Teach me how to love soy...!

Hello

Well for various reasons (highest among them being the low rate of breast cancer in the Japanese population!) I'm contemplating making the switch to a diet higher in soy.

The first most obvious thing is to switch to soy milk...which I have never really enjoyed. Any tips on which sort to get that tastes/smells the least offensive for use in tea, on cereal, in porridge, etc?

Also, I love tofu when other ppl prepare it in stirfries, laksa, japanese soup etc but I have *no clue* on what sort to buy, how to prepare it, etc. Any ideas?

i love 'bonsoy' soy milk. it's really rich and creamy- great in smoothies

Hi Marydean,

IMO the only decent soy milk is Bonsoy. It is more expensive than others but definitely worth the extra $$. It doesn't have that 'soy' taste at all - I can't stand any other soy milk.

In regards to tofu my favourite is one called Soyco. It's a silken tofu and I like to crumb it in polenta and lightly fry it in a pan. The polenta makes it crunchy on the outside but still silky on the inside. We serve it with a drizzle of soy sauce (my fav is ABC sweet soy sauce) and a stack of yummy roasted vegies.

Hope that helps!

MD - best to do some more research on soy. The Japanese eat fermented soys like tofu. They eat soy very differently to the way westerners do and due to the way it is added to so many of our processed foods we actually eat greater quantities of soy than they do. So it really is a quality, not quantity issue there. Also I think there is a lot more to lower cancer rates than just eating soy. It is good that you already like to eat tofu, but I doubt there is a real need to switch to soy unless there are other factors there.

Is it the beany taste or the sweetness you do not like? It'd give me a good idea on what brand to recommend. :-) Or do you just want it to taste as "normal" as possible?

I've been a soy bunny for near 8 years now.

The Japanese do drink soy milk. And they invented tofu. But it's not so much the eating of soy that decreases their cancer rates as the nott eating of dairy.
But great thread, stop me of I ramble. Because I could. For hours :)

For your transition to soy, Bonsoy is a great starting point, especially for having on cereal. Caution: it is not gluten free, as it contains barley. It is a bit exxy though, so once you're loving it (we converted MummaB) move on to:

Vitasoy Soy Milky Lite. It's light *yay* and creamy, and doesn't go all yuck in your tea and coffee. Make sure you get the fresh one (in the fridge at the supie, along with all your nregular milk) as pretty much any long life soy is not as good as the fresh stuff - same as normal milk if you think about it.

If you just want to drink some to up your calcium intake, head to the long life section and get some of te So Good Bliss falvoured soy milk. I love Vanilla and Soyaccino (caffeine free) while DH loves the strawberry. I mix mine 50-50 with Soy Milky so I get the flavour but not too much sugar.

For making a white sauce, don't use soy milk. Instead, go to Woolies and in the cream cheese area, there's a product in a white container called Toffutti Better Than Cream Cheese. Dump half a container into some boiling vegie stock, stir and thicken with cornflour slurry. It's delish, especially if you use Massel ultra cubes. Also makes a beautiful creamy pasta sauce.

Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese is also great for making dips in a hurry. Mix it with some pickle or chutney - my current faves are pumpkin chutney or lime pickle - to blow guests away :)

I don't use heaps of silken tofu. I just don't love it.

The firm tofu that I use is called Kingland, I think. It's organic, and comes in a clear package with yellow and orange labelling. My favourite way to cook it is baked with char siu sauce, served with stir-fried cabbage and rice. Also good if it's lightly fried then used in a curry.

Soyco make a range of flavoured tofu cutlets that are really handy to have around. Malaysian Satay is our fave, but I also love Chinese Honey Soy. They don't have to be cooked, but of course you can. Great to chuck into salads, rice paper rolls, or cooked in a stir fry. Also great to take to BBQs etc.

I've got a billion more ideas and recipes all over the shop, so post as many q's as you can think of - I'll be here!

Tofutti herb and garlic variety is FAB.

So Good milk tastes very neutral.

My dietician said to stay away from Vita Soy...apparently the nutritional aspects are not rhe same as other brands???

If you can find it (probably MUCH easier over east), So Milky is nice...white looking, creamy, good taste. Very hard to get in WA.

I MUCH prefer firm tofu blocks from the asia mart to the Kingland.

Or plain flavoured (although the sweet ones are good for desserts) silky tofu turned out on a plate and drizzled with kecap manis/sweet soy, sesame oil, fresh green onions, a bit of fresh garlic and ginger and some fried onion bits.

YUM YUM YUM!

If you do not like Soy milk can I suggest you try vita - rice milk (made by same people who make vita soy - which is a good brand. Its sweeter than soy.

I love soy!!!

I buy sanitarium so good, but in the red carton which is fat free. It is definitely the best tasting one that is affordable. Bonsoy is delicious in creamy cuppacinos though!

BONSOY!! i too was not a lover of soy until i tried this in some tea. the love affair continues and i can now enjoy in most things. Leila loves it too.

if you want to do quick and easy tofu...(like me!) go to the cheese/fancy olive section (or sometimes in the milk/butter section) and dig out the gorgeous pre-marinated ones. i like the satay one the best followed by the sweet chilli. i do a stir fry and chuck those in at the last minute. yummo. good way to get started on the soy i reckon! again, leila loves it too!
another thing i do with soy is get the soft (silken) tofu and i use it when i make potato fritters. so i mash the tatties with the herbs and like and then chuck in a bit of the silken tofu and mash it all up and make little pan fried potato rissole thingys.

I love silken tofu blended with orange juice - makes a creamy "smoothy" and great for hot days (or instant breakfast!).

I would also be wary though with adding to your soy intake, MD, as a previous poster mentioned about the quality vs quantity of soy products consumed in Asian cultures. Tofu isn't actually fermented from what I understand. There's a great organic Miso soup, which is fermented soy product, I can't remember what the brand is, will try to post when I get home.

I just read through your other thread, so I know why you're interested in making the switch but I have also read that Westerners who replace cow's milk with soy milk are ingesting WAY more than Asian people on a traditional diet do. Soy milk contains phytooestrogens (plant oestrogen) which is why it's not recommended for guys to drink (DH is lactose intolerant and didn't know this one until we met. He's off it now while we're ttc, but likes the rice milk ok). The phytooestrogens can also raise female oestrogen levels, which isn't such an issue, but I believe that raised oestrogen levels have also been linked with "funky breast disease". Just something else to consider.

Can I tell you soy hot chocolates are the yummiest. The nutty flavour with the choc is to die for!

I dotn like soy milk on its own but will have it with hot choccies!

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Can I tell you soy hot chocolates are the yummiest. The nutty flavour with the choc is to die for!

I dotn like soy milk on its own but will have it with hot choccies!

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lol - I can drink soy milk on its own happily, but cant stand it in hot chocolate !
Rice milk works best for me ;)

Thanks everyone, there are some great suggestions here. :clap: Might try the bonsoy and the marinated tofu first and see how we go!

yep bonsoy fan here!! personally it isnt a milk substitute and i dont think it tastes like milk - it is a diff drink... bit delicious
and i make a wicked miso soup with heaps of veges, udon noodles and silken tofu. i love tofu
the marinated ones are delicious in stir fry...

Ok, PP, you've said the magic "miso" word. I have loved miso when having it at restaurants but have *no clue* what it's made of or how you'd go about making it...so....

Recipe Please!!!

I could....but then i would have to kill you.....*sly look*

Oh no please don't SophieRose. I don't think I could bear waiting for my next incarnation to get that miso soup!

Go to your local asian food shop. Look in the refrig section for white miso paste (ask if you have to) Instructions are on the pack. You'll also need dried wakame and silken tofu. It's a bit of a staple in our house...

What's dried wakame? What does it look like?

I have been on a dairy free diet for 2 months and was in a similar situation as you... but now I really enjoy soy.
Sounds gross bUT So I could eat my breakfast cereal, I started with So Good Chocolate Bliss on my cornflakes and as you get used to the taste I substituted it to regular low fat soy. Soy hot cholcolates are nice too, then I transitioned to Soy lattes and now can drink Soy in my regular tea and coffee.

You DO get used to the taste even though I NEVER thought I would and loved my milk. I use soy milk in all cooking now (mash potatoes, cakes, cooking etc) and now my DH will even eat it in cooking and he's fussy!

By the way I love Bonsoy too but can't justify the $$ as we use quite alot of milk/soy

Good luck with your transition!

Wakame is a kind of seaweed. It's a really good source of iodine, so great for those of us whoa ren't into sea creatures. As I recall, it's pretty good on the folate too. When you order miso in a restaurant, it's the big green squares you get. MMMMMMMmmmmm.....

Are you in Melbourne MD? I think you are...

Anyway, there is a fabulous Japanese Grocery in Glenhuntly Road, opposite Coles...they are very helpful, will explain how to prepare everything, etc.
They sell miso and a whole variety of different tofu - there are actually hundreds, seaweeds and bean pastes.

Tuna is another plus of the japanese diet - real tuna, not the canned stuff - lots of raw fish ;)

HTH :)

you can buy sachets of miso soup in your regular supermarket MD!

Also, I can't believe I forgot to mention Aldi soy milk! Grab the yellow carton which is low fat, and it is delicious, and MUCH cheaper than the others

Well I had a look at the shops yesterday and I couldn't find either Bonsoy OR the marinated tofu gear??! Could be that I wasn't looking in the right place (it's a new shop, haven't worked out where everything is yet) but maybe they don't have it?

Limey, shop sounds fabbo, but I'm not in Melbourne (sadly...lots of lovely friends over there. Might have to shout myself a trip over sometime ;)). I'm sure I'll find some good shops here once I get my bearings again.

Is the the soy non GM in Australia?

I don't have much faith in soy (and I can't like the taste no matter what you say :p). It is also very heavily laden with pesticides etc. Rice milk is another alternative too.

google roundup soy if you like...

lulu, depends on the brand. Most of the top brands say NON GM soy on the carton.

I think the real cheapy home brands may not be so good

I think we had the only non GM soy growing in the world at one point, I hope its the same now.

Sorry I'm a bit rusty on the soy knowlege......bloody Monsanto has to ruin everything.

Poor old Peter Hore isn't as nutty as everyone thinks!