Soy milk - home made

[Alistair]

I have a Gleamous soy milk machine. The idea is you pop the beans in - sit the machine in a large jug of water and *tada* when it sings ''Happy Birthday'' (I kid you not) it's done.

Sounds simple eh? Well. It has had it's exciting moments.

I have not been doing it long but have consumed all the milk produced so far - including the batch that I pressure cooked after because the machine decided to not cook the beans and make a raw soy milk instead - nasty.

I have been experimenting. I only just found out that two teaspoons of golden syrup in a glas s of hot fresh milk curdles in a rather chunky fashion - which is perfect if I ever consider making it into tofu - not so perfect when drinking globular hot sweet milk....

Here's a tip: Clean the machine as soon as it is cool enough to handle - much easier to wash the filter - faster too.

Here's a warning: If the finished product looks watery ***don't be tempted*** to put it through another cycle -just to be on the safe side.... I was rather startled when a FOUNTAIN of hot milk and pulp jetted up into the air cascading over everything within reasonable reach.

Messy.

So - my question is: Does anyone have any okara recipés?

[Okara is the left over soypulp - apparently a Japanese ingredient.]

[paul]

hi try these sites. would you recomend maling your own soya milk etc?
you will have to copy and paste the last 2 sorry

www.ellenskitchen.com/clearlight/okara/okara.

realfoodliving.com/soymilkrecipes.htm

home.iprimus.com.au/vileletters/okara/

[thevegantwins]

I've only used my soymilk maker (which I won in a contest ) a few times but I love the okara. I made it into a sandwich spread last time, just added some chopped onion, vegan mayo, salt and pepper. Very tasty and chock full of protein. Here's a list of tips regarding okara from my soymilk maker: http://www.soymilkquick.com/okara.html

[my3labs]

Ooh, I want one. Where do you get the beans?

[Alistair]

Thank you for the links!! I am loathe to throw it away so will have to try a few of these things.

I don't ***love*** the milk but I am getting better at it.

I add a tablespoon of brown rice and three almonds to give it better consistency.

I buy the beans from a wholesaler but supermarkets and health food shops stock them here - should be the same elsewhere. Try asian food stores etc.

[paul]

keep it vegan blue, try diffrent things till you get it so you love it, says the bloke who hasnt got a milk machine.

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by paul

keep it vegan blue, try diffrent things till you get it so you love it, says the bloke who hasnt got a milk machine.

You can always do it by hand - soak the beans in hot water for a few hours then boil them for 20 minutes. Throw them into a blender (careful - it's hot and blending hot liquids can cause the lid to jump off the blender followed by a lava flow of scalding goop) and blend till smooth. Pour the resulting moosh into a muslin lined large colander over a large bowl / saucepan. Squeeze the milk out and keep the okara, simmer the milk for a bit then allow to cool. Sweeten / season to taste and keep in the fridge.

Vegantwins - do you dehull your beans before making the milk??

[thevegantwins]

Originally Posted by my3labs

Ooh, I want one. Where do you get the beans?

Not sure outside the US, but for us, the recommended beans are called Laura soybeans which are available online, organic and cheap! And you don't need a soymilk maker to make homemade soymilk, there are recipes for using regular kitchen equipment.

[thevegantwins]

Originally Posted by veganblue

Vegantwins - do you dehull your beans before making the milk??

No, just soak them. The machine does the rest. I just can't get used to the excess beany taste. I've tried brown rice syrup and agave syrup and it's still too beany though I did read a suggestion of boiling the beans for 5 minutes before soaking them for 12 hours then making the soymilk to reduce beany taste. Do you have suggestions, veganblude?

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by thevegantwins

I just can't get used to the excess beany taste.

Apparently the beany taste is in the skin of the beans - and if you don't like it - soak the beans for a few hours in water and then rub them hard with your hands so that the skin comes off - then float the skins off and it seperates easily from the bean. Compost the skins and use the beans in the milk maker.

It's true - it does taste less beany - but it is a bit more of a fiddle.

[RawVegan]

Soy milk that sings „Happy Birthday“, Alistair? Ja; ok.....this i'd like to see.....er, hear! I'd think making it sounds too much of a fiddle, no?

Soy milk is readily available here in health food and most grocery shops now; we get almond and rice milk that way too, so we find it easier and much more convenient to just pick it up when we go shopping.....although now, you have me wondering how it's made? You say you have to 'cook' it.....which i naturally don't like the idea of; so i'm wondering why you say the raw soy milk was 'nasty'? I gather you mean it tasted awful, ja?

As for regular soy milk, i'd describe the taste as 'nutty', rather than 'beany'.....and i really *like* the taste of it, actually!

[Bowwowmeow]

Raw soybean milk would be bad because raw soybeans are toxic, even if sprouted first, not just because it wouldn't be tasty.

Many years ago I had a health food book by Adell Davis which had instructions for making soymilk from soybean flour, without all the trouble making it from beans seems to entail. I'll have to see if I can find it.

I wonder what edamame milk would taste like. I love edamame. Probably too green.

[Alistair]

Originally Posted by RawVegan

I'd think making it sounds too much of a fiddle, no?

Soy milk is readily available here in health food and most grocery shops now; we get almond and rice milk that way too, so we find it easier and much more convenient to just pick it up when we go shopping.....although now, you have me wondering how it's made?

- Here in the Antipodes we have premade soymilk too... I think there are at least a dozen brands.

You can get regular, low fat, calcium enriched, B12 fortified, high iron, etc plus flavours like chocolate, strawberry, caramel, cappucino, vanilla and banana. You can also get the fresh stuff in the fridge if you aren't interested in the convenience of the longlife varieties.

I use a lot of soymilk - so making it myself is not only rewarding it's also economical.

You say you have to 'cook' it.....which i naturally don't like the idea of; so i'm wondering why you say the raw soy milk was 'nasty'? I gather you mean it tasted awful, ja?

I think that coffee wouldn't taste the same if you didn't roast it first...

As Bowwowmeow says - raw mature soy beans are toxic and contain tripsin inhibitors which is why you have to cook mature soy beans to make them edible. The tripsin inhibitors are proteins that are denatured by heat and can be safely digested.

There is a lot of talk about eating primarily fermented soybean products - but I am also concerned that ferments have high levels of nitrosamines which can cause genetic damage, leading to oncogenesis. Some fermented foods are beneficial - just not too many. As always, moderation is the key.

As for regular soy milk, i'd describe the taste as 'nutty', rather than 'beany'.....and i really *like* the taste of it, actually!

Commercial soymilk usually has a lot of additives to improve colour, texture, nutrition and palatability. I add a little raw sugar and tiny bit of salt to improve the flavour of mine.

In India, it is a breakfast food seasoned with soy sauce (naturally fermented soy). I am yet to try it...

[Tiggerwoos]

I bought a raw hemp milk maker the other week that does the same job as the soy bean milk maker.

Can't say I'm that keen on it. It's a bit bland, but not inedible. I will try and experiment with almonds to see whether almond milk is any better though.

[RawVegan]

Originally Posted by veganblue

- Here in the Antipodes we have premade soymilk too... I think there are at least a dozen brands. You can get regular, low fat, calcium enriched, B12 fortified, high iron, etc plus flavours like chocolate, strawberry, caramel, cappucino, vanilla and banana. You can also get the fresh stuff in the fridge if you aren't interested in the convenience of the longlife varieties. I use a lot of soymilk - so making it myself is not only rewarding it's also economical.

Ok, Alistair; so maybe that seemed a stupid question, sorry. And, maybe i seem 'ignorant' for asking it? However, i've actually had several people i chat with online, in various regions of the civilized world, tell me they didn't know where they could get any of these dairy alternatives; hadn't seen any, etc.....which was probably more of an 'excuse' than anything, not to give up consuming dairy products!
*sigh*

Originally Posted by veganblue

I think that coffee wouldn't taste the same if you didn't roast it first...

Very true, sure; not that i like the thought of that much, either.....but we drink very little of it; reverse-osmosis purified and remineralized water is what we drink most of, all day long.....plus *some* herbal teas, although they are also heat processed by the boiling water to infuse them, of course.

Originally Posted by veganblue

As Bowwowmeow says - raw mature soy beans are toxic and contain tripsin inhibitors which is why you have to cook mature soy beans to make them edible. The tripsin inhibitors are proteins that are denatured by heat and can be safely digested. There is a lot of talk about eating primarily fermented soybean products - but I am also concerned that ferments have high levels of nitrosamines which can cause genetic damage, leading to oncogenesis. Some fermented foods are beneficial - just not too many. As always, moderation is the key.

Wow; thank you for all this information re: soy beans and 'trispin inhibitors', Alistair.....very interesting; i'm rethinking the use of soy milk now.....since they aren't edible in their natural state, and need their proteins radically altered by heat processing to make them 'safe' to consume.....hmm; so therefore, probably not something appropriate for our consumption. I'm a bit upset now, that i haven't really looked into this before.....so thank you; this is very enlightening for me. I've also read about ferments being harmful to consume; i remember reading about that in 'Alive Magazine' back home, years ago.....hmm; i don't know if mom might have copies of any of them somewhere, still; but, i'll try to remember to ask, next time i talk to her!

Originally Posted by veganblue

Commercial soymilk usually has a lot of additives to improve colour, texture, nutrition and palatability. I add a little raw sugar and tiny bit of salt to improve the flavour of mine.

Hmm; 'additives'.....ja; well.....again, thanks for the 'heads up', Alistair! I'll be checking now, to see what sort of 'additives'.....seems it's something we'll probably want rethink using now, anyhow.