A few years ago Sandra, my partner, and I stayed at a great vegan guest house near Limerick in Eire. It was there that I was introduced to the gentle art of making soya milk. At the time, and in that part of the world, it was practically impossible to buy commercial soya milk so home production was the only option.

There are many positive reasons for doing this. For example, you know exactly what goes into the milk. Whilst commercial products are pretty good if you make it yourself you can dispense with preservatives, additives etc but you can also sweeten it or fortify it in a way that suits your taste. You also do away with the need for cartons. And you get bonuses like the Okara that’s left over from the process.

Okara is the Japanese term for the soya pulp remaining after the liquid is strained off the milk. It’s a nutritional powerhouse and there are many things that you can do with it.

For a while I made my own soya milk by hand. Soaking, then boiling the beans. But after a while I discovered soya milk makers. It’s great to get stuck in with the raw ingredients but it’s also a fairly labour intensive process (and messy too!). You can buy quite sophisticated soya milk makers now that allow you to make milk from all sorts of other foods like rice, almonds and coconut. And if you need soya milk in a hurry they can make it without having to soak the beans. See the Ethical Juicers site for products and info.

If you want to go for the traditional method I’ve included details below.

But back to the Okara. As I say it is rich in protein and such a waste if it is just put into the bin. Composting it is better but using it in a variety of dishes is best. The problem with Okara is that it is completely tasteless – rather like Tofu. So you need to flavour it to make the most of it. Now that I run The Barn Vegetarian Guest House I’ve been experimenting with ways to use the Okara to good effect for our guests. Added to many recipes it can lighten the texture (soups, gratins etc). And it can be preserved by keeping it in the fridge in an airtight container (up to a week) or freezing (three months or so).

I’ve included three recipes below but there’s a big range of options so after you have tried these let me know what you come up with…..

Oh – and if you just want to use Okara you can buy it from Oriental grocery stores in dried form. You have to reconstitute it by simmering in water.

Soya Milk

200g soya beans – fresh as possible, preferably organic and gm free

Method:

Soak the beans overnight in a bowl of water.
Drain and rinse then liquidize to a creamy consistency (1 cup beans to 1 cup water).
Bring 6 cups water to the boil in a large saucepan and then add the liquidized beans.
Bring to the boil 3 times.
Line a colander with muslin, place over a clean bowl and strain mixture through it.

Okara Croquettes

Ingredients:

60g Okara (left over from making one batch of soya milk above)
60g self raising flour
Half a small red onion peeled and finely chopped
1tsp vegan bouillon powder
1tsp mustard powder
1tbsp tamari sauce
Wholemeal breadcrumbs

Method:

Mix all ingredients except the breadcrumbs together then divide into walnut sized portions.
Coat in breadcrumbs and fry gently in groundnut oil until golden brown.
Serve with sprouted seeds and a sweet relish.

Okara Patties (Gluten Free)

Ingredients:

60g Okara (as above)
60g gram flour
3 spring onions peeled and chopped
1 chilli pepper deseeded and chopped
1tsp vegan bouillon powder

Method:

Mix all ingredients together
Divide into walnut sized pieces and fry gently in groundnut oil until golden yellow.
Serve with sweet chilli dipping sauce

Okara Crackers

Ingredients:

180g Okara
140g wholemeal flour
70g wheat germ
1tsp salt
8tbsp vegetable oil
3tbsp mashed tofu

Method:
Mix and knead all ingredients for 5 minutes
Roll out between two sheets of wax paper until 3mm thick
Place on a baking sheet and cook at 160deg C for 10 mins

Serve in place of any savoury crackers