Homemade Soymilk and An Introduction to Okara

There’s nothing quite like the comfort of a mug of piping-hot, fresh soymilk. It’s local, straight-from-the-source milk, and there’s no udders involved! Even better, it’s an idiot-proof process, granted you own a soymilk maker. (If you don't, perhaps you want to invest in one.) Step aside, Vanilla Silk.

Start by covering about 2/3 cups of dried soy beans (or however much is recommended by your soy milk maker) with water and soaking at least 6 hours and up to a full day

The beans will plump up after a nice long soak.

Drain and rinse the beans through a fine mesh strainer.

Put the beans in your soymilk maker and fill with the recommended amount of filtered water. (Mine uses about 6 cups.) Press a button, sit back, and let the machine do its thing.

When it’s done, pour the milk through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth if you have an ancient soymilk maker like I do. If you own a newer model, there’s probably a strainer built in. Pour yourself a big glass and gulp it down, you deserve it.

You’ll also be left with a big glob of something that looks like mashed potatoes.Don’t toss this stuff! It’s the leftover soybean pulp, called “okara.” It’s actually super nutritious, chock full of fiber, protein and vitamins. You probably don’t want to eat this straight up, because it tastes like soy flavored wet sand, but it can be used to add moisture in a variety of baked goods. In fact, the only reason I wrote this post is to introduce you to this magical ingredient. My next three posts will feature creative okara recipes that will have you devouring this gritty superfood with relish. (You can also freeze it in a ziploc bag for later. Just thaw before using as directed in the recipe.) Please stay tuned!

#okara #howto #breakfast