Subject: LONG: Making Soy Milk at Home

From: Andrew Evans <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 16:00:01 -0500 (EST)

I originally wasn't going to post this, but after sending it individually to
several folks and then receiving more requests, I decided to go ahead.  
If you aren't interested, get your finger ready on the delete key ;)

Making Soy Milk
---------------

(based on directions from Louise Hagler's _Tofu Cookery_)

Equipment -
2 large pots - stockpot size (big enough to hold the volume of milk you 
               want to make, with some room to spare - I use 1.5 - 2 gal.)
Muslin straining cloth (cheesecloth will do, but muslin is reusable and works
               better)
A large collander or strainer
A blender or food-processor
A heatproof (Pyrex, etc.) measuring cup

Ingredients -
soy beans, soaked overnight in lots of water if dry (I forgot to mention 
               that in my previous posts)
water

Procedure -

* Measure your soaked soybeans to see how many cups you have.  In one 
  stockpot, put 3 cups of water for every cup of soaked soybeans 
  you intend to use.  Bring to a boil.

* Meanwhile, put the soaked soybeans, two cups at a time, into the blender 
  and process until ground into a coarse paste (not too fine, though - it 
  only takes a few seconds in my food processor)

* Stir the soybean paste into the boiling water when it reaches full 
  boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Keep a cup of cold 
  water handy and keep an eye on the boil - in the first few minutes it 
  has a tendency to foam up - if it does, dowse it with some of the cold 
  water to calm it down.  You can also skim off some of the foam, but be 
  careful not to take out too much soy pulp with it.

* Line the collander or strainer with the muslin or several layers of 
  cheesecloth and place it over the second, empty (and clean) stockpot.  
  Remove the soy mixture from the heat.  Using a heatproof (Pyrex, etc.) 
  measuring cup, scoop the soy mixture into the collander, slowly, so it 
  doesn't overflow.

* The second stockpot contains your finished soy milk.  Pour it into a 
  closable container and refridgerate it when it reaches room 
  temperature.  You may optionally sweeten it to taste (which makes it 
  more like cow's milk) by adding a small amount of honey or brown rice 
  syrup (works best, IMHO).  You can also add vanilla if you like.  I 
  generally don't sweeten at bottling time, because you can always add it 
  when you use it, and it keeps longer unsweetened.

That's it!  It's very simple - I've gotten so I can make up a batch while 
talking on the phone, etc.

Making Tofu
-----------

If you make alot of soy milk, you can make tofu as well.  It takes about
two gallons of soy milk to make a useful amount of tofu, and more is even
better.
You can proceed to make tofu by simply following the directions above for 
unsweetened soy milk, then:

* Dilute 1/2 cup lemon juice or vinegar (cider or rice) in 1.5 cups hot water.
* While the freshly-strained soymilk is still hot (about 185F) stir in a slow 
  circular motion with a large spoon or paddle.  Stop the paddle upright to 
  create turbulence and immediately add all but about 1/4 cup of the vinegar
  solution.  Cover to retain heat and let stand undisturbed for 5 minutes.  
  Milk should have curdled into large, white curds.  If not, poke gently to
  activate curdling and add remaining vinegar solution.  Let stand 2-3 more
  minutes.
* Now you have curds and whey.  For extra-firm tofu, place pot back on heat
  and boil the curds in the whey for a few minutes.
* Using a ladle and a small strainer, dip out as much whey as possible - 
  immerse the strainer part-way into the whey and ladle out the whey inside the
  strainer.  You can save the whey - it is a natural detergent and can be used
  to cleanse your tofu-making equipment when you are all done!
* Line a collander with muslin or several layers of cheesecloth.  Dump the 
  curds into the collander and gather the edges of the muslin together to
  cover the curds.  place a small plate that fits inside the collander over
  the curds and place a heavy weight (a half-gallon jar filled with water works
  well) on top.  Press for 20-30 minutes.  The longer the press time, the
  firmer the tofu.
* Remove the cake of tofu from the cloth and store in the refigerator in a 
  resealable container.  Fill the container with water to cover the cake.

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