We all know about the leading characters created by the
humble soybean, tofu, soymilk and edamame. But from the seeds of Glycine max we also derive okara and yuba along with shoyu, miso and aburaage. In some cases, it
almost seems like these products are the unacknowledged children of soybeans,
the offal.
The Offal of Tofu
Production
The first step in tofu
production involves soaking the dried soybeans (fresh can also be used but most
tofu uses dried soybeans). After the
dried soybeans are soaked, they are then ground so that the soy milk can be
liberated from each bean. The resulting soymilk is then further processed to
ultimately produce tofu. The leftover
solids or soy pulp includes not only fiber but protein and starch and is used
mainly as livestock feed. In fact during my parent’s childhood, you could
literally get the leftover soy pulp or okara
at no cost from tofu factories since it was considered soybean “rubbish”. Of
course with people eating healthier these days - which includes adequate
dietary fiber – the days of free okara
is long gone. In fact a small 3 ounce carton cost about $3 at the local
supermarkets. Though I still remember Obaachan
serving okara cooked with shiitake and carrots with a touch of
sugar and shoyu as a side dish. I
also recall an old episode of Soko ga Shiritai highlighting frugal housewives
who had monthly food budgets lower than the cost of one restaurant meal. One
wife purchased large bags of okara (I
guess it’s still cheap in Japan) and used it as a filler in almost every dish
including sweet okara “doughnuts”. But
since okara is a lot pricier in the 50th (and I assume the same
Stateside), how about using it as a filler for meatloaf? Just be careful with okara as it does dry out meatloaf more
than bread or cracker crumbs or make sure you serve a sauce alongside your okara fortified loaf.
The Gochiso
Gourmet’s Teriyaki Chicken Loaf
3 & ½ to 4 lbs ground chicken breast
1 block firm tofu
1 & ½ cups okara
½ cup low sodium shoyu
1 medium onion finely minced
3/4 cup chopped green onions
3/4 cup finely grated carrots
3 cloves fresh garlic, grated
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 whole eggs or 3 egg whites
3 ounces shaved bonito
flakes
1 cup low sodium shoyu
½ cup sugar
2 cloves fresh garlic, grated
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
2 tbsp awamori
or sake
1 tbsp awamori
or sake
2 tsp corn starch
Combine first 11 ingredients in a large bowl and mixed
until homogeneous. Place on a sheet pan and shape into a traditional meatloaf form.
Bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes or until then internal temperature is at
least 155 degrees.
Dissolve the cornstarch in the awamori/sake and set aside. Bring the shoyu, sugar, ginger, garlic and awamori/sake to a simmer then stir in the cornstarch slurry,
constantly whisking until it thickens. Serve on the sliced chicken loaf.
More Tofu By-Products
After boiling the soymilk, a thin film forms on the
surface of the soymilk. This film can be collected and dried to create yuba. The yuba can then be rehydrated to create an edible wrapping for a
variety of dishes. One of my favorite dim
sum dishes are the Bean Curd Rolls using yuba or fu chuk to wrap
shrimp, mushrooms and other delicacies and served in a hearty gravy. Or when
rehydrated and simmered in jai (and
I’ll admit that jai isn’t one of my
favorite stews), it’s my favorite ingredient in jai as it gives the vegetarian
stew a “meaty” textural component and absorbs flavors from the other
ingredients. Or instead of simply rehydrating it in water, how about rehydration
in a flavored solution?
The Gochiso
Gourmet’s Char Siu Fried Rice
One package aburaage
1 package yuba
or fu chuk rehydrated overnight in
the refrigerator in char siu sauce
then drained and diced to ¼ inch pieces
About 4 cups of day old rice
½ cup edamame
½ cup chopped green onions
Five spice powder
Shoyu
Salt and black pepper to taste
If the aburaage
is already in “cupped” form, simply set aside. If they are in large triangles
with no opening, soak in hot water then cut to form two “cups” and remove most
of the inner white tofu.
On medium heat, saute the chopped yuba with the edamame
then add the rice breaking up the clumps of rice. Add a couple of dashes of
five spice powder and drizzle with shoyu
to taste then add the chopped green onions and toss for another minutes. Let
the fried rice cool to touch.
Squeeze the aburaage of excess water then stuff the aburaage with the fried rice and serve
like inarizushi.
More Than Just Tofu and Edamame
So as you see, the children of the humble soybean is more
than just its famous offspring, tofu
and edamame but encompasses a wide
range of versatile and delicious progeny that are often overlooked. But when
you combine great lead actors and actresses with a capable supporting cast, you
often can end up with an Academy Award or in culinary speak, perhaps a James
Beard Award. And though I didn’t even touch on those ubiquitous sons and
daughters of the soybean, shoyu and miso, well that’s another column. And if
you are hankering for a great soybean based dessert, look no further than the
2014 Northern California Joy of Soy Festival on June 7th from
11:00am to 5:00pm at the San Francisco Japantown Peace Plaza and Buchanan Mall,
Post at Buchanan streets where gourmet soy based desserts will be served and
judged to determine the “2014 Soy and Tofu Dessert Master”. Though the deadline
for recipe submission has already passed, you can still attend to strategize
your entry for the 2015 Northern California Joy of Soy Festival next year.
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