Make Your Own Soy Milk!
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Though making your own soy milk takes time, it's an incredibly inexpensive and easy project.
To get started, you simply need one pound of white dried soybeans (the organic variety is $2 per pound at the local natural food store, however we got ours for free from a local farmer friend), fine-mesh cheesecloth, two large pots, and a food processor or blender.
Directions:
- Wash the soybeans, picking out any discolored ones, and place them in a large pot or bowl.
- Cover the soybeans entirely with cold water and allow them to soak from 8 to 24 hours.
- After soaking, the soybeans should be a bit soft and easy to bite into.
- Drain and rinse the soybeans and split them in half.
- Place the 2 pots on the stove and heat up (not boil) 8 cups of water in each. Meanwhile, put half of the soybeans in a food processor or blender, barely covering them with cold water. Blend or process for two minutes or until the mixture is creamy and foamy. Place this into a bowl and set aside.
- Repeat the same step with the other half of the soybeans. Keep these mixtures separate and place them into the pots.
- Stir the mixture for 20 minutes preventing it from foaming out of the pot.
- Place the cheesecloth over a large bowl and ladle the heated mixture slowly over the cloth, allowing it to drain completely. To speed up the process, you can use the back of the ladle to spread the mixture thin over the cheesecloth.
- Repeat until you have strained all of the mixture. The solid, known as okara, will need to be emptied off the cheesecloth throughout this process as it weighs it down.
- Once you've completed this, simply place the soymilk into a pitcher and into the refrigerator. FYI: The soymilk will only last for roughly 3-4 days since there are no preservatives.
Enjoy!
