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    Home Β» Easy Vegan Recipes Β» Mains

    Fishless Okara Cakes

    26 May, 2011 by Kip 25 Comments

    FISHLESS OKARA CAKES

    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 PΓ’tΓ©).

    Fishless Fried Okara Patties

    Makes 6 patties, serves 2
    • Spicyish Mayo Dip Ingredients
      • 2 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise
      • 1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
      • Β½ teaspoon sriracha or chili sauce
      • ΒΌ teaspoon prepared dijon mustard
      • 1 Β½-2 teaspoon finely chopped chives
    • Okara Patty Ingredients
      • 150 g (ΒΎ cup) packed fresh cooked okara
      • 2 small spring onions, finely diced (scant ΒΌ cup) or 35 g (ΒΌ cup) finely chopped yellow onion
      • 25 g (scant ΒΌ cup) finely diced celery
      • 5 g (scant ΒΌ cup) chopped parsley
      • 35 g (3 tbsp) potato starch
      • 30 ml (2 tbsp) veg worcestershire
      • Β½ teaspoon salt
      • Β½ teaspoon dried dill
      • Β½ teaspoon paprika
      • 20 g (β…“ cup) panko breadcrumbs
      • Vegetable or groundnut (peanut) oil to fry
    • Directions/Method
      1. First make the sauce/dip by simply stirring together all the ingredients. Easy peasy.
      2. 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 Β½ inch thick patties (they might crumble a bit, but the patties will hold together after heating in the oil).
      3. 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.
      4. Heat β…›-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.
      5. Remove the patties with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with a few sheets of paper towels.
      6. 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.

    More Mains

    • Vegan cheesy cauliflower with Chinkiang vinegar
    • Thai style vegan chicken rice (khao man gai)
    • Vegan mee gati – Thai coconut milk noodles
    • Instant pot black rice with smoked tofu and tomato coconut purΓ©e

    Reader Interactions

    I reserve the right to improve any malicious and trollish comments left below. Please do not comment about nonvegan products or activities.

    Comments

    1. Deleoncosm

      May 27, 2011 at 3:47 am

      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-friΒ Β Β  out of the 3 my kids liked the first two best! Thank you for this recipe!!!

      Reply
      • Kip

        May 27, 2011 at 6:57 am

        Glad everyone liked the recipe and thanks for commenting on the panko alternatives as well!

        Reply
      • Sabine

        September 28, 2021 at 1:17 am

        Hello, hi...
        These are so good, I just made them.

        I don't have anything meaningful to impart at the moment, but I just needed to say, thank you for sharing this recipe.

        Best,
        Sabine

        Reply
        • Kip

          September 30, 2021 at 3:28 pm

          thank you for reporting back! I really appreciate the feedback and I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe.

          Reply
        • Sabine

          December 13, 2021 at 5:59 pm

          Hi, again.
          Do you have the nutritional information (calories, etc.) for these? Thanks so much...I would really appreciate it for my food logging on Noom.

          Best,
          Sabine

          Reply
          • Kip

            December 27, 2021 at 1:59 pm

            Hi Sabine,

            I'm afraid I'm not qualified to provide that information, so I don't have nutritional details for any of my recipes.

            Reply
    2. Marta

      August 23, 2011 at 5:21 pm

      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

      Reply
      • Kip

        August 23, 2011 at 9:05 pm

        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.

        Reply
        • Marta

          August 24, 2011 at 1:17 pm

          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 πŸ˜€

          Reply
        • Rae

          May 20, 2021 at 3:18 am

          I think hodgepodge is usually best anyway. πŸ˜‰
          Don't work too hard. Can't wait to try the okara sausages!!

          Reply
      • Sabine

        March 27, 2022 at 9:01 am

        Thanks, anyway.

        Reply
    3. Rexxar

      November 06, 2012 at 2:30 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Kip

        November 06, 2012 at 9:13 am

        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.

        Reply
    4. Zsuzsanna

      June 25, 2017 at 1:32 pm

      Can you freeze okara?

      Reply
      • Kip

        June 26, 2017 at 12:58 pm

        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.

        Reply
    5. Robert Lamb

      December 17, 2017 at 7:17 am

      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?

      Reply
      • Kip

        December 17, 2017 at 10:03 am

        Hi Robert,

        Good question. I always cook the blended mash before straining, so the okara I use is cooked.

        Reply
    6. Helen HAYSOM

      March 17, 2019 at 7:41 pm

      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.

      Reply
      • Kip

        March 18, 2019 at 8:09 pm

        Hi Helen,

        Glad it all came together well. Thanks for letting me know!

        Reply
    7. Marisha Branson

      July 10, 2019 at 8:33 am

      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!

      Reply
      • Kip

        July 10, 2019 at 8:51 am

        Glad you enjoyed it! Great idea to use in fish tacos. Thanks for reporting back.

        Reply
    8. Stephen Sinclair

      July 10, 2020 at 9:32 pm

      Thank you for the great recipe. I recently started making my own soy milk (Quarantine Time) so had lots of okara. I make the milk "by hand" so cook the okara by spreading it out on a cookie sheet and baking at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. I added one teaspoon of Nori flakes to make them fishier and also a seafood spice blend popular in the U.S. called Old Bay Seasoning. I made a test patty and you were right about them not falling apart after they are placed in the hot oil. Despite that observation I added one flaxseed "egg" (1 tbsp ground golden flax seed with 3 tbsp warm water) to help with the binding. The patties were delicious. I used a homemade vegan tartar sauce with mine. Will try your sauce next time. I made a double batch so layered the extras in wax paper in a container and popped them in the freezer. Again, thank you. Maybe some day we U.S.Americans will be able to enter the UK again and I'll participate in one of your supper clubs. Blessings!

      Reply
      • Kip

        July 13, 2020 at 5:04 pm

        Hi Stephen,

        Thanks for your comment and kind words. I love the idea of adding Old Bay to these. Great thinking! I hope one day I will be able to host supper clubs again, but I suspect that won't be possible until/if there is a vaccine...

        Reply
        • Sherri

          January 15, 2022 at 1:02 am

          Made my first ever batch of soy milk today and was so curious about okara. So thrilled this recipe popped up on my search. I ended up needing to sub a couple of ingredients not on hand and added a tsp of nori furikake to intensify the seafood vibe. The cakes were delicious! Went traditional with the sauces for dipping - made a vegan tartar sauce (mayo/sweet pickle relish base) and also tried malt vinegar and a spicy tomato/horseradish-based prawn cocktail sauce. They all complemented the cakes perfectly. What a creative recipe! Thank you for working it out.

          Reply
          • Kip

            February 07, 2022 at 9:59 am

            ahhh thank you for trying the recipe and for letting me know how it turned out. Okara can be used in so many ways and I'm always happy to see people cooking with it instead of binning it.

            Reply
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    Name's Kip. Some things about me: vegan, Thai food enthusiast, comfortably chaotic and disorganised, information lover, Londoner, cookbook collector, clumsy AF, rarely takes a serious photo, has never been on a diet. This is not a wellness blog.

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