Sweet Soybean Milk
Recipe submitted by Ani Weaver
Nationality/Ethnicity – Taiwan
The Story Behind the Recipe
Taiwan’s political and economic history has greatly influenced its
cuisine. Located about 100 miles off the east coast of China, the
country has been involved in trade with mainland China and Japan for
centuries.
Most Taiwanese drink
sweet soybean milk as their breakfast milk. When I grew up, my favorite
breakfast combination was sweet soybean milk and a big rice ball with
lots of vegetables (sort of like huge Japanese sushi). Sweet Soybean
Milk and a huge rice ball play an important role of my childhood.
Soy beans play an important role in Asian cooking. The beans themselves
are used, as well as flour made from dried beans, tofu made from soybean
curd and soy sauce made from fermented beans. As an interesting
comparison, you might have a can of soy-based infant formula for
children to taste alongside this homemade preparation.
(Note: This will take a couple of days given the soaking time for the
beans, so plan ahead. You also will need an electric blender and a
cheesecloth bag or large piece of cheesecloth.)
Ingredients:
-
1 pound soybeans
-
2 cups sugar
Preparation
Directions:
STEP 1: Put the beans in a large pot and add water. The water
should be three times the amount of soybeans by volume in the pot. (If
the soybeans come up to 2 inches above the bottom of the pot, the water
should be an additional 6 inches above that.) Soak the beans for 12
hours.
STEP 2: Drain the beans and discard the soaking water. Add 7 cups of
fresh water to the beans. Blend this bean and water mixture in an
electric blender in several batches until all the beans are finely
ground.
STEP 3: Place the beans and an additional 8 cups of water in a large
cheesecloth bag. Squeeze out the liquid into a large saucepan and
discard the bean sediment left in the bag.
STEP 4: Heat the soybean liquid over medium heat. When it begins to
boil, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. This will help
remove the strong taste of the beans. Add 2 cups sugar to the milk and
serve warm.
