Homemade Soy Milk

Growing up, I was a pretty big fan of cow's milk and drank it pretty eagerly. My sister, on the other hand, was a really bad eater. My parents had to bribe and negotiate and really encourage her to consume any calories that weren't made up of candy and desserts. And she wasn't a fan of cow's milk but she was pretty into soy milk and my hypothesis is that it's because soy milk is pretty heavily sweetened, which is precisely the reason I personally wasn't a fan.

So recently when I was on a soybean adventure while making biji jjigae, I decided to soak a few extra beans so I could try making soy milk. It actually turned out pretty delicious - much yummier than the store bought kind, in my opinion - and since I could control the sweetness, I could make it more palatable for myself.

Ingredients [yields 8 cups]:
1 cup dried yellow soybeans
2 cups + 6 cups water
+ vanilla extract
+ honey
+ salt

Start by soaking the soybeans in 2 cups of water for a minimum of 8 hours. Once the beans are softened, drain the beans and reserve the soaking water. Rinse the beans under running cold water, rubbing them to release the skins. Discard the skins and toss the beans into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

Add the reserved soybean soaking water plus 6 extra cups of water to a large stockpot and bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Add the soybean puree to the water and stir to combine.

Gently stir the mixture for 3 to 5 minutes or until it starts to really foam up. Once it's foamy (think the type of foam that floats on top of a beer, a.k.a. "the head") remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, set up a straining station. Set a fine-meshed sieve over a large bowl and line with cheesecloth or nut milk cloth.

Strain the mixture through the lined sieve.

Pour the milk into air tight containers for storage.

The remaining soybean pulp, which is known as okara, can be used to thicken stir fry dishes, as a binder in okonomiyaki (a Japanese cabbage pancake that is on my list to share on my blog eventually), or when it's dried out, it can be used as a gluten-free alternative to flour.

The bottled soy milk should be cooled completely before refrigerating. If you so desire, brighten up the flavor of the milk with a sprinkle of salt, a splash of vanilla extract, and a drizzle of honey.

If you've never had soy milk before, it's not the easiest beverage to describe. It's got a v. subtle verdant flavor (it's made from legumes after all), a v. subtle creamy texture that doesn't coat your tongue in the same way that genuine dairy does, and it's super drinkable. Like, I feel like you could chug it without getting a bellyache.

Here's the recipe page: