How to Make Rice Milk

According to the Wise Geek (www.wisegeek.com), Rice milk is grain milk that is often used as a substitute for cow's milk. It is used vegans and vegetarians in place of cow's milk. Rice milk is also a good substitute for those who cannot handle cow's milk - lactose intolerant. Rice milk can be used in almost any product where cow's milk is used. Like all grain milks, there are differences in nutritional values between it and cow's milk. Rice milk has no protein as it relies on carbohydrates. It offers a unique nutty flavor that one cannot find in cow's milk and can be customized to suit one's own taste. Due to the high cost of processed rice milk, most have begun making their own at home and are discovering that it is quite simple. This article offers two ways to produce your own rice milk with the help of The Vegan Reader and EHow (Sources: www.veganreader.com and www.ehow.com).

Version One:

What you need: 1) 1 cup long grain brown rice; 2) 8 cups water [note: if you do not like the flavor of your tap water, you can use filtered water]; 3) 1 teaspoon salt; 4) Large pot; 5) glass jars for storage; 6) blender; and 7) fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth.

What you need to do: 1) Wash the rice; 2) Bring water to boil; 3) Add rice and sale, reduce to simmer; 4) Cook for three hours. The end product will have the appearance of a soupy thick pudding; 5) Do in batches, blend one-half water and one-half rice mixture. Process until smooth; 6) Strain through strainer/cheesecloth into glass container.

The finish product will have the appearance of heavy cream and can be thinned further with the addition of more water until desired consistency is obtained. Before thinning, this recipe will yield a little over a half gallon and will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Version Two (Courtesy of The Food Allergy Kitchen Cookbook by Diane Hartman:

What you need: 1) 4 cups water; 2) 1 ½ cups cooked white or brown rice; 3) 1 teaspoon vanilla; 4) Large pot; 5) glass jars for storage; 6) blender; and 7) fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth.

What you need to do: 1) Combine all ingredients in blender and process until smooth; 2) Refrigerate for one hour; 3) Strain through strainer/cheesecloth into storage container. It should be noted that this version can last up to three days.

Both versions can be sweetened in a variety of ways from sugar to cane syrup. Rice milk can also be sweetened with honey or maple syrup.