The essential pairing for Youtiao. True Chinese breakfast soy milk is made from scratch, utilizing the slow, methodical soaking and grinding of raw yellow soybeans. It is served either sweetened with sugar, or in a highly complex savory version (Xian Dou Jiang) where the hot milk is deliberately curdled with black vinegar, creating a silken tofu-like soup.
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Soak. Cover the dried soybeans with 3 inches of water and soak overnight (10-12 hours ). They will expand significantly. Drain and rinse.
Grind. Place the soaked soybeans in a high-powered blender with 3 cups of fresh water. Blend on high for 2 minutes until it becomes a milky, frothy puree.
Extract. Pour the puree into a nut-milk bag or a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth set over a large pot. Squeeze the bag as hard as possible to extract all the soy milk. The dry pulp left behind is called okara (discard or save for other uses). Blend the okara again with the remaining 3 cups of water and squeeze again.
. Place the pot of raw soy milk over medium heat. It will foam aggressively. As it nears , reduce the heat to low and skim the foam. gently for 15-20 minutes . It MUST be thoroughly to destroy naturally occurring toxins in raw soy. Stir frequently to prevent burning on the bottom.
For Sweet Dou Jiang. Stir in the sugar until dissolved. Serve hot with Youtiao.
For Savory Dou Jiang (Xian Dou Jiang). In individual serving bowls, place 1/2 tbsp black vinegar, 1/4 tbsp soy sauce, a few drops sesame oil, dried shrimp, greens, and scallions.
The Curdle. Pour the hot, unsweetened soy milk aggressively into the prepared bowls. The acid in the vinegar will instantly react with the hot soy protein, causing it to curdle beautifully into soft, silken clouds.
Top with torn pieces of Youtiao and a drizzle of chili oil.
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