Yes I did it...I’ve made one of my favourites...curds...vegan...yes, that’s right, I’ve made good vegan curds with rejeuvelac as the starter! I’ve always heard that using rejeuvelac as the first time starter gives thin curds, but that’s not true! I got good thick curds from rejeuvelac right at the first time. How? I’ve been trying for almost a year now to perfect a formula and I finally did it! Wonder why I did not try rejeuvelac before! Anyway, here is what I’ve learnt through all my trials. Never use readymade soy milks as they are usually either flavoured or sweetened which does not make good dahi bhallas...or curd rice..which is an all-time South Indian staple. Moreover they are expensive too!
Soy curd: To make thick soy curd at home without burning a hole in your pocket. This makes about 750 ml curds.
Take ½ cup dry soybeans and soak overnight in 1 cup water. In the morning drain out the water, wash it once. Put the soaked soybeans in the blender and add 1 cup water. Blend on high speed until smooth. (We normally have 3 speed settings.) Using a very fine sieve or strainer, strain it out into a clean empty vessel. The first milk is very thick and may take a while to strain. But do not add any water while straining. When fairly done, put the ground beans back into the blender and add another cup of water and blend again. Repeat the straining process. This milk is slightly thinner than the first milk and comparatively easier to strain, so you can get to strain it better than the first time. Repeat the same process and add 1 cup water again and blend and strain. The soy milk is ready to be boiled. Heat this milk. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil until the froth disappears stirring occasionally.
Allow the milk to come to the right temp for setting curds. Add 2 tbsps of rejeuvelac. Mix well and keep aside in a warm place to set for approx. 8 hrs. And tadaaa...your delicious unflavoured soy curd is ready..!
That's my soy curd
Peanut curd: Follow the same formula except instead of 3 cups of water add only 2 ½ cups water. Rest of the method is ditto. Here I must caution you. Peanuts should not be soaked for more than 4 hrs and peanut milk should not be boiled for more than 1 boil. Doing so gives the milk a strong nutty flavour.
And here is my peanut curd
Oh and I made curd rice for my Dairy Alternatives Demo session today and everyone loved it!
That's my demo just getting over...
Soy curd: To make thick soy curd at home without burning a hole in your pocket. This makes about 750 ml curds.
Take ½ cup dry soybeans and soak overnight in 1 cup water. In the morning drain out the water, wash it once. Put the soaked soybeans in the blender and add 1 cup water. Blend on high speed until smooth. (We normally have 3 speed settings.) Using a very fine sieve or strainer, strain it out into a clean empty vessel. The first milk is very thick and may take a while to strain. But do not add any water while straining. When fairly done, put the ground beans back into the blender and add another cup of water and blend again. Repeat the straining process. This milk is slightly thinner than the first milk and comparatively easier to strain, so you can get to strain it better than the first time. Repeat the same process and add 1 cup water again and blend and strain. The soy milk is ready to be boiled. Heat this milk. Bring to a boil. Allow to boil until the froth disappears stirring occasionally.
Allow the milk to come to the right temp for setting curds. Add 2 tbsps of rejeuvelac. Mix well and keep aside in a warm place to set for approx. 8 hrs. And tadaaa...your delicious unflavoured soy curd is ready..!
That's my soy curd
Peanut curd: Follow the same formula except instead of 3 cups of water add only 2 ½ cups water. Rest of the method is ditto. Here I must caution you. Peanuts should not be soaked for more than 4 hrs and peanut milk should not be boiled for more than 1 boil. Doing so gives the milk a strong nutty flavour.
And here is my peanut curd
Oh and I made curd rice for my Dairy Alternatives Demo session today and everyone loved it!
That's my demo just getting over...
Will soaking peanuts for longer than four hours increase the nutty flavor too or is there some other reason they shouldn't be soaked for longer? I've been soaking overnight so if that is harmful, I'd like to stop. But if it's just a matter of flavor then I'm fine with the results I've been getting so far.
ReplyDeleteHi Veganosaurus,
ReplyDeleteSoaking overnight is not harmful from the health point of view. Soaking time really changes with the temperature as Delhi has extreme weather conditions. In winter it takes longer to soak the nuts but in summer soaking them for longer can result in fermentation and spoil the milk.
So excited to see your blog. I am trying to turn vegan. what can i use instead of milk in tea?
ReplyDeleteHey Coral, hadn't seen your comment earlier. Sorry for the long time gap. Hope you have figured out the answer to this question. In case you haven't, I use almond paste as a creamer. Will post the details of how to do it. Take care.
ReplyDelete