pulp crisp: a savory okara / dòuzhā / biji pancake made with leftovers!

Making soy milk, oat milk, rice milk, nut milk, or tofu, and looking for something to do with the leftover pulp? Soy pulp, also known as okara in Japanese, biji in Korean, and dòuzhā in Chinese, can be used in almost any recipe you can think of! Hide it in a stir-fry, mush it into morning porridge, or tuck it into breads, cookies, or cakes! How you use it might depend on whether your pulp is just pure soybean, grains, nuts, or some combination. The pure pulp is fairly flavorless compared with, say, a grain-based milk made with dried fruits and nuts – which means the possibilities for cooking with it are endless!

---

Yes, I got an $8 used soymilk machine about three months ago – and it’s become a part of my daily life in a way I was never expecting. Homemade nut and grain milk is sweeter and creamier than milk. I drink it every morning. Tastes nothing like the soymilk from the store! Stay tuned for a mega-post chronicling months of experiments with different combinations of grains, beans, nuts, fruits, and seeds!

---

So far, this is one of my favorite “waste not” recipes using okara! Ever since I began my grain and nut milk obsession a few months ago, I have been combing the internet for ways to use the leftover soy pulp. This recipe is ridiculously easy. If you use enough soy milk or water, you’ll be really surprised by the crepe-like texture. These pancakes will keep you full way longer than a “typical” pancake due to all the protein.

My recipe is modified from The Foodie Baker's version in one huge way that really changes the texture and flavor. Curious?

---

SAVORY OKARA PANCAKE modified from The Foodie Baker

50 grams fresh okara

50 grams rice flour (all-purpose flour is fine, too)

100 ml soy milk or water

2 pinches salt

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)

2 spring onion finely chopped (optional)

your favorite spices (optional – black pepper is recommended – a pinch of Chinese five-spice is great in this!)

neutral oil, to fry (like canola, vegetable, etc.)

---

note: If you don’t have a scale, it’s important to note that depending on how much soy milk you squeezed out of your pulp, 50g okara might be a quarter-cup, or a half-cup. If you’re very lazy, like me, and your hands get tired after a few squeezes, use a little less okara. If yours is very fluffy, use a little more. Or – and this has been true for me so far – just eyeball it, because the amount doesn’t matter too much! 50g flour is probably about a third of a cup. 100ml is about a half-cup. You can eyeball these amounts – it really doesn’t matter that much.

Mix everything together, with whatever spoon or whisk you like, or your hands. Pour batter into preheated oiled skillet and fry like a pancake. Eat with your favorite dipping sauce. I loved a chili oil/black vinegar sauce, but anything from soy sauce to plain yogurt would be good. Or serve with eggs – soy-cured eggs would be amazing with these – or leftover veggies!

original recipe by the foodie baker and modified by friedsig

---

The original recipe calls for egg, which makes more of a typical American-style pancake. I could really taste the egg in it, which would be great for someone who loves that hard cooked egg / French toast flavor! However, if you prefer a crispy dosa-style pancake like I do, you’ll much prefer the eggless version. Obviously, vegans will prefer it without egg. I love eggs, and much prefer a soft cooked egg wrapped in one of these crispy pancakes, rather than the egg overcooking inside the pancake.

Experiment with this! I bet this would be amazing with a ton of sugar and cinnamon if that’s your jam. I’m on a savory kick lately, though. I have loved these strongly seasoned with a Chinese five-spice blend, with a homemade Sri Lankan curry powder, with a basic blend of garlic powder and black pepper, and just plain with sesame oil and salt.

The edges get quite crispy and crunchy, so I have named these “pulp crisps” because my “okara” is usually some blend of peanuts, Chinese red dates, millet or oats, black soybeans, rice…. not just pure soy okara.

If you’re curious about my journey with this soymilk machine, fear not! Recipes are coming.

Advertisement

polpette (Italian vegetarian “meat”balls)

Got a lot of stale bread? These are… food.

Zucchini 280 g
Stale bread 250 g
Eggs (about 1 medium) 50 g
Whole milk 60 g
Breadcrumbs 120 g
Basil to taste
Tomato pulp 150 g
Garlic 1 clove
Mozzarella 90 g
Extra virgin olive oil to taste
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
(edit: please add oregano or really anything)

– break up the bread and soak it in milk
– slice zucchini into “rather large slices,” heat up some oil in a pan, then fry them over medium heat for about 10 min or until cooked
– using a “robot” (I love Google translate; I am guessing you want to use a food processor) or a fork, mix zucchini with breadcrumbs, salt, bread, and pepper (and basil if using)
– add egg after blending, and blend until homogenous
– form balls of about 30-33 g in weight
– refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up so they don’t fall apart
– in a separate pan, start garlic (“or shirt if you prefer,” according to Google translate,) and add crushed tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper
– when tomato sauce tastes great, add balls and melt mozzarella over the the top. cover with lid.

+

original recipe from giallo zafferano in Italian and here it is in English, run through a translator

+

Okay, these are edible. If you have a bunch of stale bread, this is definitely a way to use it. It isn’t a GOOD way; it’s just a way. Being on a soft food diet, it’s nice having something shaped like a meatball, but you know what else is soft? Good vegan meatballs. I mean, vegetarian buffalo “meatballs” made with white beans are soft. Meatless wild rice and mushroom “meatballs” are soft. These are just straight-up BLAND! The texture is a bit gloopy on day one, and by day three mellow to a sort of gluey, gummy mess. So, the taste is bad. The texture? Also bad.

The only way I can recommend these is if you have a LOT of dumpstered bread to use. PLEASE add sautéed onions or garlic to flavor the polpette. Tagged “waste not,” because this might keep some bread out of the landfill. Tagged “soft food” because I ate these with a temporary crown, and it didn’t hurt. Ecstatic to use the “nope” tag for the first time in a year. This recipe could be adjusted to be more flavorful, but right now, these polpette are a solid nope.

This is solid proof that everyone creates a nightmare in the kitchen sometimes. Everyone occasionally ends up with a week’s worth of glue-balls. Jump in, try something new, and if it turns into paste, make something better next week!

springtime niçoise style salad

niçoise salad is amazing and versatile. ever tried it with asparagus? i can’t get fresh green beans in april, so i made an asparagus niçoise style salad for the spring.

the best part is, none of these ingredients are necessary. any leftover vegetables would be great in here. swap out whatever you have or don’t have, and build your dream salad. it’s a great way to use leftover boiled potatoes.

– 1 bunch asparagus
– medium-boiled eggs (the internet said 7 minutes for medium-boiled eggs. but they came out soft-boiled. delicious but not the same.)
– diced artichoke hearts
– chopped olives (use what you have in the house; they don’t have to be nicoise olives)
– leftover boiled potatoes (i used purple fleshed potatoes that were on sale at the co-op and they were beautiful contrasted with the bright green asparagus and bright yellow yolks)
– (optional: tuna or anchovies, if you eat fish)

dressing:
dijon mustard
apple cider vinegar
a few pinches of minced onions or garlic
any fresh herb you have in the house
pinch of salt and pepper

roast asparagus in olive oil on 425 until it cooked but still crunchy, just eight minutes or so

cut everything into bite-sized chunks, like for potato salad or egg salad, top with vinaigrette, and serve.

don’t be constrained by this recipe. get creative! next time, i’d love to add some radishes for crunch. epicurious says to add raw red and yellow bell peppers, fresh tomatoes, and tons of parsley. david lebovitz uses fresh cucumbers, fresh fava beans, fresh basil, and a half a head of lettuce. others call for capers, celery, salmon and sugar, baby beets….

+

recipe modified from all the recipes cited above, created by friedsig, and, mostly inspired by this bon apetit recipe that planted itself into my subconscious

+

artichokes and asparagus are two of my favorite foods. here you can eat them at the same time!

it’s nice to have a new quick lunch for the week with just a little weekend meal prep. if you make the vinaigrette and roast the asparagus and boil the potatoes and eggs on a weekend, you can construct this salad in five minutes. also, a great seasonal salad: use tomatoes and cucumbers in an august salad, and asparagus and radishes in an april salad. it’s also nice to have a unifying theme, and feel like, “i am eating nicoise salad,” and not, “i am eating this hastily assembled pile of leftovers”

bourbon chicken liver pâté

“Pâté” feels pretentious, but chicken liver is less than half the price of hamburger meat.

I eat organ meats because:
they’re cheap
they’re delicious
it reduces waste
they’re nutritious (one serving is 280% of your daily need for vitamins A and B12)
did I mention they are cheap?

If you do eat meat, I highly recommend you give chicken liver a try. It’s so quick to cook, and very easy.

One of my favorite preparations has never made it onto friedsig, so here we go: a modification of the classic bourbon chicken liver pâté. This one is modified from epicurious.

– Heat a cast iron pan with about 1.5 T butter, or however much you like. (They say half a stick.)
– Saute a medium onion over medium-low til it caramelizes.
– Add a minced clove of garlic.
– Add one container (~1 lb) of rinsed chicken livers. (Pick off the little globs of fat if you want, but leave some on if you went light on the butter.)
– Saute about 4 minutes on one side, then flip.
– Add lots of fresh or a little dried sage and thyme. Add salt, pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg. Stir and add 2 T bourbon.
– Make sure each piece has been cooked on both sides when stirring.
– Cut one of the biggest livers in half. If it’s no longer bloody, mostly cooked, but still pink in the middle, it’s perfect. Don’t overcook – 8 minutes should be plenty.
– Blend in a blender or food processor. Do NOT add the liquid unless you want a drinkable pate – just the liver and onions. You can add the liquid as needed to blend into a thick consistency. I like to add a dash of heavy cream, but that is optional. Or, like epicurious suggests, scoop it into tiny bowls and add a little melted butter over the top.

+

modified from epicurious

+

You can serve this as a dip with cut up veggies, crackers, or toasts. You can use this as a sandwich spread – great with lots of fresh greens and herbs. You can roll this up in greens and make it into finger food. You can add a little to make a sauce richer, or to sneak it in if you don’t like the taste. You can eat it with pasta. You can layer it in casseroles like any other meat. Just try a little spread on a cracker!

strawberry dressing

maybe you are in a part of the world that isn’t frozen – or maybe you’re reading this in the heat of the summer.

this will be an attempt to:
1. break the monotony of my favorite dressings that i can’t stop making
2. bring a little summer to this wildly cold day

also a great way to use up the strawberries in your garden or fridge that are right on the edge of too soft to eat.

+

a cup of strawberries, or however many you have
1/3 c olive oil, or other nice dressing oil, like walnut
1 tsp balsamic, or to taste
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
a pinch of salt

blend til smooth

+

from just one cookbook

perfect poached eggs

really into poached eggs lately. looked up how to get the whites to stay together. seems easy enough, and i hate wasting all those bits of egg white!

+

Heat the water: Add enough water to come 1 inch up the side of a narrow, deep 2-quart saucier. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 2 teaspoons white vinegar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile, crack 1 very fresh cold large egg into a cup. Use the handle of a spatula or spoon to quickly stir the water in one direction until it’s all smoothly spinning around.

TIP: Use this whirlpool method when poaching a single serving (one or two eggs). For bigger batches, heat the water, salt and vinegar in a 12-inch nonstick skillet and do not stir.

Add the egg: Carefully drop the egg into the center of the whirlpool. The swirling water will help prevent the white from “feathering,” or spreading out in the pan.

Let it poach: Turn off the heat, cover the pan and set your timer for 5 minutes. Don’t peek, poke, stir or accost the egg in any way.

+

from tv

kimchi bibimbap

“stirred rice” – rice stirred up with leftovers!

+ last night’s rice
+ any leftovers you have in your fridge – meat, veggies, whatever
+ bolgogi (sweet korean rib-eye cooked with pear,) if you have it lying around. (you can leave it out.)
+ cut-up pieces of raw fresh veggies, like cucumbers, bean sprouts, carrots, or spinach
+ a handful of kim-chi, cut up
+ a fried egg
+ a gojuchang sauce made of 3 tablespoons Gochujang paste, 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 3ish minced cloves of garlic, 3 teaspoons soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon Korean fine red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil, and 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds
+ a topping of dried and salted seaweed

mix together and eat

+

based on a recipe from heart mind and seoul

crunchy-top spicy quinoa bites

2 cups cooked quinoa
3/4 cup grated cheese (they recommend gruyere)
2 eggs, beaten
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 clove minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 tablespoons sriracha or chili-garlic sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (whole wheat or white)

Preheat oven to 350°F
Oil the cups of two mini 12 count muffin pans. Set aside.
Stir all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. The mixture should be sticky and cling to a spoon. (Add more breadcrumbs if it’s too loose.)
Spoon the mixture into one cup. Press down firmly with your fingers. Add more, if necessary, to fill even with the top. Press firmly again. Continue filling the cups in this manner. You should be able to fill 18 to 20 of the cups.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Keep an eye on the edges – if they brown, go ahead and remove the pans from the oven.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then turn out on a cooling rack. Serve immediately.

+

from leaf and grain

pumpkin bread pudding with raisins

1 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup spiced rum or spiced liqueur, orange or lemon liqueurs like cointreau, or similar
1/3 cup hot water

1 12 ounce day old baguette, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 15 ounce can pure pumpkin
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cup blend of milk, half-n-half, cream, coconut milk, kefir, yogurt, almond milk, or whatever you like in whatever proportions you like
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or mixed allspice and cinnamon with a pinch of clove and nutmeg and mace if you’ve got it)
pinch nutmeg
pinch salt
butter to grease
brown sugar to sprinkle

+

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Place raisins in a bowl and cover with rum and hot water; set aside to soak for 20 minutes.
Grease 6 – 10 ounce ramekins (or bread pan)
Sprinkle brown sugar in the bottom of each buttered ramekin; set aside
In a large bowl combine pumpkin, milky stuff, eggs, sugar, vanilla, spices and salt; whisk together
Toss in bread cubes
Fold in soaked raisins
Divide among the ramekins and press down to level
Bake until custard is set in the center and top is golden, about 40 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly

+

adapted from my sous chef is a dog

+

not bad hot with ice cream on top, but not my favorite. i prefer my bread pudding a little puddingy, and this was a bit too dry for my tastes. next time maybe i’ll use coconut milk instead of milk for a creamier texture.

vegetarian welsh “glamorgan sausages”

glamorgan sausages are a traditional welsh dish.

+

25g/1oz butter
115g/4oz leeks, trimmed, finely sliced (prepared weight)
175g/6oz breadcrumbs (make them yourself by toasting stale bread and crumbling it!)
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
150g/5oz Caerphilly cheese or Welsh Cheddar, finely grated
2 free-range eggs, separated
1 tsp English mustard
½ tsp flaked sea salt
5 tbsp sunflower oil
freshly ground black pepper

melt the butter in a large non-stick frying pan and fry the leek gently for 8-10minutes, or until very soft but not coloured.
Put 100g/3½oz of the breadcrumbs, the parsley, thyme and cheese in a large mixing bowl and mix until well combined. Beat the egg yolks with the mustard, salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper in a separate bowl.
Remove the frying pan from the heat and tip the leeks into the bowl with the breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolks and mix together well with a large wooden spoon until well combined. Divide the leek mixture into eight portions and roll into sausage shapes.
Whisk the egg whites lightly in a bowl with a large metal whisk until just frothy. Sprinkle 40g/1½oz breadcrumbs over a large plate. Dip the sausages one at a time into the beaten egg and roll in the breadcrumbs until evenly coated, then place on the baking tray. Chill the sausages in the fridge for 30 minutes.

fry on medium heat 10-12 mins, turning regularly.

+

edit 10/7:

no thyme, parsley, or leeks in the house. subbed in fresh cilantro and mint, dried basil, powdered onion and garlic, and a pinch of coconut powder, and dipped them in corn flour instead of breadcrumbs.

tasted sort of like crunchy fried cilantro bread, and sort of like something weird you’d get at a carnival from the deep-fried corn flour taste. not bad; curious to try them cooked in a real deep-fryer and with the leeks.

great way to use old stale bread. it would be fun for kids, too, since squishing is a required part of the cooking process.