Because I make my own tofu I always end up with a glut of the leftover soy pulp, or okara – that’s the ground up soy beans left once you strain the milk out. I’m ashamed to say it often ends up getting binned (it has a very short shelf life), but I do try to use it in as many creative ways as possible. For instance it always goes into vegan sausages and it frequently replaces tofu in recipes where texture isn’t the stand-out feature of the dish.
Production of okara far outweighs demand, even in Asian countries where it’s consumed on a more regular basis (if you’ve ever wondered what the soy content in cattle feed is, now you know what it comes from). I think this is a shame because okara is not only highly versatile but also super nutritious (and extremely low in fat, for anyone who’s interested in that sort of thing). I’m often gobsmacked there aren’t more creative recipes for okara available on the internet (if you know of any great finds, do share).
This recipe is based on the concept of a bog standard fishcake, only with okara instead of fish (what with the whole vegan thing and all). If you want a more fishy flavour, try adding some ground seaweed (if you do, let me know how it goes). Unfortunately I was never a big fan of fish, so I’ve avoided any added flavourings reminiscent of such (incidentally, if you liked tuna pregan and live in the UK, you should definitely try the new Redwood Vegan Tuna Style Pâté).
Fishless Fried Okara Patties
- Directions/Method
- First make the sauce/dip by simply stirring together all the ingredients. Easy peasy.
- In a large bowl mash all of the patty ingredients but the panko breadcrumbs and oil together. Shape into 6 vaguely even sized balls and press down to 1/2 inch thick patties (they might crumble a bit, but the patties will hold together after heating in the oil).
- Spread the panko out on a plate and press each patty firmly into the breadcrumbs until well coated (you may find more success in actually pressing the balls into patties while laying on the panko). Turn over and repeat, lightly pressing extra breadcrumbs on the top to cover any areas missed. Flip again and do the same for the other side.
- Heat 1/8-1/4 inch of oil to medium heat in a heavy bottomed frying pan. Place the patties in the oil and cook for 3-4 minutes before carefully flipping and cooked a further 3-4 minutes. Don’t overcrowd the pan; you may need to fry these in two batches.
- Remove the patties with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with a few sheets of paper towels.
- To serve as part of a main meal, garnish with the sauce and serve alongside boiled new potatoes with “butter,” chopped chives and/or a few pinches of dill.
Oh my Goodness!!! These rocked! Even with both of my very picky eaters aged 7 and 9… we are gluten/casein free and avoid high fructose corn syrup…that commercial “your body can’t tell the difference” they need to spend a day with my kid after he’s had some!!!! Anyway I used 3 diff “bread crumb” mixtures 1- ener-g brand bread crumbs 2- older bbq mesquite wavy chip crumbs crunched up 3- zatarans fish-fri out of the 3 my kids liked the first two best! Thank you for this recipe!!!
Glad everyone liked the recipe and thanks for commenting on the panko alternatives as well!
Hi!! I must say I really love your recipes! I just tried out the okara burguers and they came out delicious! And I’m definitely gonna try your other okara recipes, like this one eheheh it’s definitely a waste to throw good stuff like okara to the bin. Anyway, you mentioned vegan sausages here… could you post them up please? ^^’ Veg sausages here are soo expensive!
Thank you so much
Hey Marta, thanks for the kind words! I really appreciate it. I need to order some more gluten flour but I’ll definitely work on an actual written down sausage recipe (they’re usually just hodgepodge)! It’s a great way to use okara up for sure.
Thank you so much Kip! I’ll keep an eye out for new recipes, and your old ones as well ^^ I must say… I never thought I’d like so much vegan food. I definitely was one of those who thought vegan people only ate herbs and such, it’s so embarrassing to think about that now! Tofu is so versatile and apparently gluten is a new world to explore as well 😀
Hi, just to confirm one thing. Did you add water to mix the patty ingredient? Cause there isn’t any given information on the amount of water you add.
Because I use fresh okara I don’t add any extra water… You can add extra water to achieve your desired consistency if your okara is too dry though.
Can you freeze okara?
Absolutely! In fact it’s better to do that than to keep it for too long in the fridge, where it has a pretty short shelf life before going off.
Is the okara that goes into this recipe cooked or raw? In other words, when I make soymilk, I wash my soybeans, soak them 12 hours, then blend them with water. After that, I put the mixture in a nut bag and squeeze out the liquid. That liquid is cooked, but the leftover okara is left uncooked. So, in your recipe above, is the okara in the uncooked state when you use it to make patties?
Hi Robert,
Good question. I always cook the blended mash before straining, so the okara I use is cooked.
Having tried your tofu recipe last week I had plenty of Okara. I have made these fish less cakes, a meatlessloaf based on your recipe and sausageless
Sausage rolls. I have been delighted with how everything worked out. Everything was easy to put together and very tasty.
Hi Helen,
Glad it all came together well. Thanks for letting me know!
So happy to find your page! I recently starting making my own soy milk and this was my first recipe to try. Instead of the dipping sauce I had them for a ‘fish’ taco. I used the seaweed sheets and they definitely adding that extra fishy flavour. I will be making these again!
Glad you enjoyed it! Great idea to use in fish tacos. Thanks for reporting back.