Homemade Soya Bean Milk

We all love soya bean. They are versatile and could be eaten by just steaming (edaname or those you eat at Japanese restaurant) or you can fry soya bean with vegetable. High in protein and made into various food such as tofu, tofu skin (fuchuk), soya bean curd and even local street food tempe. Soya bean is classified as oilseed, meaning it has essential oil or fat that is good for the body.
Most mobile soya bean trucks outside sell a 1.5liter bottle of soya bean at RM5.50 to RM6.50. They are diluted and some are made from ready mix powder. Sugar, usually in syrup form are added for a "fuller" flavour.
Most do not know, but Soya Bean drink or milk are really easy to use. Soya bean (raw) is about RM1.50 per kg (organic are naturally more expensive) and it will make close to 5 liters of milk.
Here is how to make it at home at fraction of the cost.
Here is what you need :
1. Soya beans (organic if you can find it)
2. Blender (i rely on the blender my mum gave me, that she got as a wedding present - 36 years ago)
3. Muslin cloth or fine pure 100% cotton cloths. This is important or you will get soya bean milk with "pulp". The cloth will be sewn into a "bag".
4. Pandan leaves for that fragrant small
5. Sugar - brown would be better

beans. beans. beans.

Step 1: soak the bean overnight or at least for 4 hours. In the process, the bean will "breathe" and don't be alarmed by the bubbles in the surface. They are harmless.

When National is still National. Glass jar baybeh!

Step 2: place a cup or two into a blender and add about 3/4 cup of boiled water or filtered water and blend it until fine. Usually about 30 seconds would do.
Step 3: pour the blended soya beans into a muslin cloth or cotton cloth bag and this is the most labor intensive process - squeezing the milk out.

Wash hand first yah.

As i was painting the storeroom when my mum decided to make this drink, she disallowed me from using my paint tainted hand to help her squeeze the mixture. You now see the importance of a good piece of cloth bag, as it will allow only the liquid mixture (soya milk and water) to sieve out, leaving the pulp in the bag.

My mum's soya bean bag has been used for years. "Seasoned", she says.

The pulp, if you want, can be made into biscuit or cake and lightly baked to be eaten. My late granpa - being the miser (we are proudly Hokkien) that he was, nothing went to waste.

Fantastic. You can smell it.

Step 4: Next is to cook the milk. Put in a leave or two Pandan leaves and bring the mixture to boil. You have to be careful and continue stirring it slowly to avoid it being burnt. Bring it to just boiling and switch off the fire. Continue to stir the milk and add in some sugar to taste. You can substitute sugar with agave syrup or molasses.

1kg sufficient to make 2 big pot - totalling almost 5liter.

You can have it hot or let it cool before drinking. A cup of soya bean milk will give you about 120kcal (200ml or just about a cup) with about 39kcal coming from fat; of which a good 3.5grams are unsaturated fat (which gives 32kcal) and up to 8 grams of protein per cup. It has about 15gram of carbs if you do not add sugar. As it is 100% homemade, this drink is without any preservatives or additional ingredient and best consumed within the next 24hours. Keep it in the fridge to last a bit longer - if you don't already finished it within the same day ;-)

Yummeh!