Warm black soy milk with cinnamon
Homemade black bean soy milk simmered with cinnamon, ginger and a little brown sugar — a warming flask drink to get the blood moving.
- 30 min
- Serves 3
- Boil
- Easy
Why it suits you: Blood Stasis means sluggish circulation — cold hands and feet, a dull complexion — and Minor Snow's cold slows the blood further. Black beans enter the kidneys and move blood, and cinnamon warms the channels; one warm cup and your hands and feet warm up.
Method
Prep 10 min · Cook 20 min- 1Rinse the black beans and soak them overnight (about 8 hours) until plump, then drain.
- 2Blend the beans with the 1 litre of water until smooth, then strain through a soup bag or fine sieve.
- 3Pour into a pot with the cinnamon and ginger, bring to the boil over medium heat, then simmer for 10 minutes more, stirring all the time so it does not catch or boil over.
- 4Turn off the heat, lift out the cinnamon and ginger, stir in the brown sugar until dissolved and pour into a flask for the office.
Cautions
- Raw soy milk is toxic — always bring it to a full boil, then simmer for a further 10 minutes before drinking.
- Pregnant, with heavy periods or a bleeding tendency? Halve the cinnamon and brown sugar, or leave them out.
Chef's tips
- Got a soy milk maker? Run the soaked beans and water on the soy milk programme, then add the cinnamon and leave for 5 minutes.
- Don't waste the pulp (okara) — stir it into an omelette or congee.
The TCM view
Black beans are sweet and neutral; their dark colour links them to the kidneys, and they move blood, drain fluid and support the kidneys. Cinnamon is pungent, sweet and very hot; it warms the channels and eases cold pain, helping blood flow. Brown sugar is sweet and warm and moves blood; ginger warms the stomach. Warmth gets blood moving — in step with Minor Snow.
