Batgirl by Bill Carman

 

The $4.50/litre monopoly that Vitasoy has on rice milk around these parts has become superannoying since I started cooking every day.

I always thought that making your own dairy-free milk was for commune dwellers and lovers of beige cardigans – and maybe it kind of is – but it turns out that it is also easy, cheap and awesome.

If you are one of those rare old school types who like to drink milk by the glassful, this recipe isn’t for you – this milk needs company! – but if you want to make your cooking, baking and tea-drinking escapades lighter on your wallet, this is a cool way to do it.

This recipe yields over one litre of milk for the price of one cup of uncooked rice, a little water and a few minutes work ♥

 

DIY Rice Milk

What you need:

2 cups cooked brown rice
5 cups hot (not boiling) water

and a little equipment:

a blender
a large bowl
a sieve that can sit comfortably atop yer large bowl
a square of porous cloth, a few inches wider than the diameter of the bowl you are using
a whisk (a big spoon will do if you don’t have a whisk*)

 

My milk straining station! I just cut up an old threadbare white t-shirt to use as a strainer; the feet of plain nylon stockings will work perfectly if, unlike me, you can be bothered buying a pair, and will also remove the risk of overflow that comes with using a square of fabric

 

What to do:

Blend rice and water for one minute, until smooth.

Drape the cloth across the sieve, and rest the sieve atop the bowl.

Pour milk onto cloth-covered sieve in small batches, stirring constantly to help strain through the milk. It will take about five minutes. You’ll be left with rice milk in the bowl, and rice meal** in the sieve.

Twist the four corners of cloth up and into the centre to form a cloth covered ball, and squeeze gently with your hands to get the last of the milk out.

Pour milk into a sealable jar or container and refrigerate, using as needed in baking and beverages.

It will thicken up a little in the fridge – thin it out with some water and you are good to go. I use a 1:2 ratio of milk to water, experiment and find out where the sweet spot is for you.

Makes 5-6 cups of milk. Lasts up to 5 days.

 

The finished product. Sooo much easier to make than I thought it would be.

 

* …buy a whisk already!
** The rice meal can be thrown away, or set aside and used as a gluten-free porridge; it’s bland on its own, but yum mixed with the holy trinity of porridge bling: berries, nuts and pure maple syrup