It does not matter whether it is black or white. From many Traditional Vietnamese Food, Black Soybean Milk (Sữa Đậu Nành Đen) also known as Black Bean or Black Soya Bean will give you white looking milk just like its cousin, the soya bean. It may not be common for you to find anyone selling this drink out there but you would be surprise to know that the cooking method is the same. If you know how to make black soybean milk, you will also know how to make soybean milk.
The Black Bean Milk tastes quite similar to the common Soy Bean Milk albeit creamier. It is more expensive to purchase compared to the soy bean but once you’ve made a couple of liters of this, you will then realize that the vendors are making hefty profit out of this nutritious drink. The hardest work involved is the milking process – when you have to squeeze out the milk/juice from the blended beans. Ensure that you get a good filter. I used a cotton coffee filter.
Do not keep this Traditional Vietnamese Food longer than necessary. Somehow, my gut feeling is that drinks made from beans are not supposed to last long especially if it did not go through any factory process. Anyway, if you are keen to impress your family or your weekend guests, give this drink a try. It’s nutritious and definitely delicious.
Drain this Traditional Vietnamese Food and place them in a blender. Add some water to cover the beans before blending them finely. Pour blended black soy bean into a large bowl or pot and add remaining water. Strain/sieve the contents through a fine muslin cloth. Place sieved black soy bean milk into a pot, add the pandan leaves and bring to boil very slowly. Ensure that you stir the milk regularly to prevent burning. Turn off the heat immediately upon boiling and allow cooling.
You can either choose to add the sugar whilst bringing the black soy bean to boil or prepare syrup separately or add the syrup prior to drinking. Serve this Traditional Vietnamese Food hot or cold is all delicious. Make sure you will not miss this drink when visit Vietnam. Hope you have a happy trip.
From EZ Vietnamese Cuisine Team.
