Homemade Soy Milk
Fresh, homemade soy milk is a quintessential Thai breakfast, and it tastes nothing like the stuff from the carton. All you need are soy beans, but there are also fun ways to make it more special!
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 10 min
- Yield
- 1 serving
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 150 grams dry soybeans, preferably split, but whole ones are fine
- 1.2 L (5 cups) water
- ½ pandan leaf, optional (see note)
- A pinch of salt (optional, to taste)
- Sugar or other sweeteners to taste
- Options for add-ins: cooked red beans, cooked mung beans (split), cooked job's tears (coix seeds), rehydrated lemon basil seeds, cooked tapioca pearls, plain agar agar cubes, cooked gingko nuts, and young coconut meat
Instructions
- 1
Rinse soy beans and soak in plenty of water. If using whole beans, soak for at least 8 hours; if using split beans, soak for at least 3 hours. To check if soybeans have fully hydrated, split the beans in half and check if there is any darker colour in the center of the bean (dark spot means it hasn't fully hydrated).
- 2
Remove most of the skins from the beans (they can have a beany aftertaste, more on this in the notes.) To do this, leave the beans in the soaking water and scrunch them in your hands and the skins will be rubbed off. Once you have removed a lot of skins, the skins will naturally be sitting on top of the beans. Pour off the water and use your hand to push the skins out with the water. Add more water and repeat the process until most of the skins have been removed.
- 3
In a blender, add the beans and just enough of the water to get the beans blending. Once smooth, add more water to thin it out, saving about 1½ cups of water for later.
- 4
Set a sieve or colander over a large pot and line it with muslin or several layers of cheesecloth. Pour half of the puree into it, stir to drain off most of the liquid, then gather the edges of the cloth, and squeeze the remaining milk out (see video if you don't know what I mean).
- 5
Open the cloth, then pour half of the remaining water into the pulp to "rinse" out any remaining soy milk. Strain and squeeze again, then discard the pulp. Repeat with the other half of the puree. NOTE: If you don't want to throw away the soy pulp, you can also use it for cooking. The Japanese call it okara and you can look up "okara recipes," of which there are a few.
- 6
Heat the soymilk with pandan leaf (if using) over medium high heat, stirring constantly, and once it starts to bubble, lower the heat down as low as you can to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the soymilk no longer has a raw, grassy smell.
- 7
Remove from heat, add salt and sweetener as desired, or leave it unsweetened for each person to sweeten their own. Enjoy hot or cold! You can also add any of the optional fixin's listed above to make it into a more filling, street-style breakfast.