Milk and Pasta
Milk not only provides nutritional complementarity with various grains, but it is also a perfect match for pasta that requires good elasticity and toughness. Whether making steamed buns, bread, dumplings, or noodles, milk can be used instead of plain water to knead the dough, or milk powder can be added directly. Due to the action of milk protein, the dough's gluten strength is enhanced, resulting in noodles that don't break easily, steamed buns that are springy, dumplings that don't burst, and bread that is fluffier. In fermented foods, the large amount of B vitamins and amino acids in milk can provide ample nutrition for the yeast, leading to better fermentation results, a more expanded dough, and a richer aroma.
It should be noted that if adding milk to make soft pancakes like crepes, it's best to use "whole wheat flour," or add some ingredients without strong gluten, such as congee or cornmeal. This is because the high gluten strength provided by milk can affect the texture of soft pancakes.
Using milk or milk powder to make pasta not only easily supplements a large amount of calcium but also slows down the absorption rate of milk, avoiding the trouble of "lactose intolerance." This allows people who normally cannot drink milk to reap its nutritional benefits, enabling the whole family to share nutritious and delicious food.
Milk and Fruit
The theory that milk and fruit cannot be eaten together is actually a misconception. The organic acids in fruit can cause milk to curdle, but they do not prevent the human body from absorbing the nutrients in milk. Because the human stomach is highly acidic, far more so than fruit, milk naturally forms curds once it enters the stomach. Since adults can digest solid foods like beef jerky, soft milk curds are certainly no problem.
As long as the astringent and sour taste of fruits and vegetables is not strong, milk can be mixed with various fruit and vegetable juices. Cloudiness does not affect its nutritional value. Yogurt is suitable to be eaten with various sweet fruit pieces, including fresh and canned fruits. Mixing diced kiwi, yellow peaches, and strawberries with yogurt to make a fresh and beautiful healthy dessert is a great option.
Milk and Breakfast Cereals
Following Western customs, breakfast often consists of milk-soaked cereal flakes. In fact, the design of cereal flakes takes milk into consideration. Grains are low in protein and lack sufficient lysine, an important essential amino acid. When paired with milk, not only is the protein supply increased, but the lysine-rich milk compensates for the amino acid imbalance in grains, thereby enhancing the nutritional value of the cereal.
Similarly, milk can also be used to make sesame paste, stir-fried flour paste, soak popcorn, cook corn congee, or cook rice congee. However, when making congee with milk, it's best to add the milk after the congee is cooked, stir it in, and then simmer for another one or two minutes to avoid the loss of nutrients in milk sticking to the pot wall during prolonged cooking.