This dairy allergy thing is changing my life in a whole bunch of ways. Last month it made ordering from the Cheesecake Factory’s menu an adventure when I went out to supper with friends after the Accessibility Summit. It led to interesting dinner conversation that evening when someone asked, “How do you milk almonds?” followed by “How do you milk rice?” As the above photo proves, we mastered rice milking technique and caught it on camera.
During a recent visit to our daughter and new son’s house, she demonstrated the finer points of making rice milk – for those who haven’t mastered modern milking techniques – so this dairy allergy is changing the way I cook. Today’s recipe and pictures make it possible for you to milk rice, too!
Rice Milk
1/4 cup brown rice
1 quart water
(or 1 cup brown rice and 1 gallon water if you want lots of rice milk)
Combine rice and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for a long, long time (several hours), adding water to replace what boils off, until rice is mushy like this:
Allow mixture to cool for 15 – 30 minutes. Spoon rice into a colander and process:
In necessary add water, running it through a colander until you have almost a quart of milk. (If you place a large measuring cup under the colander to catch the draining liquid, this step is much easier.)
Next, strain the liquid through unbleached muslin or cheesecloth:
Wash your hands and squeeze as much goop out as possible:
(This step is much easier if you use cheesecloth rather than muslin.)
If necessary, add enough water to make a quart.
Use rice milk as a substitute for milk when cooking. To replace buttermilk, add a tablespoon of vinegar per cup and let it sit for 20 minutes.
Rice milk is a good substitute for milk, though it doesn’t taste quite like good old cow’s milk. Anybody out there have other suggestions for milk replacement in cooking? Leave a comment!
