Start a healthy life with Okara: Simple recipes that will help you get delicious and nutritious.

Japanese food culture is full of wisdom to make use of ingredients without waste. A typical example is "okara."

Okara, born as a by-product of tofu making, is one of the ingredients that is being rethought in modern diets due to its health and diversity.

This time, we will introduce the appeal of okara, how to use it, as well as delicious recipes that can be easily made at home.

What is Okara?

Okara is a soybean spoon that is produced during the process of making tofu. Okara is the solid that remains when soybeans are crushed in water, then heated, and is also given elegant names such as "Unohana" and "Yukikana" because of their high nutritional value. Okara does not contain as much protein as tofu, but it contains a rich dietary fiber and is attracting attention as a healthy food.

How to choose and save

As the okara is easily damaged, it is recommended that you use it all the way through the same day when purchasing. In supermarkets, many of the okara are sold well, which has been cleanly processed, with the brown soy skin removed. Store the remaining okara in the refrigerated state, or freeze it if it needs to be stored for a long period of time.

Recipes using Okara

Since okara has almost no flavor, you can cook it deliciously by stir-frying it in oil or using thick dashi dashi along with ingredients that bring out the flavor. It can be used in a wide range of dishes, such as Iriokara and boiled udonin.

Recipe: Stewed in the Unohana

• Ingredients (serves 4)
  • Okara: 2 cups
  • Dried Shiitake mushrooms: 4 pieces
  • Carrot: 1 bottle
  • Ginger: 1 scoop
  • Asatsuki: 1-2 bottles
  • Salad oil: Appropriate amount
  • Seasonings (soy sauce, mirin, sugar, etc.)
• How to make it
  1. Lightly wipe the okara with water and wring it out thoroughly.
  2. Put the dried shiitake mushrooms back in, remove the shaft, and chop them into pieces along with the carrots and ginger. Cut the assatsuki into small pieces.
  3. Heat salad oil in a frying pan and fry the shiitake mushrooms, carrots and ginger.
  4. Add the okara and stir fry over medium heat with the seasonings, then saute for about 4-5 minutes until the juices are gone.
  5. Serve in a bowl and sprinkle with assatsuki to finish.

Okara is not only low in calories and healthy, but it is also a versatile ingredient that can be adapted into a variety of dishes. Use this recipe as a reference and enjoy cooking using okara.