Okara (food)
Encyclopedia : O : OK : OKA : Okara (food)
- This article is about a food. For the city of the same name, see Okara, Pakistan.
- Unohana redirects here. For the Bleach character, see Retsu Unohana.
| Okara | |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | |
| Chinese characters | 雪花菜 or 豆腐渣 |
| Hànyǔ Pīnyīn | xuě huā caì or doù fǔ zhā |
| Japanese name | |
| Hiragana | おから |
| Rōmaji | okara |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 비지 |
| Revised Romanisation | biji |
Okara or soy pulp is a white or yellowish pulp consisting of insoluble parts of the soybean which remain in the filter sack when pureed soybeans are filtered in the production of soy milk. It is low in fat, high in fiber, and also contains protein, calcium, iron, and riboflavin.
Okara contains 76 to 80% moisture, 20 to 24% solids and 3.5 to 4.0% protein. On a dry weight basis okara contains 24% protein, 8 to 15% fats,and 12 to 14.5% crude fiber. It contains 17% of the protein from the original soybeans.
While relatively flavourless when eaten on its own, it can be used in stews such as the Korean biji-jjigae, or in porridges, or as a taste neutral addition to bread and pastry doughs. In Japan it is used in a side dish called unohana (卯の花), which consists of okara cooked with soy sauce, mirin, sliced carrots, burdock root and shiitake mushrooms. Okara can also be fermented with the fungus Rhizopus oligosporus to make okara tempeh.
However, as a significant byproduct in soy milk and tofu manufacturing, okara is commonly used as animal feed since its production usually exceeds demands for human consumption. For this reason, it is not uncommon for tofu and soymilk factories to be located close to animal farms in many Asian countries. In western countries, okara is used almost exclusively for the production of pig and cattle feed, although it does appear as an ingredient for vegetarian burger patties.
Okara is also the raw material for a "novel" textile fiber. SOYSILK (r) is the registered Trademark of SWTC INC ([www.soysilk.com]) who first introduced it to the textile community.
References
- Tofu & Soymilk Production.1979. Volume 2: The Book of Tofu. William Shurtleff and Akiko Aoyagi.
External links
- [The Okara Cookbook]
- [History of Soybean Fiber Products]. Also contains information on okara's names in different times and languages.
- [Ellen's Kitchen: okara tempeh]
- [Mother Earth News article on tempeh, including okara tempeh]
- "Soy silk":
- * [soysilk.com]
- * [Soy Silk and Ingeo Corn Fiber]
- * [Yarn made from soy silk]
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