A quick and easy way to cook with fresh okara is by whipping up a batch of okara pancakes. These aren’t your typical fluffy buttermilk pancakes – rather, they have a velvety, mochi-like texture due to the rice flour, and fry up hot and fragrant, perfect with a drizzle of honey and a tall glass of (soy or otherwise) milk. The recipe is as simple as it gets: just 2 ingredients, plus oil for frying, and no measuring required!
Ingredients:
- Fresh okara (or fresh almond pulp)
- Rice flour
- Oil/butter for pan
- Honey or syrup to top (optional)
Note: Exact measurements for flour and okara vary, since the amount of okara you get from a batch of soymilk can vary depending on how much soybean you use and how much moisture is left in the okara. A rough guideline for the ratio of flour:okara is 1:2 by volume, or 2:5 by weight.
Instructions:
- Slowly add rice flour to the okara, mixing as you go, until it forms thick, damp dough.
- Heat oil in pan at a medium-high temperature.
- Wash your hands.
- Take 2-3 tbsp of the dough and roll into a ball in the palm of your hand. Flatten into a pancake about 1/2 cm thick.
- Drop pancake onto the hot pan and fry until one side has firmed up and turned a light golden brown, about 5 minutes.
- Flip and fry other side till done.
- Top with honey or maple syrup for a sweet finish!
Since the dough is safe to eat uncooked, there is no danger of undercooking. However, if you find the centers appear uncooked and are too moist and grainy, you may need to fry for a few additional minutes. You can also fry for longer for a chewier pancake.