Drink, Eat, Exfoliate.

Eat, pray, love? Nahhhh. Let’s drink, eat, and exfoliate. I am talking about homemade soy + barley milk.

Growing up, soy milk is a familiar breakfast item—a favorite childhood breakfast menu of mine was pairing a Taiwanese rice ball (飯糰 fan-tuan) with a bowl of slightly-sweetened soy milk. The items, prepared on the spot, were always fresh and hot. The experience has influenced me to prefer taking my soy milk hot rather than cold. It is also why I love making soy milk from scratch. There’s nothing quite like taking a sip of freshly prepared soy milk. And if you don’t believe me, then just believe this recently discovered homemade soy-barley milk recipe!

The Health Benefits

Are you still thinking of soy milk as a dairy milk replacement?

In the case of soy-barley milk, there is no such thing as having too much of a good thing.

Soy milk is rich in vitamins and minerals, including vitamin B and vitamin E. Vitamin B promotes cell health and supports proper nerve functions; vitamin E, which has antioxidant properties, helps keep vision, blood, brain and skin healthy. The plant-based drink has no cholesterol and very little amounts of saturated fat. It is also high in protein.

Barley, which can help stabilize blood pressure and lower high cholesterol levels, protects the heart against various cardiovascular diseases. The nutritious, high-in-fiber grain also helps with weight loss and detoxification, boosts immunity and improves skin.

In addition to the added health benefits, taste-wise, barley also enhances soy milk’s texture, resulting in a silkier, creamier sip. Let’s get started!

The Recipe

Barley Soy Milk

1. Wash soybeans and barley. Soak the two ingredients for 5-6 hours. Keep in mind how many cups of soybeans and barley you used, you will need these numbers for the next step.
2. Strain. Add water and blend soybeans and barley in a blender for approximately 3 minutes. My recommended ratio is 1 (dried soy beans) : 1 (dried barley) : 20 (water). If you can’t accommodate the total amount of water in your blender, add the residual cups of water in step 3 when transferring the mixture to a pot.
3. Transfer the blended mixture to a pot. Heat uncovered on low fire until boil and turn off the heat. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
4. Let mixture cool. Strain. To achieve extra silkiness, lay a cheesecloth over strainer.
5. Enjoy soy + barley milk! Sweeten if desired.

The More

Easy right? The simple recipe also comes with amazing perks.

• Use the leftover soybean-barley mixture to make falafel-like patties. These nutritious patties are high in many micronutrients and a good source of fiber and protein. They also freeze well for future consumption.
• Face mask or exfoliate–barley exfoliates and cleanses the skin thoroughly and gently. Beware, soybean barley home remedies can get messy.

Drink, eat and mask/exfoliate away!