Homemade Soy Milk: Regular & Black
豆浆 & 黑豆尖
English: Homemade Soy Milk: Regular & Black
Chinese: 豆浆 & 黑豆浆
Pinyin: doujiang & heidoujiang
Literal: Soy milk & black soy milk
Soy milk is another one of those foods in the UK that has become completely detached from it heritage and more strongly associated with veganism than with its Chinese origins. To most, soy milk comes in a long-life, tetra-packed cardboard container found un-refrigerated on supermarket shelves, containing a watery liquid that perhaps dribbled over a soybean many moons ago. There is barely any relation to homemade soy milk at all. There is barely any relation to homemade soy milk at all. Homemade soy milk in Beijing is thick, creamy and smooth, even more so than gold-top (cream on top) cow's milk. There’s a toasty, warming flavour, and a natural sweetness that store-bought soy milks lack.
In China, there are many types of grain milks, from almond to rice to millet to date to corn and coconut, however, in the North, soy milk - both yellow and black - are the most popular. Soy milk was, and remains, an essential breakfast food of Northern China. Traditionally, every village and town would have had stone mills for the purpose of making fresh soy milk. In smaller villages, families might have shared a mill, whereas in bigger cities such as Beijing and Tianjin, locals would buy fresh milk from street vendors blending soy beans every morning. A cup of steaming soy milk served with a crispy youtiao (crispy fried dough stick - similar to a doughnut), is the perfect Beijing breakfast.
Below are two versions of soy milk. The first is the classic, using yellow soybeans and the second is made with black soybeans and black rice giving it a kind of blueberry-smoothie appearance. I prefer my soy milks unstrained for their thicker, more substantial quality, but this style won't work well for cereal or coffee, so strain it if that's what you need.
For both recipes I highly recommend a soy milk maker - a high-powered blender that heats the liquid at the same time as blending. If you’re drinking soy milk regularly (or any nut or grain milk) then it’s well worth the investment. You throw all the ingredients inside, and 30 minutes later it’s ready. Of course, it is possible to make soy milk with a blender, but there are a few more steps involved. Below I give you the method for with a soy milk maker, and without.
Both recipes make enough for 2-3 people (about 1 litre)
ORIGINAL SOY MILK
Ingredients
60g dried yellow soybeans
20g dried millet
20g white rice
10g white rock candy/sugar
850-900ml water (50-100ml more if you like it thinner)
BLACK SOY MILK
Ingredients
40g dried yellow soybeans
40g dried black soybeans
40g black rice
30g red dates - stones removed
40g millet
1200ml water (100-200ml more if you like it thinner)
Original Soy Milk - Method
With a Soy Milk Maker
Measure out all the dried ingredients. Rinse them a few times in water, drain and add to the soy milk maker.
Pour over the water, seal the maker, set to ‘soy milk’ mode, and then turn on. It usually takes around 30 minutes, at which point you can serve it.
If you prefer a smoother milk (more like you might buy in supermarkets), then strain the milk through cheesecloth/muslin or a fine sieve.
Serve warm or you can store the soy milk for 2-3 days in the fridge.
Using a Blender
Rinse your soy beans, millet and rice and then leave to soak overnight.
The next day add the grains to a saucepan with the water. Bring to the boil and cook for 10-15 minutes.
Blend the mixture in a blender until smooth and then pour back into the saucepan and simmer for 30 minutes. Keep an eye on simmering soy milk as it can easily bubble over the sides and make a mess of your stove.
Add the rock candy (or sugar) to the milk. Stir occasionally and continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
This is not a very sweet soy milk so taste and adjust the sugar level to your liking.
Remove from the heat, and if you prefer a smoother milk, strain through cheesecloth/muslin or a fine sieve.
Serve warm, or you can store the soy milk for 2-3 days in the fridge.
Black Soy Milk - Method
Note:
I use red dates to add a touch of sweetness. If you prefer a sweeter soy milk, add more red dates or even a bit of sugar.
If you refrigerate unfiltered black soy milk, it will turn very thick and almost un-pourable, so stir in 200ml of extra water before bottling and storing.
With a Soy Milk Maker
Measure out all the dried ingredients. Rinse the beans, rice and millet a few times in water, drain and add to the soy milk maker with the dates.
Pour over the water, seal the maker, set to ‘soy milk’ mode, and then turn on. It usually takes around 30 minutes, at which point you can serve it.
If you prefer a smoother milk (more like you might buy in supermarkets), then strain the milk through cheesecloth/muslin or a fine sieve.
You can store the soy milk for 2-3 days in the fridge. Note, that if you refrigerate unfiltered black soy milk, it will turn almost solid, so do add 200ml of extra water before bottling and storing.
Using a Blender
Rinse your soy beans, millet and rice and then leave to soak overnight.
The next day add the grains and dates to a saucepan with the water. Bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes.
Blend the mixture in a blender until smooth and then pour back into the saucepan and simmer for 40-50 minutes or until the bitter taste has faded. Keep an eye on simmering soy milk as it can easily bubble over the sides and make a mess of your stove.
Remove from the heat, and if you prefer a smoother milk, strain through cheesecloth/muslin or a fine sieve.
Serve warm, or you can store the soy milk for 2-3 days in the fridge.
