Soy milk for you and your family (Philips)

Who doesn't love the rich and smooth taste of soya milk? It can be drank cold, which is my favourite or warm. It can also be turned into bean curd jelly, famously known as tau fu fa served with white or brown sugar. I just finished a bowl of tau fu fa for lunch which was quite filling and satisfying.

Soya bean (also known as soybean) is a species of legume native to East Asia and according to Chinese myth, a certain emperor of China proclaimed that soya bean was one of the five sacred plants.

It is a good source of protein which is relatively cheaper compared to other protein source.  Whole soya beans can be cooked, roasted, fermented or sprouted. Traditionally unfermented soya bean foods are soya milk, tofu and tofu skin. While fermented are soya sauce, tempeh and fermented bean paste (naming a few).

Soya beans are good for you because they are:

• high in fibre and protein
• low in saturated fat
• cholesterol and lactose free
• a good source of omega-3 fatty acids
• a source of antioxidants

The traditional method of making soya milk is by soaking, grinding and boiling the soya beans. Sounds quite straightforward but in actual fact it is not. Because it means you need to be present throughout the whole cooking process, blending the beans and making sure it doesn't boil over. It took me much longer to make soya milk the traditional way when compared to using soy milk maker.

My review of the soy milk maker and consumption of soy milk is not as a substitute to milk but as a supplement due to it's goodness and taste. When you begin transitioning your baby off breast milk or formula milk to other types of food and drinks, soya milk can be a good choice. It can complement cow's milk and help diversify baby's protein source. You can also make available in many flavours which may appeal to children who dislike the plain taste of cow's milk.

Philips Soy Milk Maker HD2072

With this nifty gadget, I was able to prepare aromatic and fresh soya milk for my family at a press of a button and within half hour - it takes me longer to go out and purchase a bottle of soya milk. It does require some advance planning but it is worth it when you are sitting back sipping your freshly made soya milk which is free from any additives.

Ingredients

1 cups of organic soya beans (please ensure that the soya beans are Non-GMO and not laced with certain chemicals which help prolong the life of beans and stop early sprouting)

20gm rock sugar (the amount of sugar can vary depending on how sweet you want it or omit sugar and add some brown/white sugar before serving).

Water about 900ml

The method

Wash and soak beans for 6-8 hours or overnight.

Once the beans have soften, discard the water and put the beans and sugar into the soy milk maker together with some fresh water until you reach the minimum line on the inner pan of the soy milk maker.

Cover the lid, plug in your soy milk maker and press 'soya'. It will take about 25 minutes of swirling, steaming and boiling before the soya milk is ready.

This is where this machine won my heart because while it was doing its technological magic preparing soya milk, I was busy playing with my toddler. I did not need to be around watching over it. (Although I must admit, I was a little kiasu and kept running to the kitchen to ensure everything was in working condition)

Once it beeps (indicating the cooking process is completed), sieve it using the doom shaped sieve which comes with the machine. It yield about four cups of soya milk which you can serve warm (immediately) or store it into boiled jars and these jars will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days (mine hardly survived the day because my kids enjoyed the creamy and aromatic soya milk).

Few things to note:

You are unable to change the amount of water because the machine requires you to adhere to its minimum (900ml) or maximum (1100ml) water level mark. However you can play with the amount of soya beans and sugar to suit your palate.

• 1/2 cup soya beans yielded a very thin soya milk
• 1 cup soya beans yielded a very creamy (almost milk like) soya milk
• 1 1/2 cup soya beans yielded a very thick soya milk (was too thick for my liking) 

Using rock sugar instead of brown or white sugar, produced a much more aromatic soya milk with a very subtle distinct taste. 

To get a creamy and not beany taste, you will need to sieve soya milk a couple of times or use a cloth strainer/sieve.

Removing the soya bean skin (after soaking it) is not necessary but I did because I had too much time on my hands.

Results

Making soya milk is quite rewarding because homemade soya milk is richer in taste (creamier) and aromatic. Most store bought soya milk has added preservatives and chances of the manufacturers using non-organic and genetically modified (GMO) soya beans are likely.  It cost much cheaper too if you and your family consume soy milk daily.

Cleaning

Although it comes with an "Easy Clean" button, you will still need to manually clean it, to ensure no residue is stuck to it and thus contaminating it. You cannot submerge the pot and must be careful washing it. There is a waterproof cap which safely covers the coupler for save washing but I still think extra care must placed when washing it. The same apples when washing the twin boomerang-shaped blades because these are attached to the lid which holds all the buttons. the pot is fairly easy thanks to its stainless steel inner pot. However you need to be extra careful when washing the lid because

What do you get with a Philips Avance Collection Soy Milk Maker HD2027

• Five programs to enjoy your drinks easily: soymilk, 5 grains soymilk, rice paste, fruits/veggie drink and vegetable soup.
• 5 recipe cards
• Specially designed sieve
• Measuring cup
• Soya milk cup
• Cleaning pad

Some detailed specification of Philips Avance Collection HD2072/06

• Capacity 1.0 - 1.3L
• Voltage 240 V
• Outer housing is plastic and inner is stainless steel
• Priced RM499

The cost of making soya milk at home with organic, Non-GMO soya beans is still cheaper than store bought soya milk. As mentioned, this small kitchen appliance can make more than just soya milk. Here are some other drinks I made using it:

Strawberry and banana smoothie using almond milk



Vegetable soup which I used as stock to make oats

Banana milk shake

Strawberry smoothie using almond milk

Disclaimer : I am not a licensed Dietician/Nutritionist and the information provided is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, cure or treat any medical or other condition. Always seek the advice of your Heath provider prior to starting any diet.

The best food for your babies is the food nature intended; breast milk. Many studies have shown that babies that are exclusively breastfed have a good immune system and are protected against many diseases like eczema, asthma and allergies, heart disease, type 1 and type 2 diabetics and many more. If you are unable to breastfeed, there are many formula milk available in the market. Please note that, soy milk or cow's milk is not recommended for babies under the age of 1.

Disclosure : I did not receive any form of compensation for writing this review. I did however receive a demo Soy milk maker from Philips (which has been returned), for me to use and share my experiences using it. This article was also featured in Babytalk magazine (April). 

For more recipes, please head over to my Recipes page

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