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Living in Consciousness ~ Indi(r)a’s Food and Garden Weblog

Home Made Soymilk

Homemade Soya Milk

I was looking for recipes to prepare soymilk at home for a while now. The reason ofcourse is the recent pricehike of commercial soymilk. In big warehouse shops like Costco, the price for 3 packets of ‘Silk’ brand soymilk was 4 dollars, few years ago. It is now around 8 dollars. Vijay and I, we both like soymilk – for cereal, for cooking and whenever we feel like drinking something refreshing particularly during summer months. Cold soymilk has been our drink of choice. But now with the recent price increases, I’ve been feeling little reluctant to pay that kind of price, it felt like ‘organic’ kind of ripoff.

That’s when I found this clearly described recipe at fellow foodblogger/chef’s blog “Tasty Bytes” for home made soymilk. I had to give it a try. I brought some books from the library and also googled; what I found out was there are mainly two ways to prepare soymilk.

1.Soybeans are soaked, cooked first & then pureed to extract the milk.
2.Soybeans are soaked, pureed first to extract the milk& then the milk is boiled. (This method is traditional Japanese way of preparing soymilk according to this book.)

I was pendulating which method to follow, because this is my first time preparing at home and I wanted it to be a success taste wise. Well, I left it for Vijay and he chose the second method – Puree, extract and then boil. So last weekend, for the first time, we prepared homemade soymilk. I could not believe how easy it was. The whole thing of extracting the milk took about 30 minutes, that’s all.

What about the taste – we added vanilla and honey for flavoring and tasted the chilled soy milk. It has a strong, more robust flavor than the commercial vanilla soymilk. Not off-putting at all, but again we are motivated to like it :). Adding vanilla and honey was a good choice, because we are accustomed to vanilla flavored, mildly sweet commercial (Silk brand) soymilk. For those of you who ask, why soymilk, what’s so special about it? – We prefer it mainly because it’s a guilt free, hormone and cholesterol free choice we have available here. And soymilk is high in protein and rich in iron but low in sodium, fat and calcium. Also we like it for taste… heavy textured but it has a smooth, silky taste.

Dry Soya Beans, Soaked Soya Beans, Rubbed and skins removed Soya beans
Soybeans – Dry, Soaked, Rubbed and skins removed

Recipe:

2 cups of dried soybeans
4 glasses water
2 tablespoons to ¼ cup of honey(or sweetener of your choice)
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
Big pot and cheesecloth (gangi gudda/cotton cloth)

Preparation is real simple and 3 steps.
(1) Soak and rub (2) Blend and extract (3) Boil and chill.

Soak and Rub:
Soak the beans overnight in lot of water. They expand considerably, so take a big vessel and add at least two to three glasses of water for them to soak. By Morning, they will double in size. Rub soybeans with hands to remove the outer covering. The flimsy outer covering will easily separate from the beans and will float to the top. With hand, scoop them and remove. Repeat like this, two or three times to remove the covering. I was able to remove the outer layer for at least 75 percent of Soya beans.

Extracted soymilk and the squeezed out bean pulp
Extracted soymilk and the squeezed out soybean pulp

Blend and Extract:
Pour the beans into a colander to drain the water. Take the beans in a blender and in batches, grind them into smooth puree adding water.

Keep a big pot on the side. Cover it with a cheesecloth or gangi gudda/cotton cloth. Pour the pureed bean mixture into the cloth. Pull the cloth together and twist and allow dripping for few minutes. And then with your hands gently squeeze as much milk as possible. Take care not to squeeze the soya bean pulp.

Do this in batches. I kept the squeezed out soya bean pulp from each batch on a plate. Finally I blended this pulp again two times, adding water, to extract as much soymilk as possible.

Boil and Chill:
Pour the milk through a fine sieve into a big pot. You see white foam (the kind, that forms when you blend urad dal or moong dal) floating on the top of milk. Scoop it with a spoon or with your hand. I did this to clear the surface of milk.

Bring the milk to a boil. Add honey and vanilla. Reduce the heat to medium. Partially covered, simmer it for about 30 minutes, stirring in-between. Just like cows milk, layers of skin (meegada) were forming on top, I removed the skin (meegada) layers to a cup and later added this meegada to the ‘aloo chole’ I was preparing for supper. The meegada skins tasted melting delicious.

Allow the milk to cool to room temperature. Pour into a clean bottle and keep the bottles in the refrigerator to chill. Serve and enjoy.

Homemade Soya Milk
Home made soymilk – all ready for chilling in the refrigerator.


Caution: Extremely acquired taste.
Recipe Source: Foodblog – Tasty Bytes and Cookbook – “The science and lore of the Kitchen
Yield: 1 liter (quart) or two bottles like in the photo above.

Posted by Indira©Copyrighted in Soy (Tofu, Yuba) (Monday April 3, 2006 at 12:42 pm- permalink)
Comments (72)

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72 comments for Home Made Soymilk »

  1. That milk bottle looks so quaint. Thanks for yet another healthful recipe.

    Faffer

    Comment by Faffer — April 3, 2006 @ 12:56 pm

  2. Last summer we were travelling a lot. Saved few bottles of frappuccino from our road trips. πŸ™‚
    Thanks.

    Comment by Indira — April 3, 2006 @ 1:00 pm

  3. Indira:

    You are amazing. I did not even think one could make soy milk at home :). I LOVE silk’s vanilla flavored soymilk and I drink it all the time. As you said, I actually pay a lot of money every week for it. So it is tempting to follow your method :).

    You almost convinced me to give it a try. I will soon, I hope :). There is nothing to loose except time and little energy :).

    Thank you for the post!

    Indira replies:
    Believe it or not, I’ve also felt like you, thought it’s an impossible thing to prepare at home, and also under the impression that I need special equipment to make it at home. I’ve to give the credit to Sandy of Tasty Bytes, her post about homemade soymilk really made it easy for me to try at home. Good post at ‘Tasty Bytes’, give it a read for more tips, before trying at home, LC.
    Thanks!

    Comment by Luv2cook — April 3, 2006 @ 1:09 pm

  4. Wow! You made homemade soymilk. I drink a lot of frappuccino, but never thought of saving those bottles. Those bottles look great and gotta say that you have a lot of initiative!

    Indira replies:
    I love those cute glass bottles. Something about them, I find very attractive. I often use them to store homemade juice etc.,:)
    Thanks Gini.

    Comment by Gini — April 3, 2006 @ 1:38 pm

  5. Soy milk at home…. Look at you! you are amazing with “Soy Milk” preparation. Good work again πŸ™‚

    Indira replies:
    Thanks KK.:)

    Comment by Karthi Kannan — April 3, 2006 @ 1:44 pm

  6. soy milk, wow.
    good work.

    Indira replies:
    Thanks Lakshmi.

    Comment by Lakshmi — April 3, 2006 @ 2:40 pm

  7. I Like soymilk…
    Definetly giving this a try ASAP….
    neat job Indira.

    Indira replies:
    Give it a try, Santhi. It has little bit strong flavor compared to storebought ones.

    Comment by Santhi — April 3, 2006 @ 2:52 pm

  8. I prefer this style of soymilk to the commercial ones like Silk since it has none of the chalky taste that is prevalent in the thin “milk substitute” types of soymilk.

    Your soymilk skins are called “yuba” in Japanese. I like “raw” yuba (as distinguished from dried, I suppose) with just a little grated ginger and a splash of soy sauce. In some Japanese restaurants (and a couple of times at home), I’ve had a pot of thick soymilk simmering on a small portable gas burner at a low temperature, waiting for the skins to emerge one after another. When we become impatient, we can add “nigari” (a kind of bitter sea salt) dissolved in water to make tofu.

    If your soymash (okara) is still fresh, it makes nice fried croquettes (like koftas).

    Indira replies:
    Thanks for your informative comment.
    More than the milk, I liked the skins. They are very tasty and I didn’t know that they are called ‘yuba’ or there are recipes with it.
    I felt very bad to throw out the ‘okara'(soypulp). At first, we thought of preparing ‘vada’ (deepfired fritters usually prepared with some sort of lentils and onions etc.,) with ‘okara’, but because we were not sure about the taste, we discarded it into garbage. Thanks for the tip about making koftas with it. That’s helpful.
    What did you think of the method I followed to prepare soymilk? Is it ok to discard the outer layers of soaked soybeans or did I do major nutritional blunder?
    Thanks!

    Comment by Jason Truesdell — April 3, 2006 @ 2:59 pm

  9. Hi Indira,
    Soy milk wonderful.Let me try by following u r script.
    Vineela

    Indira replies:
    It’s really easy to prepare at home Vineela. Give it a try and let me know how you like it. Thanks!

    Comment by vineelakrishna — April 3, 2006 @ 3:08 pm

  10. Hi Indira,

    I’m so glad you made the soy milk! I happen to have made a batch this weekend for my mom. I’ll have to make another for myself!

    Cheers!

    Indira replies:
    Hi Sandy,
    Thanks somuch! Reading recipe at your blog and your kind response to my question made me do it.
    We really liked the end result and surprised at how easy and inexpensive the whole thing was. We are heavy soymilk drinkers and you saved our budget.:)
    Thanks again!

    Comment by Sandy — April 3, 2006 @ 5:33 pm

  11. Hi
    Indira,where do we get soy nuts in general,my husband likes soy milk a lot & it is very good for health and how much,loose soy nuts cost.

    Indira replies:
    Hi Suvarna, I purchased soybeans at a Chinese grocery shop. I think you can find them at all Asian markets. They are quite inexpensive. I paid three dollars for a packet of 30oz (850 grams) soybeans. I can make atleast 2 batches of soymilk with the remaining ones.
    Hope this is helpful.

    Comment by Suvarna — April 3, 2006 @ 6:30 pm

  12. Ugadi Subhakankshalu!!

    Indira garu, I just discovered your website over the weekend. I have already tried 3 of your recipes! Some of my American colleagues at work have always asked me to point them to authentic food and recipes. I gave them your website address today!

    My husband and I – we are both from Hyderabad (he is from Andhra and I am from Telangana). We now live around Philadelphia now. I am sincerely touched by the authenticity of your recipes. Please know you have found an admirer!

    Thanks!

    Indira replies:
    Hi Aparna, thanks for the wishes and belated ‘Ugadi Subhakankshalu’.
    Appreciate your kind words about my blog and thanks for sharing it with your colleagues.
    Approval of my recipes, from fellow Andhravaallu means a lot to me, looking forward to more feedback from you about my recipes. Thanks!

    Comment by Aparna — April 3, 2006 @ 6:46 pm

  13. Wow! Amazing! I have never ever thought of doing this at home. Now that you have taught me, I got to give it a try.

    Indira replies:
    All credit goes to Sandy of Tasty Bytes.:)
    Thanks!

    Comment by RP — April 3, 2006 @ 9:13 pm

  14. Ahhhaa…i am so glad you wrote about SoyMilk. I’ve always been looking for a good recipe myself, but could not actually get started on making one…but now that it came from an Indian and specially YOU…I have gathered enough courage to try it.
    thanks Indira πŸ™‚

    by the way, the bottle looks so cute…like the ones shown in school books but never got to see one really in use πŸ™‚

    Indira replies:
    You are welcome, Supriya.:)
    Here juices and starbucks cold coffe etc., are packaged in this type of glass bottles. I like to collect them to store homemade juices etc., They do look pretty, don’t they?
    About your question about our school…. Morning and afternoon, twice during interval times, we at our school serve children snacks like biscuits and juice. Currently we don’t feed midday meals to children. Preparing and feeding fullmeals is risky and tough task. But we built a very neat dining hall, so that children can sit and have lunch that they brought from homes in tiffinboxes, or their parents can come during lunchbreak and feed them peacefully and comfortably.

    Comment by Supriya — April 3, 2006 @ 10:46 pm

  15. Hi Indira,
    Myself and my husband are great fans of Soymilk too and my husband being a Vegan, we have trained ourselves to like Soy Milk and various other Soy products. I completely agree with you on the ridiculous pricing of Silk Soy and even other commercial Soy brands recently hitting the market. I was trying to convince my husband about buying a Soy milk processor. Now looking at your blog looks like even thats not necessary. I will have to try this. Thanks for the posting at the right time when I needed it!!!
    Vidhya

    Indira replies:
    We are also like you Vidhya.:)Heavy soymilk drinkers and consume lot of tofu and dried soyballs etc.,.we like how they taste in our curries and cooking.
    Give it a try and I’m sure you’re going to like it.:)
    We can also adjust the thickness of soymilk according to our taste. Add less or more water, while grinding.

    Comment by Vidhya — April 4, 2006 @ 8:44 am

  16. Indira, we also drink soymilk occasionaly but I usually keep the ones that do not need refrigeration so I can have “milk” at all times for baking. But I think I am a bit more hesitant in using soy — knowing how it has been genetically altered. Just like corn, soy has been one of those vegetables that I *used to* love and now I am thinking twice. πŸ™

    Indira replies:
    I agree about corn. They really did some kinky things with it. The kind avialable here tastes real awful, its like eating saccharine.:)
    About soy… this is the firsttime I cooked anything with raw soybeans. and the product I used is from Korea (label says the soybeans manufactured in Korea).
    I wish that we don’t have to pay attention to all these headache things about genetically altered stuff etc., They suck the fun out of eating.:)
    Living and cooking conscious is turning into ‘major work’. πŸ™‚

    Comment by fethiye — April 4, 2006 @ 10:21 am

  17. I just read a book about the rise of the organic food industry, and found out that Silk soymilk does not use all organic beans anymore, but you are still paying premium prices for it.

    In other words, the manufacterer went with using a percentage of cheaper, non-organically raised beans, thus raising his profit margin, without lowering the consumer price, and in fact, raising the price–thus raising the profit margin even further.

    There is a special process that the manufacterer of Silk uses to get that mild soybean flavor–unfortunately, it is a proprietary secret…but I suspect that if you experiment with it, you can figure it out. The guy who figured it out wasn’t a chemist or anything–just a guy fooling around with soymilk.

    Indira replies:
    I really feel like ‘Silk’ brand is ripping us off, Barbara.
    It’s obvious that they are overcharging us and I’m no sucker. I hate to pay that kind of hype induced hike in price, healthy or no healthy.:)
    I read in some forums while searching about homemade soymilk preparation, that they add chalky stuff, also read that they add ricepowder/barley etc., to bland the beany flavor. They are doing something, that’s for sure… turning the customers against the real soybean flavor. Unless you are motivated, it is tough to like the real soybean milk, when you are accostomed to these commercial watered down versions.

    Comment by Barbara — April 4, 2006 @ 10:59 am

  18. This post has inspired me to make my own soymilk at home.Great post,Indira.

    Indira replies:
    Thanks Sailaja.

    Comment by sailaja — April 4, 2006 @ 11:18 am

  19. wow amazing
    SILK will go out of business sooner or later
    Indira, u will become a celebrity chef soon

    Indira replies:
    You are a dreamer and like to kid, aren’t you? πŸ™‚
    Thanks!
    Why anonymous?

    Comment by Anonymous — April 4, 2006 @ 11:37 am

  20. First coconut milk now SoyMilk. Wow ! Indira, you have some patience. Great work .

    Indira replies:
    They are real easy, KR. Almost like preparing for our dosa and idlies, that kind of work. That’s all.
    Thanks!

    Comment by Krithika Ramachandran — April 4, 2006 @ 11:57 am

  21. hmm, I never developed a taste for soymilk. Tried the storebought kind once and didn’t care for it. Maybe the homemade one will be better!

    Fabulous pictures as usual!!

    cheers!

    Indira replies:
    Soy is one of those things, people like it or hate it.
    Homemade one is even stronger in flavor than the commercial versions, SF.
    Thanks!

    Comment by Saffron Hut — April 4, 2006 @ 12:57 pm

  22. Indira – I am impressed with the home made soy milk. I did buy a small batch of silk soy slightly wincing at the price. Since then, I have been ‘sneaking’ it into cereals, coffee and other recipes to check the taste reaction. Drinking it raw is definitely a really acquired taste!

    If we decide to adopt Soy milk into our diet, I will definitely give home made a shot!

    What do you think the shelf life of this would be? Thanks!

    Comment by GaramMasala — April 4, 2006 @ 1:37 pm

  23. Hi, GM:
    This is not one of those food items where you fell in love, the moment you try or get a whiff. That’s for sure.:)
    I’ve read homemade milk can stay fresh upto one week in the fridge, maximum.
    Ours is over by today. We had the last glass of soymilk along with lunch.

    Comment by Indira — April 4, 2006 @ 4:18 pm

  24. Hi Indira- don’t know if you read the comments so far below- kudos to you for taking so much interest in making soymilk.

    Somehow, whenever I buy it it expires unopened. No motivation, I guess. So do you make coffee with soymilk (I mean the instant coffee where you have to heat the milk)? The commercial version (of soy creamer or even soymilk) splits when heated. If the homemade one does not split, I will have a great incentive to try:-)

    Indira replies:
    Hi Mika, I prefer it mainly just as it is, straight from the carton. The only other thing we use it for is – adding it to cereal and sometimes for curries instead of regular milk. That’s all.
    Never tried it with our kind of coffee, for that we use regular kind of milk and we prepare it a special way. For a glass of water, we add only a tablespoon of milk … that diluted. Both of us love that kind of strong, milkfree coffee. πŸ™‚

    Comment by mika — April 4, 2006 @ 5:17 pm

  25. Good one Indira…
    Just thought you’d like to know that there’s a piece of equipment in the market called ‘Soy-joy’that makes it very easy to ‘milk’ soy beans. You can save the okara, and use it to make pancakes (adding eggs, milk and vanilla). They are super tasty and very filling with honey and walnuts.

    Indira replies:
    Thanks AA for the link.
    I checked it, very convenient but I felt the price is little bit expensive. Just regular blender worked fine, so I’m going to stick with what I got, for now.
    Do you use this machine? I’m curious.
    Pancakes with okara… that sounds good, definitely going to try them, thanks for sharing AA.

    Comment by aspiring annapoorna — April 4, 2006 @ 5:33 pm

  26. sorry…that was ‘soy-a-joy’
    Read more at:
    http://www.shellysbreads.com/soy-a-joys_p11.htm

    Comment by aspiring annapoorna — April 4, 2006 @ 5:36 pm

  27. Hi Indira,
    Your blog is really amazing!.The recipes are very well explained in ‘easy english’.I tried out your maamidikaaya pappu recipe for ugadi and it came out really well.Thanks a lot for sharing such wonderful delicacies.I am gonna keep coming for more, for sure !

    Indira replies:
    Hi Jalena, Thanks, appreciate your nice words about my blog.
    I’m glad you had success with the recipe.
    Thanks for letting me know. Looking forward to your feedback on my recipes.

    Comment by Jalena — April 4, 2006 @ 7:36 pm

  28. as u said its an acquired taste I guess, I’ve tasted soy milk only once and hated it! But this recipe looks yummy!

    Comment by shub — April 4, 2006 @ 10:15 pm

  29. Hi Indira,
    as usual, your photo is stunning!
    When I was a kid, my mom made soymilk (and soy pudding) to sell. Her method was pretty much the same as what you did, except she kept the beans skin on (but her machine was giantic). The smell from boiling soymilk was so good… oh yeah, I always fighted with my sisters for the meegada.

    Indira replies:
    Thanks, Gattina.
    Wow, soy pudding and yubas at home, yum… you must be very healthy kids growingup. πŸ™‚
    This is the firsttime I tried this recipe, I’m really happy with the results. Thanks to the very informative comments, I’ve learned newthings also.. about yuba and okara.:)
    I loved the yuba in curry and am already planning to make another batch.:)

    Comment by gattina — April 4, 2006 @ 11:09 pm

  30. I was completely distracted today…I posted the wrong link…this was the one I wanted to send you:
    http://www.epinions.com/content_108180180612
    the company website is soyajoy.com

    My aunt uses this machine (its easy to use…so she can get my uncle to make the stuff most of the time πŸ™‚ )
    I haven’t ever used it on my own. But the soy milk did not have an excessively ‘beany’ taste…it did have a remarkable freshness and crispness to it though (they added vanilla too…which makes it really tasty)

    Indira replies:
    Thanks AA. Lot of information out there about soymilk, it seems.:)

    Comment by aspiring annapoorna — April 5, 2006 @ 1:36 am

  31. Hi Indira
    I am going to surely surely try out this soy milk. Btw where did you get the soy bean. In indian groceries ??

    I have added a link in my blog to yours. Pls let me know if its not ok πŸ™‚

    Indira replies:
    Thanks Revathi for the link, appreciate it.
    China(Asian) grocery shops.

    Comment by Revathi — April 5, 2006 @ 2:33 am

  32. I never did know that one can prepare soy milk at home..Silk sure did taste good- used to drink it while in the US. Here in India, some brands are available, but one can never be too sure about the quality.
    I am going to try that one tomorrow..Thanks Indira for an enlightening recipe, and all the best for the wonderful work that you are doing through your blog
    Warm regards
    Nandita

    Comment by Nandita — April 5, 2006 @ 7:09 am

  33. My son-in-law drinks soy milk (and pays for it on a graduate student income!) so I am taking this information with me when I visit tomorrow (5 hours away from my home). I made Middle Eastern style rice “milk” and rice/almond milk drinks at home, but I never thought of making soy milk, Silk style. My sister used to make tofu many years ago. I love your blog.

    Indira replies:
    Rice/almond milk, I’ve never tried those. Sounds interesting.
    Thanks Charlotte.

    Comment by charlotte — April 5, 2006 @ 10:35 am

  34. Hi there,
    I am Devagi from Singapore and a culinary consultant and author of several cookbooks.
    Your post on soy milk is very good. Here we drink soy milk all the time as the Chinese love it for breakfast to dinner time.
    The skin that is formed on the milk “meegoda” is dried till it is crispy. These is stored in air tight containers and when we do a Chinese stir fried vegetables, the ‘beancurd sheet’ is added to the vegetables to add on more nutrients.
    Sugar syrup can be boiled and the skin is boiled in it and it is served as a dessert.
    Please visit my new blog
    http://www.spice-queen@blogspot.com

    Indira replies:
    Hello Devagi Sanmugan, thanks for contacting me and for your very informative comment.
    I’ll look for beancurd sheets here in Asian grocery shops during my next shopping trip.
    I did check the site you posted with your comment. You are doing a fabulous job, kudos to you, it’s really an honor to see you here.

    Comment by Devagi Sanmugam — April 5, 2006 @ 11:33 am

  35. On your question about removing the skins… I never do that, but I suppose there’s no particular harm done… On the other hand, I would guess it has more fiber, so if you plan to use the okara afterward, it might be better to leave the skins on.

    Sometimes I make a Korean pancake with moong daal, and for that one, if I use the whole mung beans, I should remove the skins after soaking, before grinding the beans up. That’s mostly about texture. Now I’m usually just buying the mung beans already “peeled” and split, so they are small and yellow instead of green.

    There’s a Japanese company called Soyafarm (from Fuji Oil) that makes an interesting soymilk and soy yogurt, but they have a complicated process designed to remove the vegetal flavor of the soymilk. If compared side-by-side with Silk, I prefer Soyafarm’s, but because I actually like soymilk to taste like soy, I usually buy very thick, heavy soymilk from a small Seattle-based Vietnamese American tofu company. It’s not as durable as Silk’s, but the fact that I can buy it straight from the manufacturer while it’s still hot is a plus.

    Indira replies:
    Thanks Jason.

    Comment by Jason Truesdell — April 5, 2006 @ 12:49 pm

  36. Interesting! I’ve been eye-ing on homemade soymilk recipes ever since I bought a power blender. I’ll give it a try soon, Indira!

    Indira replies:
    Hi Kay, how are you? How did the move go? Hope all went well.
    Give it a try, if not for the milk, for the skins that’d form while boiling the milk (malai/meegada). They are real tasty, just like cows milk meegada(aadai?). But unlike cows milk meegada, they have less fat and lots of protein, it seems.

    Comment by Kay — April 5, 2006 @ 7:03 pm

  37. Hey Indira , just made my first batch of soy milk, got a whole bunch of the cream and sediment free!!
    Have dedicated the recipe to you…
    http://saffrontrail.blogspot.com/2006/04/milking-beans.html
    Did u do something will the thick paste left behind (husk and stuff)/
    Regards
    Nandita

    Indira replies:
    Thanks for letting me know, Nandita.
    I didn’t do anything with the leftover soypulp, because I wasn’t sure about how it tastes. But other commentators, who know much more than me, suggested some good recipe ideas, go through them, if you are interested.

    Comment by Nandita — April 6, 2006 @ 9:14 am

  38. Hello Indira gaaru

    Instead of sqeezing out milk , grind the soy with some salt and jeera , pressure cook and talimpu veyyandi. chala bavundi.

    Regards
    Padma

    Indira replies:
    Deni loki chesaaru idi meeru Padma? Annamu loka, chapati loka?
    Meere alochana to chesara ee vantanu? Leda ekkadanna chusi chesaara?
    Sounds good, I’ll definitely going to try. Thanks for sharing.

    Comment by Padma — April 6, 2006 @ 9:40 am

  39. Hello Indira

    mee blog lo soy milk choosi try chestunnanu, grind chesaaka chooste senagappu/minappappu grind chestunna flavor laa anipinchindi.. amma patholi chesedi.. aa style lo idi try chesaanu anthe. just snack laa tinnamu..annam tho kooda tinachu.ginger/mirchi kooda veyyachu ..

    -Padma

    Indira replies:
    Avunu, naaku kuda alagane anipinchindi.
    Chaala santhosham, Padma. Tappakunda try chestaanu, mee recipe ni.

    Comment by Padma — April 7, 2006 @ 2:02 pm

  40. Indira, Thanks for asking! The move went well and the process of settling down is slowly going on. πŸ™‚

    Yep, we call it ‘aadai’ (the layer of milk on top) and I dont like it on milk, but love it when I sneak it into some dishes. I’ll definitely try the soymilk and let you know. I might have to start trying with half a cup or one cup of soybeans though! Less fat and more protein seems like a wonder to me. Gotta try it soon!

    Btw, Indira, I’d suggest limiting soy products not more then thrice a day, for women. I read in a recent magazine from ‘Delicious Living’ that it might change female harmones in a different way.. I dont have the mag now, so I can’t quote it with the exact words, but I remember them saying that it happens even with organic soybeans too and they asked us to limit it thrice a week and not more.. I also read somewhere that an Indian blogger observed her teenage daughter having menstrual problems (delay?) when she gave her soyproducts everyday, but thrice a week worked perfect.

    Indira replies,
    Hi Kay, I’m glad to hear that you are doing well. I am happy.:)
    I came across lot of information while searching for this recipe. I read about soy influencing the hormonal balance too. Sandy of ‘tasty bytes’ (my recipe source) also mentioned about soy health effects.
    Even though I’ve given the impression of out of control with soymilk, believe it or not, I never go overboard with foods and I do maintain moderation, even with soymilk.
    Thanks for sharing this information and bringing the discourse about soymilk to ‘earth’ level. πŸ™‚

    Comment by Kay — April 8, 2006 @ 11:05 am

  41. Hello Indira!
    Wow Soymilk must be expensive in the US! It is very easy to get and at semi resonable prices.. Alot of companies thought dont use whole soybeans so whenIbuy soy milk I am very careful about which brands I buy. I helped a friend make soy milk and it was lots of fun! I heard that more nutrients are extracted when the soybeans are pureed hot?? and that you should try to insulate your blender to keep the internal temp above a critical temp… not too sure if it is true though as I readthis a fair while ago.
    If you want to find good recipes to use the okara for I would suggest looking at some japanese cookbooks, I have seen itbaked into bread… if I see anything good I will let you know.

    BTW I love reading about your school and I am amazed and inspired at the effort and hardwork you and yours have put into it. Have you considered a donation box to help with the costs?

    Indira replies:
    The price increase is mainly because of recent hype in organic, natural kinds of food consumption. Only few brands are there in the market for soymilk and they’ve found a chance to make lots of money now.
    There is lot of information out there about preparing home made soy milk, it’s really overwhelming. The method I followed worked alright and Vijay the main consumer:) was happy with the results. He liked the taste etc., I, on the otherhand liked the ‘Yuba’ – the thick skin of boiling soy milk.
    Thanks Clare, I appreciate your kind words about our endeavour. I am too shy to do that kind of stuff, but I’ll ask for help if I think its really necessary. Thanks again, Clare.

    Comment by clare eats — April 14, 2006 @ 11:09 am

  42. Thanks. I was looking for the method, and got it. You have a simple style of telling what you have done and can visualize the need for others to know. I opened Google and got my answer! Thanks once again; I am going to try.

    Indira replies:
    If you try, let me know how you like this method. Thanks for your nice words.

    Comment by O.M. Bambawale — April 22, 2006 @ 9:40 pm

  43. oh yes! i love making soymilk. and dont forget to use the okara … you can insert a couple of spoons in just about everything and then nothing goes to waste and you get all the nutrition of the whole soyboan!!!

    btw i dont much bother to remove the peels of the soybeans … since i am using the okara, i figure all the peel matter remains in there.

    incidentally the “cornell method” of making soymilk calls for blending the beans in boiling water to preserve maximum proteins.

    Indira replies:
    Thanks for the tips, Aravinda. I’ll remember them for my next try.
    140 rupees a litre is very expensive. aahh.. the things we do and the money we spend in the name of health. πŸ™‚

    Comment by aravinda — April 24, 2006 @ 7:07 am

  44. btw you were commenting about 3 packs of SILK for $4 what about just 1 litre of SILK for Rs. 140 in Bombay. Make it at home for just Rs. 3!

    Thanks for creating such a great site!!

    Aravinda

    Comment by aravinda — April 24, 2006 @ 7:09 am

  45. Thanks for these instructions Indira, I’ve made three batches so far and am tweaking it a bit each time….left the skins on the last time too, and it was all right. Tried using cardamom one time for flavouring, and my roommate loved it but I preferred vanilla. I tried adding calcium carbonate powder as well to match the nutrition of cow’s milk more, but ended up with a chalky sludge settling out at the bottom. Will have to add the calcium directly to my soy smoothies it seems. The okara really builds up, I have been trying to be good and use it but it is a LOT for one person. The best source of recipes I have found is to do Google book searches; you then get better quality (tested ) recipes.

    Comment by Pepper — May 7, 2006 @ 9:25 pm

  46. your tips about making soya milk was helpfull. i wanted to know is there any method to keep the soya from getting spoilt more than atleast a week in refrigrator. whenever i tried it it did not last long than 3 days in refrigrator. is adding vanilla flavour is spoiling it, i don’t know. i had done in the same procedure you said, but i added vanilla after it was cooled just before keeping it in fridge. max. how many days can we keep soya in fridge?

    Comment by shrinivas bhat — May 27, 2006 @ 1:41 pm

  47. Hello,
    I am writing an acticle about Prostate Health and have mentioned your site as a source for Soy recipes.
    I hope that is alright with you.
    I am going to put the article on eight article directories later this week end and hopefully it will bring you visits.
    I find your site very good source of information.
    Thank you
    Richard Haigh

    Comment by Richard Haigh — October 7, 2006 @ 4:43 am

  48. How Much Soy is Safe?

    According to the Soy Online Service, for infants, any soy is too much. For adults, just 30 mg of soy isoflavones per day is the amount found to have a negative impact on thyroid function. This amount of soy isoflavones is found in just 5-8 ounces of soy milk, or 1.5 ounces of miso. For more information on how much soy is too much, see the Soy Online Service guidance page.

    The USDA has launched a website that is promoting the health benefits of use of soy and soy foods. The USDA site lists the isoflavone content of a total of 128 foods, including foods such as vegetarian hot dogs soybeans, chickpeas and tofu. This can help you in deciding how much soy to include in your diet.

    Soy products increase the risk of thyroid disease. And this danger is particularly great for infants on soy formula.

    Study Shows That Too Much Tofu Induces Brain Aging

    From the Honolulu Star-Bulletin

    “A Hawaii study shows a significant statistical relationship between two or more servings of tofu a week and ‘accelerated brain aging’ and even an association with Alzheimer’s disease, says Dr. Lon White. “…these are not nutrients. They are drugs. They will have some benefits and some negative things.”

    Just How Much Soy Did Asians Eat?
    In short, not that much, and contrary to what the industry may claim, soy has never been a staple in Asia. A study of the history of soy use in Asia shows that the poor used it during times of extreme food shortage, and only when the soybeans were carefully prepared (e.g. by lengthy fermentation) to destroy the soy toxins.

    The amount of phytoestrogens that are in a days worth of soy infant formula equals five birth control pills

    Soy also contains a natural estrogen, which is why it is recommended to women at menopause. The president of the Maryland Nutritionists Association, Mary Enig, Ph.D. stated that “The amount of phytoestrogens that are in a days worth of soy infant formula equals five birth control pills.” Dr. Enig believes that soy infant formula may be associated with early puberty in girls and slower physical growth in boys. Others say it may effect fertility and normal brain development.

    Dr. Whitaker on Puberty
    It’s a common lament among parents that kids today grow up too fast ΓƒΖ’Γ‚Β’ΓƒΒ’Γ’β‚¬Ε‘Γ‚Β¬ΓƒΒ’Γ’β€šΒ¬Γ‚Β and they’re right. Children today are reaching puberty earlier than previous generations. According to researchers, as many as 35% of children show signs of sexual maturation such as pubic hair or enlarged genitals or breasts before the age of 8!
    Dr. Mercola – “Soy formula is one of the worst foods that you could feed your child. Not only does it have profoundly adverse hormonal effects as discussed above, but it also has over 1000% more aluminum than conventional milk based formulas.” more

    The Problem of Precocious Puberty Early sexual development, or precocious puberty, is a growing problem around the world; and while endocrine disruptors and oestrogen mimics are implicated, the medical profession generally regards this trend as perfectly normal

    ——————————————————————————–

    America’s Foremost Alternative Doctor Warns Re: Soy

    America’s leading alternative doctor, Dr. Andrew Weil, has said about soy, at his Ask Dr. Weil website

    “ΓƒΖ’Γ‚Β’ΓƒΒ’Γ’β‚¬Ε‘Γ‚Β¬Γƒβ€šΓ‚Β¦you’re unlikely to get too many isoflavones as a result of adding soy foods to your diet — but you probably will take in too much if you take soy supplements in pill form. At this point, I can only recommend that you avoid soy supplements entirely.”

    Research Shows Soy’s Effects

    American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 68, 1431S-1435S, “Effects of soy-protein supplementation on epithelial proliferation in the histologically normal human breast” — Study showed that short-term use of dietary soy stimulated breast cell proliferation, which can increase the risk of breast cancer.
    Anti-thyroid isoflavones from soybean — November 1997 article from Biochem Pharmacol in which “it was observed that an ΓƒΖ’Γ‚Β’ΓƒΒ’Γ’β‚¬Ε‘Γ‚Β¬Γƒβ€šΓ‚Β¦ extract of soybeans contains compounds that inhibit thyroid peroxidase- (TPO) catalyzed reactions essential to thyroid hormone synthesis.”
    Breast and soy-formula feedings in early infancy and the prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease in children. — April 1998 article from the J Am Coll Nutr. that documents the association of soy formula feedings in infancy and autoimmune thyroid disease.
    Soy: The Poison Seed by Dr. William Wong
    This piece will be short and very much to the point. As Americas largest cash crop soy is being touted as having a myriad of health benefits. Far from! Soy is poison, period! All paid for opinion to the contrary.

    Comment by priya — October 12, 2006 @ 8:20 am

  49. […] Using Soy does not have to cost you an arm and a leg in your weekly shopping, you can make your own. See http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi/?p=375 for recipes or see http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/soymilk.html for soy making machines. […]

    Pingback by Blog » Blog Archive » Using Soy does not have to cost you an arm and a leg in your weekly shopping, you can make your — November 9, 2006 @ 10:07 am

  50. Really admirable personality you seem to be. Great to look into the site. I think all Andhrites are lucky, especially those who are away from home.

    Parvathi from Bangalore

    Comment by parvathi — December 1, 2006 @ 8:07 am

  51. […] Using Soy does not have to cost you an arm and a leg in your weekly shopping, you can make your own. See http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi/?p=375 for recipes or see http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/soymilk.html for soy making machines. […]

    Pingback by Information And Tips » Using Soy does not have to cost you an arm and a leg in your weekly shopping, you can make your — December 20, 2006 @ 2:39 pm

  52. Hello indira, Iam bina. I really appreciate your patience. You really creative and its obvious that you are hardworking and sharing your experiences. But here I would like to know if the home made soy milk is less calorific.I dont know much about this but if you can tell us that whether it is good for people who are on diet. Then I would definitely continue to have this milk than having the skimmed dairy milk.

    Comment by Bina — January 13, 2007 @ 5:25 am

  53. Hi Indira – just gave the soymilk a shot. Hmm..I think I did everything right, once the milk started cooling down, it became really thick (i.e., texture canΓƒΖ’Γ†β€™Γƒβ€šΓ‚Β’ΓƒΖ’Γ‚Β’ΓƒΒ’Γ’β€šΒ¬Γ…Β‘Γƒβ€šΓ‚Β¬ΓƒΖ’Γ‚Β’ΓƒΒ’Γ’β€šΒ¬Γ…ΒΎΓƒβ€šΓ‚Β’t be strained). Not sure what went wrong (canΓƒΖ’Γ†β€™Γƒβ€šΓ‚Β’ΓƒΖ’Γ‚Β’ΓƒΒ’Γ’β€šΒ¬Γ…Β‘Γƒβ€šΓ‚Β¬ΓƒΖ’Γ‚Β’ΓƒΒ’Γ’β€šΒ¬Γ…ΒΎΓƒβ€šΓ‚Β’t drink), I think I will end up making halwa.

    Comment by Anandhi — February 25, 2007 @ 7:34 am

  54. […] Using Soy does not have to cost you an arm and a leg in your weekly shopping, you can make your own. See http://www.nandyala.org/mahanandi/?p=375 for recipes or see http://www.wheatgrasskits.com/soymilk.html for soy making machines. […]

    Pingback by Real Life Discussion » Using Soy does not have to cost you an arm and a leg in your weekly shopping, you can make your — March 4, 2007 @ 9:04 pm

  55. Hi Indira,

    I just make my soy milk. I prefer the first method you mentioned. I boil the blended soy beans with the water and then strain the milk. It s very hot (i have to use gloves), but the milk is just milkier.

    I was wondering, do u have any yummy recipes for the okara (soy bean lefotver?) I would love to make a curry or kofta… Any ideas ?

    thanks
    Zlamuska

    Comment by Zlamushka — July 12, 2007 @ 1:18 am

  56. i want to start a business of soya milk please help me

    Comment by need amachine to make soya milk — September 8, 2007 @ 11:08 am

  57. PLease share by sending to my email address the steps of making home made soy sauce? Thanks and more power.

    Comment by Angie — September 25, 2007 @ 8:16 pm

  58. Hi
    My son in on Soy milk as he is allergic to Cow`s milk..We will be visiting India for a vacation…
    Can you please tell me where to buy Soy milk(regular,not powder) in Ranchi,jharkhand ..
    Please tell me brands available locally too..

    Thanks a lot
    P

    Comment by Pallavi — September 27, 2007 @ 6:27 am

  59. why do you have to boil it? any health reasons? thank you

    Comment by cocoflower — December 11, 2008 @ 9:13 pm

  60. THANKS FOR GIVING TIPS ABOUT HOW TO PREPARE
    SOYMILK. WE AT HOEM TRIED TWICE. FIRST TIME
    WE PREPARED ABOUT 1 & HALF LTR OF MILK AND STORED IN FRIDGE. MILK WAS GOOD FOR FOUR DAYS AND NEXT DAY IT BECAME HARD AND SPOILED. SECOND TIME, MILK REMAINED FRESH AND GOOD FOR THREE DAYS ONLY AND BECAME HARD.

    I FOLLOWED YOUR METHOD BUT FAILED TO KEEP IT IN FRIDGE FOR NOT MORE THAN FOUR DAYS. LET ME KNOW HOW LONG IT CAN BE STORED IN FRIDGE SO THAT WE WOULD PREPARE SMALL QUANTITY.

    LET ME KNOW YOUR REACTION ON THIS ISSUE.

    THANKS
    09.04.09

    Comment by M B S PRAKASH — April 9, 2009 @ 12:49 pm

  61. Hi Indira,
    Can we store this soya milk? If yes, for how many days… Can we use ths milk in sweets as an alternative of cow milk?
    However this is wonderful…I will stop paying Rs 75 per week to silk soya products… – Pal

    Hi Pal,
    Homemade soymilk can stay fresh upto a week when refrigerated. It works fine as an alternative to cow’s milk in sweets. But the sweets will have mild soy smell.
    -Indira

    Comment by Pal — August 6, 2009 @ 8:22 am

  62. Thank you Indira, I really enjoyed your site and hope to explore it more thoroughly in the future. Go see the movie “Food Inc” if you have time. It’s a documentary about the industrial food system.

    Comment by Lindsay MacDonald — August 18, 2009 @ 2:15 pm

  63. Hi, Indira! What a pleasure to find your webpages. Once again I’m reading your comments about preparing soy milk , since it occurred to me today that I might use what soy flour I have left to make soy milk. The soy flour is a good quality, though I imagine making the milk from the best whole bean will be my next try. I read through many of the comments, but haven’t found any mention of using soy flour. Has anyone tried this?
    Best Wishes,
    Chana
    resonance/Blue Irises

    Hi Chana,
    Preparing soymilk from soy flour, what an interesting idea! I have never read anyone trying this before. Please let me know how the soymilk came out, taste and texturewise if you try making it from soy flour.
    Thanks and regards,
    Indira

    Comment by resonance/Blue Irises — November 8, 2009 @ 11:19 am

  64. dear indira,
    nice work!
    kindly let me know what you think about comment number 48 which talks about soy safety.
    I have been reading about soy recently and since you seem to know much about this – your informed advice about soymilk safety may be helpful. commercial ads do promote soy but, that may not be correct info. you may email me directly, if you may please.
    dr manish agarwala
    classical homeopath

    Comment by dr manish agarwala — April 23, 2010 @ 5:22 am

  65. Hi! Your recipe is gr8! I make soy milk at home now, all thanks to you… economical… Just wanted to know how (container) and for how many days can we store soy milk. ( I store soy milk in glass bottles in the refrigerator and it gets spoilt on the third day).Any tips for a longer shelf life? Thanks.

    Comment by Disha Mahtani — September 10, 2010 @ 9:03 am

  66. Hi Indira!

    Thanks for this amazing post… I am a vegetarian but recently decided to go vegan… It has been kinda difficult to give up on milk… and here in India, commercial soy milk is really expensive… Now I know more information on soy milk and how to make it. Thanks also for giving link to Sandy’s post. I am going to try making soy milk your way. Will definitely let you know how it went πŸ™‚ Here I am saving ketchup bottles to store soy milk πŸ™‚

    Regards,
    Nithya

    Hi Nithya,
    All the best with your first attempt. Plain soy milk will have typical soy smell which sometimes can be overpowering. Do add some fragrance agents like cardamom or vanilla to tone down the soy smell. Small tip.:) I look forward to reading your feedback.
    -Indira

    Comment by Nithya — January 31, 2011 @ 10:06 am

  67. My mother has been detected with B12 deficiency. i have learnt from various internet sources that soy milk is rich source of B12 vitamin. The recepie mention above .. will it help for vitamin B12 .. ??

    Comment by Kashyap — February 4, 2011 @ 1:36 am

  68. thank you for posting. do you think i can grind my soaked soybeans in my vegetable juicer? it sounds like i would get the results of raw soy juice for cooking up milk, and squeezed soy pulp.
    bonnie

    Comment by bonnie mitnick — March 5, 2011 @ 2:42 pm

  69. I bought a Soyajoy soymilk maker. It’s amazing – takes about 15 minutes to make the soymilk. No fuss no muss. I’ve been making dogbiscuits with the okara – 3 pt okara, 1 pt flour, 1 pt peanut butter. Bake 30 minutes at 350, then deydrate. And you can also make rice milk, almond milk, etc. with it. Laura soybeans (google them) are very mild tasting (like silk), BUT organic non-gmo and from a family farm in the midwest. Check out this website: http://www.soymilkmaker.com/product.html

    Comment by Kate Bird — May 10, 2011 @ 10:50 am

  70. lovely. looking for such a good recipe as my kids love to have soymilk. purchasing soymilk from market does not ensure total health. this is pure & nutritious . thanks.

    Comment by megha saharia — April 27, 2012 @ 11:36 am

  71. hi:) ur receip looks delicious. Thanks for it:)
    But i dont know which soy can be used whether the fresh red coloured soy or the dried soy. Can u plz make me clear abt it

    Comment by pradee — May 15, 2012 @ 10:04 pm

  72. How long is homemade soy good for and is there a way to extend the shelf life?

    Comment by Salvatore — April 24, 2015 @ 3:06 pm

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