Okara is soy pulp that is left over from the production of soy milk and tofu. If there is a soy milk or tofu company close to where you live, they are a great place to get cheap or sometimes free okara. I got a large container of it for 99¢ at a Japanese grocery store that gets their okara from San Jose Tofu Company. They make wonderful smooth and delicately flavored tofu.
Okara is low in fat and high in protein and is a healthy option for people looking for something new. It doesn’t have a lot of flavor since most of the soy flavor is squeezed out with the soy milk which makes it a versatile ingredient. One of the most common uses of okara is unohana which is a dish flavored with dashijiru, soy sauce and sake, sugar and mixed with combination of vegetables such as carrots, gobo and shitake. Fried tofu and konnyaku is also added sometimes.
It’s also a great ingredient to incorporate into dishes if you’re trying to cut back on carbs. Later this week I’ll introduce my vegetarian okara cornbread recipe. The okara keeps the cornbread moist and gives a twist to an old classic.
Okara is packed in containers like this or simply in plastic bags.
If the okara is packed, it’s stuck together but crumbles apart easily.
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Naomi Kuwabara was born and raised in California but spent many summers in Japan growing up. She has spent time living in Hokkaido and Osaka, both meccas for Japanese cuisine. Her passion is cooking and sharing her experiences cooking Japanese food with others. Her blog Umamitopia is about her experiences cooking Japanese food. Her greatest inspirations are from her mother and grandmother. Her cooking adventures can be found at http://umamitopia.com.
