From quirky emoji to sophisticated countertop washing machines, the Japanese are a famously inventive people. Nowhere is that more apparent than when it comes to reducing waste. Japanese appliances are a byword of efficiency, and anyone who has spent time in Japan will have experienced the excrutiatingly detailed and strict rules on rubbish disposal and recycling. Not surprising then that they’ve spent significant effort on figuring out what to do with the mountains of okara produced every day. Okara, as you may know (especially if you read this blog), is a byproduct of making tofu. In a tofu-obsessed country that is not a minor problem and, while most okara-which is highly nutritious by the way-gets used as agricultural feed, an entire culinary ‘genre’ has been invented to deal with it. Luckily, there are countless cookbooks dedicated to okara. A good thing too because otherwise my freezer would quickly fill up with the stuff!
Okara itself is fairly bland. But with a bit of help it can be made extremely tasty as today’s recipe taken from one of countless cookbooks dedicated to okara demonstrates. Actually, this recipe is more of a building block for making several different dishes (one of which I describe today with more to follow in future posts). The cookbook I’ve taken it from, Okara Recipes by Hiromi Tsutsumi (available only in Japanese I’m afraid), calls it “shittori okara” (しっとりおから). Shittori variously means moist or mellow and I suppose it could mean both here. Regardless, it is surprisingly tasty and versatile.
Ingredient note: This recipe calls for dashi, a stock (generally) made from dried anchovies and konbu. It is very easy to make if you happen to have the ingredients on hand. Or use one of the excellent Japanese or Korean powdered versions available on the market and simply add hot water (see here for more).
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Okara Recipes by Hiromi Tsutsumi (link)