If you are new to making soya milk, you may be wondering what to do with the leftover soy bean pulp, or you may have landed on this page to learn more about okara - keep reading to find out more.
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What is Okara
Okara is a Japanese term for soya bean pulp, a leftover solid you get when making soya milk or tofu.
How To Make Okara
Dried soya beans are soaked for several hours in cold water to soften them.
The softened beans are processed (raw or cooked, depending on the recipe used) into a fine pulp.
The pulp and liquid are then passed through a fine-meshed filter - like a muslin cloth or nut milk bag to remove the solids from the soya milk, then squeezed to remove as much liquid as possible.
Many people who make soya milk at home don't know what to do with soy okara and often throw it away, but it is nutritious and great for cooking.
More About Okara
Okara retains a high proportion of the calcium in soybeans and about 40% of boiled soybean protein. Okara is also rich in carbohydrate and potassium levels. This soybean carbohydrate also contributes greatly to intestinal health. The abundant oligosaccharides contained in soybean carbohydrates nourish the friendly bacteria in the gut.
Japan Tofu Association
What Does It Taste Like
Fresh okara made from raw uncooked soybeans (like what we get from our soya milk recipe, where we process uncooked beans, filter, then cook the milk) has a flavor similar to raw mung bean shoots.
Raw uncooked okara must be cooked before consumption because uncooked soy protein is poisonous - see below for details on How To Cook Raw Okara.
Fresh okara made from cooked soybeans (where cooked beans are blended and then filtered) has a neutral or bland flavor.
Dry okara granules and powders have a nutty flavor to them.
How To Cook Raw Okara
When you make our soya milk recipe (made from raw soybeans), you must cook the leftover soybean pulp before consuming it.
Raw okara can be added to cakes, cookies, stir-fries, or any dish that is cooked at a high temperature because these cooking methods will cook the okara.
If you are not cooking a recipe for example making an okara salad, it should be cooked before you use it.
You should also use cooked okara when making yeast bread because raw okara affects the yeast.
You can cook it one of two ways either; on the stovetop or in the microwave oven.
Stovetop
Place the okara in a large nonstick frying pan (skillet) because the moisture in the okara makes it stick to the bottom of the pan.
Cook it over low/medium heat and continuously stir for about 10 minutes.
Remove from the heat and cool before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Microwave oven
Evenly spread the okara onto a large shallow microwave-safe bowl and microwave uncovered for 2 mins on high (600 watts).
Remove from microwave, stir and break up any lumps. Repeat the process two more times, microwaving a total of three times.
Allow the okara to cool before transferring it to an airtight container and store in the fridge.
The above cooking methods will leave the okara feeling damp to the touch, and because it is a bit dryer, it gives the okara a slightly longer shelf life.
How To Use Cooked Raw Okara
If a recipe asks for fresh okara, you can use cooked raw okara, but you will need to add some moisture back to the okara.
This is because recipes use soybean pulp made from cooked soya beans and not raw, and if you use it dried out like this, it can affect the outcome of the recipe you are making.
To bring back cooked raw okara to a consistency similar to fresh okara, we like to mix one part of cooked raw okara with about half the amount of water.
For example: for one cup of cooked raw okara, add up to half a cup of hot water. The okara will soak up the water and look fresh again.
If it looks watery, you have added too much water. If this is the case, drain off the excess water.
Measure the required amount of fresh okara needed for a recipe after mixing the water.
How To Store
Store fresh okara in the fridge in an airtight container, where it will keep for about 2-3 days.
Cooked okara that has some moisture removed from it, like how we cook our raw okara to make it edible (see notes above), will keep for 5-6 days in the fridge.
Freezing will keep fresh and partially dry soybean pulp for longer. To freeze, place the soy pulp into small ziplock bags with the air squeezed out and freeze for up to six months.
Soya bean pulp can also be dried, and dried soybean pulp can be stored in a sealed container in a cool dark area like your pantry or the fridge.
How To Dry Okara
Our preferred way for dying okara is to use a combination of microwaving and stovetop cooking, but you can also dry it in the oven.
We tend not to use the oven because it can take hours, but I will give you both methods.
Oven drying
You will need one or two large rimmed baking trays. Spread the okara out on the trays in a very thin layer, you want it as thin as possible to speed up the drying process.
Place the trays into a preheated 150°C (300°F) oven and bake for 1 - 3 hours, mixing every 20 - 25 minutes until the okara has dried out.
Remove from the oven, cool, then transfer to an air-tight container.
Microwave and Stove Top
Evenly spread the okara onto a large shallow microwave-safe bowl and microwave uncovered for 2 mins on high (600 watts).
Remove from microwave, stir and break up any lumps. Repeat the process two more times, microwaving a total of three times.
Transfer the microwaved okara to a large nonstick frying pan and cook on low/medium heat and constantly stir for about 20 - 25 minutes until the mixture becomes completely dry.
Remove from the heat, cool, then transfer to an airtight container.
When dried okara looks similar to fine bread crumbs, you can leave it like this or take it a step further and turn it into a powder.
What Is Okara Powder
Okara powder is dried okara ground into a fine powder. To make okara powder at home, you will need a coffee grinder or something similar to grind dry okara into a fine powder.
Where To Buy Okara
If you are not into making soy milk to make soy bean pulp, it can be purchased as a powder online. You may even find it fresh or dry at your local Asian or Japanese supermarket.
What To Do With Okara
You can include okara in so many different recipes to make them healthier and lower in calories.
Use fresh raw okara to make cooked patties, as a ground meat extender instead of bread crumbs, add it in stir-fries, use it as an ingredient in pancakes, for baking or in just about any recipe that requires cooking.
Use fresh cooked okara and sprinkle it over oatmeal, into smoothies, make salads with it, or for making bread.
Okara powder can be blended into smoothies, sprinkled on breakfast cereals, stir it into soups, as an ingredient for baking, and bread making.
More Okara Recipes
- Okara Hummus Style Dip5 Minutes
- Okara Mitarashi Mochi
- White Okara Bread3 Hours 10 Minutes
- Gluten Free Dairy Free Orange Cake2 Hours 55 Minutes
- Easy Okara Recipes25 Minutes
- Chocolate Chip Okara Muffins25 Minutes
- Okara Banana Bread40 Minutes
- Vanilla Okara Pound Cake1 Hours 5 Minutes
- What is Okara?
- Lemon Poppy Seed Okara Muffins25 Minutes
- Gluten Free Okara Chocolate Cake45 Minutes
- Blueberry Okara Muffins25 Minutes
- Chocolate Chip Okara Pancakes25 Minutes
- Banana Okara Pancakes25 Minutes
- Vanilla Okara Pancakes25 Minutes
- Spring Onions Okara Pancakes30 Minutes
Recipe
How To Cook Raw Okara and Dry It
Ingredients
- 325 grams or what ever quantity of fresh okara you have
Instructions
HOW TO COOK RAW OKARA
- When you make our soya milk recipe (made from raw soybeans), you must cook the leftover soybean pulp before using it in salads or any other uncooked recipes or in yeast recipes (raw okara affects the yeast).If you are using it to make cakes, pancakes, muffins, and other cooked recipe it can be used uncooked , because the cooking process will cook the okara.You can cook it one of two ways either; on the stovetop or in the microwave oven.
Stovetop
- Place the okara in a large nonstick frying pan (skillet), cook it over low/medium heat, and continuously stir for about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and cool before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge.
Microwave Oven
- Evenly spread the okara onto a large shallow microwave-safe bowl and microwave uncovered for 2 mins on high (600 watts). Remove from microwave, stir and break up any lumps. Repeat the process two more times, microwaving a total of three times.
- Allow the okara to cool before transferring it to an airtight container and store in the fridge.
- The above cooking methods will leave the okara feeling damp to the touch, and because it is a bit dryer than fresh okara, it gives the okara a slightly longer shelf life.
HOW TO DRY OKARA
Oven drying
- You will need one or two large baking trays with a rim. Spread the okara out on the trays in a very thin layer it has to be as thin as possible to speed up the drying process.
- Place the trays into a preheated 150°C (300°F) oven and bake for 1 - 3 hours, mixing every 20 - 25 minutes until the okara has dried out.
- Remove from the oven, cool, then transfer to an airtight container.
Microwave and Stove Top
- Evenly spread the okara onto a large shallow microwave-safe bowl and microwave uncovered for 2 mins on high (600 watts).
- Remove from microwave, stir and break up any lumps. Repeat the process two more times, microwaving a total of three times.
- Transfer the microwaved okara to a large nonstick frying pan and cook on low/medium heat and constantly stir for about 20 - 25 minutes until the mixture becomes completely dry.
- Remove from the heat, cool, then transfer to an airtight container.
OKARA POWDER
- When dried okara looks and feels similar to fine bread crumbs, you can leave it like this or take it a step further and grind it down into a powder with a coffee grinder.
Cameron says
This was so much easier than I thought!
Taonga says
I just bought the left overs of soya bean. Wanted to use in piggery, do I need to cook them first?
Paul says
I mix fresh, moist okara with flavoring or spices and then dry it in either a dehydrater or in a toaster oven. Powdered peanut butter, molasses, carob powder, cocoa powder make great sweet topings for sprinkling on yogurt, spreading on fresh fruit or using in smoothies. After drying, the Okara crumbles easily into powdered form or you can leave it in chunks instead of a powder and just snack on the sweet okara. I use powdered garlic, powdered onion, chili powder, smoked paprika or curry powder to make a spicy okara powder to sprinkle on raw or cooked vegetables.
Harriet Britto says
I love this idea, thanks for sharing!