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Soy Milk Recipe | How to make Soya Milk from Soya Beans [Video Recipe]

Make your own vegan Soya milk from scratch using dried soya beans!

I'll be honest, I'm not a vegan and even less of a milk drinker, but even I love the idea of making my own Soy Milk.

Last year, Gee decided to try out veganism for a short while, and she kept buying these little cartons of Soy milk to add to her tea. Almost every soy milk out there is flavored for direct consumption and we had to look high and low for a plain natural one with no flavors. While we did find them eventually, they still had stabilizers to increase the shelf life of the soy milk. And that got me searching for recipes to make soy milk at home, so she wouldn't need to consume all those chemicals. That is when I first made Soy milk.

I am a cook-from-scratch kind of person, and I like knowing all the ingredients that go into my food. It also gives me a lot of perspective on the effort that it takes to make a certain item that I may have not even a fleeting thought to before. And add to that making Soy Milk is so easy. If you are lactose intolerant or vegan and use Soy Milk regularly, then I highly recommend making it at home.

Why you should make your own Soy Milk:

It is additive free.
It is so much cheaper. Oh yes, the Soy Beans cost me Rs.16 for 200gms and it yielded one liter of Soy Milk. That is actually much cheaper than the regular cow's milk I buy.
You can flavor it how you like it
You can keep it sugar free or add sugar depending on your liking
It is FRESH...

You can use this Soy milk in your coffee, in your cereal and for baking vegan dishes. It can be used to make Tofu too. I will be posting the recipe to make Tofu very soon, watch out for it. You can store this Soy milk in the fridge, however, I suggest consuming it within 2-3 days.

Be warned, homemade fresh Soy Milk has a strong smell of soy unlike the packaged soy milk. You can add a teensy bit of vanilla to the milk if you find the smell overpowering.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook, tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo #oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com. I'd love to see what you are upto.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family!

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Video Recipe

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Soy Milk Recipe

How to make Soy Milk from Soy Beans. Vegan milk. Recipe to make soya milk from scratch.

Recipe Type: Beverage
Cuisine: Asian
Prep Time: 8 hours
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 9 hours
Yield: 1 liter

Ingredients:

1 cup dried Soya Beans (200 gms)
10 cups Water

Method:

1. Soak the soya beans in 4 cups of water for 8 hours.
2. Drain out the water after 8 hours.
3. Add the soya beans to a blender with 2 cups of water and blend to a smooth paste.
4. Boil 4 cups or 500 ml of water in a large pot.
5. Add the soya bean paste to the water and allow it to come to a boil.
6. Lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. Keep stirring with a wooden spoon in between. Keep an eye on the pot, because soy milk has a tendency to overflow.
8. After 10 minutes, remove the pot from heat and strain using a juice strainer or a muslin cloth.
9. Store in a clean vessel in the fridge for 2-3 days.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Homemade Creamy Yogurt

Vegan Thai Green Curry

Vegan healthy soup made with white miso, wholewheat noodles and fresh vegetables

Miso Noodle Soup

Dahi Bread Chaat Recipe

Toasted bread layered with crispy papdi and boiled chickpeas, topped with sweet yogurt, a mix of chutneys,spices and pomegranate seeds!!

Indian street food, chaat, made with bread, yogurt, chutneys and spices

Happy Tuesday! I hope all of you had an awesome fun filled weekend. I sure did. In fact, I had a fun filled week!

If you follow me on Instagram, you would know, I was out vacationing the last week in Karkala at my in-law's place. I met a lot of relatives, ate a lot of good food and visited a lot of places. And my favorite among them was this beautiful little Jain temple at Varanga. Set amidst a lake and surrounded by greenery, it was mesmerizing. The temple is 850 years old!!! Check out the pics on Instagram.

There was also a TV serial shooting going on there, so we had some of our own fun directing it among ourselves, we created so many story lines in a short span on 10 minutes. Don't you just love making up your own movies? I definitely do.

Now back to my recipe - Dahi Bread Chaat. I asked a few of my readers who I know personally what they would like me to publish, and a few of them wanted quick snacks, so here it is. This Dahi Bread Chaat is my take on Dahi Bhalla, only it is super instant. No soaking, no grinding, no frying. Healthy and ready in a jiffy. Could you ask for more?

Dahi Bread Chaat is made by layering a few goodies like papdis and boiled chickpeas along with plain toasted bread and soaking them in generous portions of dahi (yogurt), tamarind chutney and green chutney. A dash of spice and a sprinkle of fresh pomegranate seeds and you have a delicious healthy snack to squash that evening hunger. The recipes for baked papdi, yogurt, tamarind chutney and mint-coriander chutney are all available on the blog, however, you can also buy them in stores or online here- Date and Tamarind Chutney, Mint Chutney,

Dahi Bread Chaat is the perfect dish, if you are personally catering to a small group of friends or family or kitty parties. It requires minimal prep and can be assembled quickly, so you won't be spending all your time in the kitchen instead of mingling with your loved ones. This is also ideal as an after school snack for kids.

To make this dish vegan, use any vegan yogurt such as soy yogurt or cashew yogurt.

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Dahi Bread Chaat Recipe

Dahi bread chaat - Indian street food with toasted bread layered with crispy papdi and boiled chickpeas, topped with sweet yogurt, a mix of chutneys,spices and pomegranate seeds.

Recipe Type: Snacks
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients:

4 slices Brown Bread
1 cup cold Yogurt
0.5 cup boiled Chickpeas
12-15 Papdi
3 Tbsp Date Tamarind Chutney
3 Tbsp Mint Coriander Chutney
0.5 cup Pomegranate Seeds
1.5 tsp powdered Sugar
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Chaat Masala
2 Tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Whisk the yogurt and add the powdered sugar to it. Mix well and chill till you are ready to assemble the chaat.
2. Toast the bread and cut the bread into 9 small pieces.
3. Divide the papdi and layer in the plates that you will be serving the chaat in. The following instructions are to be repeated for each plate.
4. Place the bread over the papdi.
5. Add the chickpeas to the plate.
6. Now spoon the whisked yogurt over the plate.
7. Drizzle the sweet date and tamarind chutney and the spicy mint coriander chutney.
8. Sprinkle red chilli powder, cumin powder and chaat masala.
9. Sprinkle salt as required.
10. Add fresh pomegranate seeds.
11. Garnish with the chopped coriander leaves and serve.

If you liked this, you may also like:

How to make shakarakand or aloo chaat recipe at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com

Sweet Potato Chaat

Pani Puri

popular street food made from puri, peas and a spicy gravy

Masala Puri

Baked Papdi | Carom and Cumin Crackers

Guilt free baked popular Indian snack made from wholewheat flour and spices...

popular Indian snack - baked flat discs made of four and spices

Hiya folks!!

This is my first outstation post in a long time. As you must have read here, I am not in Bangalore, but at my in-laws place near Mangalore on the West Coast. I've been enjoying my time off but definitely not the heat. We can feel the full effect of summer out here. I'm just thankful for the bursts of rain at night which make it cool enough for me to sleep.

And of course, the ice creams!! If you have come to Mangalore and missed the ice creams here, you have missed out on a lot of deliciousness. From when I can remember, Mangalore had the best ice creams ever!! I never miss a chance to hog on those when I'm out here.

While the ice creams are tempting, this post is not even remotely related to ice creams, but I could really not get them out of my head. This post is about a much healthier snack - Papdis, that have been baked. Papdi are just flat discs made from wholewheat flour and flavored with some spices. Traditionally these are deep fried, but I baked them, just to keep them guilt free. And they tasted just as delicious, but now I can eat a lot more without worrying.

Papdis can either be eaten as a tea time or mid day snack or can be added to other dishes, most popularly - Chaats. Chaat is a collection of Indian street food and many of them use papdis as the building blocks for them. They are the crunch element of the dish. They are added to Masala Puri, Papdi Chaat, Sev Puri etc. You can either make plain papdi, where you don't add any spices but personally I like ajwain (carrom) and jeera (cumin) a lot, so I never skip them out.

Also, I suggest get on to making papdis fast and log onto the blog soon. I have a new recipe planned that uses these crunchy papdis in a simple yet fabulously delicious dish.

Until then, goodbye from the West Coast!

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Baked Papdi

Flat round discs made with flour and spices, a popular vegan Indian snack.

Recipe Type: Snacks
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 80 minutes
Yield: 75 papdi

Ingredients:

0.5 cup Wholewheat Flour (50 gms)
0.5 cup All Purpose Flour (50 gms)
0.5 tsp Carrom seeds
0.5 tsp Cumin seeds
3 tsp Oil
0.5 tsp Salt
0.75 cup Water
Oil for brushing
Wholewheat flour for dusting

Method:

1. Take wholewheat flour, all purpose flour, carrom seeds and cumin seeds in a large bowl.
2. Add the oil and salt. You may need less/more salt, so add it little by little.
3. Start by adding half the water and knead the dough. Add more water by the spoonful as required.
4. The dough should have a stiff consistency.
5. Cover and rest the dough for 20-30 minutes.
6. Divide the dough into 2 balls and roll one of them out until it is 1 millimeter thick.
7. Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into papdis. You can also use a bottle /box cover to do the same.
8. Do the same with the second ball of dough.
9. Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius.
10. Grease a baking sheet and place the papdis on it in one layer. They should not overlap.
11. Using a fork, prick holes into the papdis.
12. Brush oil over them and bake until golden.
13. Mine took 14-15 minutes to bake. If the papdis are rolled out thin they will start burning, so I suggest checking on them after 12 minutes.
14. Allow the papdis to cool completely before storing in an air tight box.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Baked Chapati Chips

Baked Sweetpotato Chips

Sun dried Potato Chips

Mushroom Palak Recipe | Spinach Mushroom Curry

Delicious vegan spinach and mushroom curry that can be cooked up in no time at all. Healthy and tasty!

Mushrooms cooked in a vibrant spinach curry

How has the week been for you guys? Remember, when I told you how awesome last week was? Well, this week's been kinda okay in comparison. I've been alone at home this week with Raj on a long forced vacation. He had to take 2 weeks off work as per company policy and so he did. He is right now spending time with his parents and sis at their house and I'm all set to travel there today. So while he's away I've been watching endless reruns of "Small Wonder". You remember that show? The show is literally as old as me. But I'm loving the simplicity of the show and it is just plain cute. I miss TV of the 90's. Right now there is barely a series on TV that I can watch without wanting to flip channels.

Back to today's recipe. So when Raj is away or skipping a meal, I only have one thing on my mind - Mushrooms!! The man won't eat mushrooms and it is super boring when I have to cook different things for him and me. So I use the few chances I get to hoard up on Mushrooms. I love Mushrooms and I love Spinach, so what's not to love in a marriage of the two.

While I'm utterly disappointed with my photos for this recipe, I really could not seem to get a good delicious picture. I know I tried, I added props, removed props, changed backgrounds, but nothing seemed to work. But I did not want to keep myself from sharing this recipe, so forgive the photos. It tastes much better than it looks.

So this is actually a very simple vegan curry. It starts by making the spinach puree. There are no filters in the photos, the spinach gravy is really that green. And I'm going to share my secret of How to make the vibrant green gravy

Never ever cover spinach while it is cooking or while it is hot. That's it! Cook spinach in a open pan always.
First boil the water, add the spinach and let it bubble for 4-5 minutes, then remove the pan from heat and let it rest for another 3-4 minutes.
Drain out the spinach and dunk it immediately in cold water. The spinach has to cool down before you move on.
Once the spinach is at room temperature or cooler, puree it. You can add ginger, garlic or green chillies while pureeing the spinach.
Now you have the vibrant green gravy. You will be cooking the spinach again, along with the mushrooms in this case, keep in mind to never cover the spinach, else you will lose the vibrancy.
Also to store this curry, allow the spinach to cool to room temperature before closing the pan/box, so that the color is retained.

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Mushroom Palak | Spinach Mushroom Curry

Curry made by cooking button mushrooms in a vibrant green spinach gravy.

Recipe Type: Side
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Total time: 60 minutes
Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients:

150 gms Button Mushrooms
300 gms Spinach (3 cups)
2 tsp Oil
0.5 tsp Cumin seeds
1 tsp finely chopped Garlic
1-2 finely chopped Green Chillies
Salt to taste
Water as required

Method:

1. Heat water in a large pot or pan.
2. Once the water comes to a rolling boil, add washed spinach to it.
3. Allow the water to bubble for 4-5 minutes without covering the pan.
4. Remove from heat and allow to rest for 3-4 minutes.
5. Drain the spinach and submerge it in cold water or wash it with cold water until the spinach comes to room temperature or cooler.
6. Grind the spinach into a puree along with the garlic and green chillies. Keep aside.
7. Clean and halve the mushrooms.
8. Heat oil in a pan and add the mushrooms.
9. Add a little salt and allow the mushrooms to sweat.
10. Once the mushrooms are cooked to your liking, add the spinach puree and simmer for 5 minutes.
11. Add salt to taste and mix well.
12. Serve hot with phulka or rotis.
13. To store the Mushroom Palak for later and not lose the vibrant color of the spinach, allow the curry to cool to room temperature and only then cover it and store in fridge

If you liked this, you may also like:

Chhole Palak

Palak Paneer

Mushroom Cafreal

Homemade Yogurt Recipe | How to make thick creamy yoghurt at home [Video Recipe]

Making yogurt at home is easier than you think. Follow the recipe to make thick creamy plain yogurt at home.

Yogurt forms an integral part of the Indian cuisine. No meal in South India is complete without a serving of yogurt or curd rice and North Indians love for the Lassi needs no explanation. Yogurt is used in raita (salad with yogurt), kebabs, chaats, beverages, biryanis and so many more ways out here.

Pretty much every house in India makes a fresh batch ever so often. I remember times, when if you wanted yogurt, you had to make it at home or borrow from your neighbor. It was never packaged and promoted as a super food with so many health benefits. It is only in recent times, I see the market flooded with flavored yogurts. While flavored yogurts may be the go to snack over chips, it is still high in sugar and not as healthy as it is probably perceived to be. The best yogurt out there is still the humble plain one which is made with just milk and no other additives.

A lot of people who think making yogurt is actually difficult, but believe me once you see the video below, you'll know it is the easiest thing in the world. And once you see how easy it is, you'll never (probably) buy another jar of yogurt, unless of course, you are using it as a starter or a mother.

Advantages of making Yogurt at home:

Zero adulteration - Some manufacturers add corn starch to get a thicker yogurt. Making at home will ensure that the yogurt is pure.
Less calories - Since plain yogurt, it just that, plain, it is up to you to decide if you want to add any sweetener and how much of it. Top it up with fresh fruits and a spoonful of honey for a healthy snack.
Pure happiness - Happiness on a job well done. A thick set yogurt can make you very very happy.
Less plastic for the world to digest - Make yogurt in stainless steel boxes or glass and rid the world of unnecessary small plastic jars.
No additives - A lot of manufacturers add food coloring to flavored yogurt to make it appealing. Zero coloring in the homemade version.
And so many more.... just google around

Yogurt is a good source of probiotics that aid in digestion. It is considered to cool the body and hence, is extremely popular in a hot tropical region like India. It is full of calcium, vitamins and is a decent source of protein.

Follow these tips to make the PERFECT batch of yogurt:

Use the best quality milk - Use milk with a higher fat content to make a thicker yogurt. I use milk with around 3% fat and I still get thick yogurt (not as thick as Greek yogurt).
Use a clean vessel to make the yogurt to prevent the milk from curdling. Use a stainless steel or a glass jar to set yogurt.
Never ever insert a spoon or any foreign object into the vessel while the yogurt is still setting, it will cause the yogurt to split into curds and it will not set well. Instead, gently tilt the vessel, if the milk is still liquid, then it needs more time. If the milk has set, it will be solid.
At room temperatures of around 25-28 degrees Celsius, it takes around 8 to 10 hours for the yogurt to set. If the temperature is lower, you have to find a warm spot to rest the vessel in. Either keep it in sunlight, or preheat the oven to around 40 degree Celsius and turn it off and keep the vessel in the oven and check on it in 5-6 hours. If the temperature is higher than 28 degrees Celsius, check if the yogurt is set within 6-8 hours.
Yogurt tends to get sour, the longer it stays at room temperature. To make a really sour yogurt (excellent for making buttermilk), keep it at room temperature longer. To make a blander yogurt, keep it in the fridge as soon as it sets.
Always store at least one teaspoon of yogurt aside to use as the starter/mother for the next batch. If you are a first timer, just use a spoon of store bought plain yogurt as the starter.

If it doesn't set right the first time, don't fret. It takes a little practice to get the technique right.

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Video Recipe

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Homemade Yogurt Recipe

How to make thick creamy yogurt or dahi at home.

Recipe Type: Side
Cuisine: International
Prep Time: 0 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Total time: 8 hours
Yield: 500 ml

Ingredients:

500 ml Pasteurized Milk (boiled and cooled)
1 Tbsp Yogurt

Method:

1. Heat milk until lukewarm. When you dip your finger in it, the milk should feel slightly warm.
2. Remove milk from heat and add the old yogurt culture. Mix well.
3. Cover and leave undisturbed in a warm place for 8-10 hours.
4. Check out the tips above to make the perfect yogurt.
5. After 8-10 hours, the yogurt is set.
6. Save the leftovers in the fridge.

If you liked this, you may also like:

rose yogurt beverage smoothie curd flavored drink Indian Punjabi

Rose Lassi

Bircher Muesli

Dahi Kebab

One Pot Corn Spinach Pilaf | Corn Palak Pulao Recipe [Video Recipe]

Corn Spinach Pulao - Delicately spiced Indian pilaf made with fresh spinach, sweet corn and whole spices.

Indian rice pilaf made with corn, spinach and whole spices

This Corn Spinach Pilaf / Corn Palak Pulao was long in the making.

To those who are new..ish here, we have a small balcony garden where weve been growing a few greens and vegetables. I love eating what we grow, I know it is genuinely organic. There is no pleasure greater than knowing that the food you eat is as healthy as it should be. We feed our plants with compost that we make at home again. Around 1.5 years ago, we started composting our kitchen waste and have not looked back since. Again, that is one soul satisfying venture that lets us keep garbage out of land fills while making enriching compost for our own garden and all it takes is 10 minutes of our time daily.

A few weeks ago, I planted spinach in one of the grow bags out there. If you are just starting out in gardening, spinach is the first thing you should grow. It grows so easily. You plant it and water it once a day and you will see those tiny green leaves popping out in no time. And you now have a fresh supply of baby spinach ready to pluck when you want.

When I have home grown vegetables, I usually make a salad or something similar to let my veggies shine. This Corn Spinach Pulao is exactly that. It is simple, delicate, fragrant and so super easy to make. This is a classic OPOS dish - One Pot One Shot.

To make the perfect Corn Spinach Pulao, use the best quality ingredients. This is a very simple dish, so there is nothing much to hide behind. Select the best Basmati Rice, preferably something that is long grain and aged. You can use either fresh or frozen corn. And definitely, use the freshest spinach you can get.

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Video Recipe

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Corn Spinach Pilaf | Corn Palak Pulao Recipe

Corn Spinach Pulao is a delicately spiced Indian pilaf made with fresh spinach, sweet corn and whole spices. Vegan and gluten free.

Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: Indian
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1 cup Basmati Rice
2 cups loosely packed Spinach leaves
0.5 cup Sweet Corn kernels
1 large Onion
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
2 Tbsp Oil
0.5 tsp Cumin seeds
0.5 tsp Caraway seeds
1-2 Cloves
1-2 Green Cardamom
1 strand Mace
1 Bay leaf
0.5 inch Cinnamon
1.5 cup Water
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Wash the basmati rice 4-5 times until the water runs clear. Soak and keep aside for 20 minutes.
2. Slice the onions. Wash the spinach thoroughly and chop it.
3. Drain the rice and keep aside.
4. In a large thick bottomed pan, heat oil.
5. Once the oil is hot, add bay leaf and cinnamon.
6. Add all the other whole spices and fry on low heat for 1 minute.
7. Add sliced onions and fry for 1-2 minutes
8. Add ginger-garlic paste and fry until the onions turn golden brown.
9. Add chopped spinach and sweet corn. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes until the spinach wilts.
10. Add the basmati rice and water.
11. Add salt as per taste. The water should be salty when you taste it.
12. Cover and cook on low heat until the rice is cooked. It should take around 15-20 minutes.
13. Serve hot.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Ghee Rice

Raw Mango Rice

Methi Rice