Tempeh and Soymilk, Two Approaches to Soy Goodness

Much research has been done to determine the cause of their relative longevity, and while it seems to be partly due to genetics which the rest of us can’t do much about it is also attributed to a healthy lifestyle and restricted-calorie diet.

That diet includes an average of three servings of fish a week, along with plenty of vegetables, and relies on the hara hachi bu principle of stopping eating when you feel only 80 percent full. As the Japanese proverb goes, “eight parts of a full stomach sustain the man; the other two sustain the doctor.”

People hoping to replicate the East Asian health outcomes tend to ignore the complexity of those factors and look to one particular dietary “silver bullet.”

That search has led some to a focus on soybeans, as Dr. Sonia Wibisono explained. Soybeans are “rich in antioxidants, phytoestrogens and organic compounds, which are good for our bodies,” according to Sonia, who added that soybeans have a high level of saponin, an antioxidant that helps to lower bad cholesterol and improve the immune system.

Soybeans are also rich in soy isoflavones, the doctor said.

“[Soy isoflavones] also maintain the elasticity of the skin and makes the skin look fresh, taut and youthful,” Sonia said.

The problem however is that raw soybeans, such as are used to make soy milk, also contain a host of natural toxins or “antinutrients” — which the plant has evolved over millennia to inhibit predators such as insects and animals from interfering with their seeds.

Some of these negative components are enzyme inhibitors, that interfere with digestion of proteins, and others are chemicals such as phytic acid, which blocks the body’s uptake of essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc.

Enzyme inhibitors tend to concentrate in the soaking liquid rather than in the protein curd, which is why tofu contains less of them than are found in whole products such as soy milk. Even tofu, however, still contains a significant amount of problematic compounds.

Fortunately, Indonesians don’t need to look to East Asia for the solution to this problem — in fact, we have developed the most effective method of gaining the benefit of soybeans without the toxic effects.

It turns out that by fermenting the beans, as is done in the preparation of the national staple tempeh, most of these toxins and “antinutrients” are degraded, rendering the valuable protein and minerals available for digestion.

As an additional benefit, the microorganisms such as Rhizopus oligosporus fungus and various bacteria, which take part in the fermentation process also produce vitamin B12, while breaking down the particular carbohydrates in soybeans which cause uncomfortable gassiness.

For those who choose to ignore tempeh’s superiority over raw beans, however, there are those keen to drum up interest in raw products such as soy milk.

Preparing soy milk can be very time consuming, as Sonia found when she decided to begin drinking it on a regular basis.

“It took forever,” she said. “And I can’t leave the kitchen during the process.”
To make soy milk, the soybeans must be soaked in water for about 5-10 hours, then put in a blender to process them until they become very smooth.

Then, they are strained with a cheesecloth into a bowl. Finally, the strained soy milk is boiled in a pot for about five minutes. During the boiling, one must keep stirring the milk to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

After the soy milk has boiled, you can add sugar to taste.

“The whole process literally takes a whole day,” Sonia said.

One company working to promote soymilk here is Joyoung, a home-appliance company based in China, which has brought its Joyoung Soy Milk Maker to Indonesia.

The company was established in Jinan in 1994, when it started to design and develop its soy milk makers.

“[The product] makes your life easier,” said Yang Ning Ning, vice president of Joyoung. “With the product, you can make soy milk in only 20 minutes.”

Yang claimed that about 200 million people in the world are now using the product in their homes.

Sales revenue from the soy milk maker is approximately 900 million renmimbi ($145 million) per year.

Dimarco Mitra Utama distributes the product in Indonesia.

“[Dimarco] has been selected as Joyoung’s partner in Indonesia because of our multi-channel marketing and integrated marketing system,” Dimarco chief executive Gunadi Purnama said.

At the recent launch in Jakarta, chef Lina Christianty and Steven Jong, demonstrated making soy milk with the Joyoung Soy Milk Maker, which is shaped like a white porcelain jug with lid. 

On the lid are three buttons, which are “select,” “start” and “easy washing.”
To make soy milk, you don’t need to soak the soybeans in water first.

“All you have to do is to rinse the soybeans in water and then put them into the Joyoung,” Lina said.

Inside, the Joyoung Soy Milk Maker is equipped with a long stick that has a sharp disc at its lower end.

There are 12 holes on that disc that guarantee fine grinding of the beans.

The Joyoung then cooks the soy milk, automatically turning off and emitting a beeping sound to let you know that your soy milk is ready.

“It’s very easy and you don’t have to stand by in the kitchen to watch over the process the whole time,” Steven said.

Source : Jakartaglobe