Japanese Food Tips

Okara is soy pulp leftover after soybean milk has been squeezed out of soybeans. To be more precise, okara is what remains after soaking the soybeans, grinding them with added water, heating them, and straining them to remove the soybean milk. Tofu, by the way, is made by adding bittern (nigari) to soy milk. Okara has the flavor of soybeans, and it is an excellent, inexpensive, nutritious health food, rich in vegetable protein, B vitamins, fat, and fiber. In particular, protein and fiber are more abundant in okara than in soy milk. Okara contains saponin, which is effective in preventing lifestyle-related diseases and aging, and lecithin, which is effective in metabolizing fat and activating the brain, and isoflavone, which prevents osteoporosis, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. The most common way to cook okara is to stir-fry fried tofu, shiitake mushrooms, carrots, and other ingredients, then simmer them in soup stock, sugar, soy sauce, and okara.