measurements | Ingredients |
| 745 mL | 2 cups | wet soy bean ground |
| 59 mL (49g) | ¼ cup | brown sugar |
| 59 mL (30g) | ¼ cup | all-purpose flour (wheat, of course, and is optional, only to help it sticking together) |
| (about 60 mL) | (about ¼ cup) | some oil for cooking |
Direction:
1. Add sugar and flour into the fine soy bean ground mass.
2. Form into 4 flying saucer shaped pie.
3. Heat up a pan with just some oil and when the pan is heated, place the soy bean pie onto the pan. Flip the pie and add some more oil into the pan (if needed) when one side is nicely brown and tanned so the other side can be just as brown and tanned. When both sides are brown and tanned, they are done!
Finished soy bean pancake! :9
SOOOO soy-ful!
Wondering what you can do with the soy milk in baking? Try making blueberry-banana muffins or golden cupcakes!
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