Whether you’re vegan, lactose intolerant or just need a good drink to cool off on a hot day, soy bean milk is no doubt a delicious choice. Smooth, sweet and with a distinctive taste, soy bean milk is a great substitute for regular dairy milk and has proven to be a hit with people of modern times and different food habits. Soy bean milk has been popular in Asian cultures for decades and is known to have many health benefits, particularly being high in protein.

Still made the traditional way in some places, soaked soy beans are ground with water and cooked for better flavour and digestion, and can be used to make a number of food products including bean curd and Taufu Fa, a popular traditional Chinese custard dessert. As a drink though, it is usually served sweetened with some sugar, and is delicious served warm or chilled over ice.

Din Tai Fung

Din Tai Fung serves up traditional style Chinese dishes that are full of yummy, distinct flavours. We paired soy bean milk with some of their dishes to see how it would fare.

With Spicy Shrimp and Pork Wonton: Delicately wrapped in a rice paper skin, these shrimp and prawn wontons are served with a Chinese Ma-la style chili oil based sauce. The sweetness of the soy bean milk goes well with spicy flavours of this savory dish, and it really does a good job of washing it down and soothing the palate after some heat.

With Sesame Glutinous Rice Balls: This dish is commonly served warm as a dessert in Chinese cuisine. The sweet filling within the glutinous rice balls is made with black sesame seeds, and its aromatic, nutty flavour compliments the smooth and slightly nutty taste of soy bean milk, while lending a chewy mouthfeel from the white glutinous rice flour layer. Very delicious indeed!

Ko Hyang

Ko Hyang is a food chain serving up delicious Korean food cooked in a home-style setting. They pride themselves in serving up food that is not only yummy, but is also healthy and does not contain MSG.

With Pa Jeon: Pa Jeon is essentially a savory, Korean style pancake that’s flavored with scallions and served with a slightly spicy soy-based sauce. The savory flavour from the scallions and sauce go well with soy bean milk, and it works great to wash down the chewy texture of the pancake.

With Kimchi Jigae: This deliciously savory soup is flavored with kimchi and made with meat and tofu, usually served with rice on the side. Sweet and creamy, the soy bean milk really does a good job of mellowing out the heat from this sour and spicy soup, and finishes the dish on a sweet note. A delicious combination!

This article contains images from yelp.com and Pei-Lin Liew Photography

Sydney Lim | Contributing Editor

Sydney is a thoroughbred foodie, who loves researching recipes and experimenting with flavours. In her free time, she is either writing about food or beauty or she’s out seeing the world!