Kanso okara / dried soybean pulp

When having more okara soybean pulp than you can eat in a few days, dry it in the microwave, a frying pan or oven, and freeze for later use. When you sift the dried okara, you get a nice, low-fat, fiber-rich flour-like ingredient for baking and more. Although not as fine as packaged okara powder from store shelves, sifted okara works great in a number of recipes.

<Directions>
1.

Place okara in microwaveable container, and repeatedly microwave for a few minutes, removing and mixing while letting steam out several times

When okara starts to stick to the bottom of container, it is basically ready.
Cool completely.

2.

Sift, if desired (recommended for baking and use as flour substitute).

After the first round (top photo), coarser okara pieces can be ground for more sifting (I use a dedicated coffee mill).

<Notes>

• From 200 g dried soybeans, I get roughly 380 g okara, which weighs about 170-180 g when dried. Sifting dried okara with a 1mm-mesh strainer results in 130-140 g of finer okara and 30-40 g of coarser okara.
• If using a frying pan, put okara in pan and cook on low heat until dry, stirring often.
  
• If using oven, place okara in parchment paper-lined pan, and bake at 300-320 F/150-160 C until dry, for 30 minutes or so. Mix occasionally for even dryness. 

Recipes with kanso okara

• Piroshiki-fu pan no kiji / piroshki-style pastry dough 
• Mekyabetsu to koebi no kisshu / quiche with brussels sprouts and bay shrimp
• Okara no taruto kurasuto / tart crust with soybean pulp
• Sakekasu okara pan / sake lees soy rolls
• Okara maccha keeki / soy matcha cake

(Last updated: June 2, 2017)

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