Forget the cartons and embrace the creamy, delicious world of homemade nut milks! Making your own nut milk is surprisingly simple, far more affordable than store-bought varieties, and allows you to control the ingredients, ensuring freshness and avoiding unwanted additives. You'll be amazed by the rich flavor and satisfying texture achievable with just a few basic ingredients. Plus, the leftover pulp is perfect for baking or adding to smoothies, minimizing waste and maximizing your culinary creativity.
This guide will unlock the secrets to crafting three unique and refreshing homemade nut milks: the subtly sweet lotus seed milk, the vibrant green bean milk, and the comforting red bean milk. Ready to embark on this flavorful journey? Let's dive into the detailed, step-by-step instructions to help you create your own delicious and healthy nut milk at home.
Tools Needed
- Pot
- Blender
- Sieve (optional)
- Plastic box
- Plastic bottle
Ingredients
- Lotus Seeds (fresh): 500g
- Green Beans: 100g
- Water: 2 liters
- Fresh Milk (unsweetened): 1 cup + 1 cup
- Rock Sugar: 200g
- Condensed Milk: 150g
- Pandan Leaves: a few
- Salt: 1/3 teaspoon
- Green Beans (peeled): 500g
- Pandan Leaves (for green bean milk): 5-60g
- Coconut Milk (optional): 200-300ml
- Red Beans: 300g
- Rock Sugar (for red bean milk): 200g
- Condensed Milk (for red bean milk): 200g
- Salt (for red bean milk): 1/4 teaspoon
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Prepare Ingredients
- Remove the lotus heart from each seed. Rinse and set aside.
- Wash and soak green beans for 2-3 hours. Rinse again and drain.
- Roast 50g of green beans until fragrant and golden brown. Set aside. Wash, soak, and drain the remaining green beans for at least 2 hours.
- Wash and soak red beans for 3-4 hours (or 30 minutes to 1 hour in warm water). Remove any damaged or floating beans.
Step 2. Cook Ingredients
- Combine lotus seeds, green beans, and 2 liters of water in a pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until soft.
- Add the soaked green beans and 1.5 liters of water to a pot. Bring to a boil, skim off foam, and simmer on low heat for 20-25 minutes until soft. Add the remaining 500ml of water.
- Add frozen red beans to 2 liters of boiling water. Bring to a boil, skim off foam, and simmer on medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes until soft.
Step 3. Blend and Sweeten
- Scoop out the cooked lotus seeds and green beans. Blend with half a cup of fresh milk until smooth.
- Return the blended mixture to the pot with the remaining cooking liquid. Add remaining fresh milk, rock sugar, condensed milk, salt, and pandan leaves. Simmer over low heat until hot, stirring regularly.
- Blend the cooked green beans until smooth.
- Combine blended green beans, fresh milk, roasted and ground green beans, rock sugar, condensed milk, salt and pandan juice in a pot. Simmer over low heat until hot, stirring regularly.
- Blend the cooked red beans until smooth.
- Combine blended red beans, rock sugar, condensed milk, salt, and remaining fresh milk in a pot. Simmer on low heat until hot, stirring regularly.
Step 4. Cool and Serve
- Remove pandan leaves and let the milk cool completely. Refrigerate and serve chilled.
- Let the milk cool completely. Refrigerate and serve chilled.
- Let cool and refrigerate. Serve chilled.
Read more: Quick & Easy Dry Chicken Noodle Pho Recipe
Tips
- For a richer flavor in lotus seed milk, add pandan leaves.
- Fresh lotus seeds are more delicious than dried ones.
- Carefully check for and remove the lotus heart to prevent bitterness.
- Cooking the lotus seeds and beans before blending reduces separation in the milk.
- For smoother milk, blend thoroughly or sift after blending.
- Don't throw away the cooking liquid; it adds flavor.
- Roast a small portion of green beans to preserve their aroma.
- Soaking green beans for longer results in a smoother milk.
- Use a combination of shelled and unshelled green beans for a vibrant green color and rich flavor.
- Reduce cooking time for roasted green beans to maintain their aroma.
- Freezing red beans before cooking shortens cooking time and yields a softer texture.
- Don't defrost frozen red beans before cooking.
- Adjust sugar amount according to taste preference. Increase sugar if serving with ice.
Nutrition
- N/A
FAQs
1. Can I use any type of beans for the bean milks?
While this recipe focuses on green and red beans, you can experiment with other beans like black beans or soybeans, but the flavor profile will differ. Always ensure beans are thoroughly rinsed and cooked before blending.
2. How long can I store homemade nut milk?
Homemade nut milk generally lasts for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. For longer storage, consider freezing it in airtight containers for up to 3 months.
Making your own nut milks opens up a world of flavor possibilities and allows you to enjoy a healthy, delicious beverage without unnecessary additives. Experiment with different sweeteners and spices to personalize your creations, and don't forget the versatility of the leftover pulp! Enjoy the refreshing taste of homemade lotus seed, green bean, and red bean milks, and happy blending!