Noriko Takahashi: Harnessing the Power of Okara

2021/01/15

Since I was a child, I grew up being praised as a child who ate food with great enjoyment. After graduating from university, working at a bank, and living abroad, I have been hosting cooking classes at home since 2003. My life's work has been activities to promote "okara" (soy pulp) as a food ingredient.

More than 20 years ago, I saw okara at a local tofu shop. It was as pure white and powdery as fresh snow, and so beautiful. I couldn't stand the fact that it was being treated as industrial waste, and my desire to make dishes and sweets using okara became the starting point of my activities.

Fortunately, I was able to publish two okara recipe books, and I launched the "NIPPON Okara Project" to expand the scope of my activities. I have worked on providing advice and recipes for product development at major companies and social welfare corporations, conducting okara research in collaboration with university laboratories, appearing in media such as TV, radio, and magazines, and holding events with local governments and restaurants. I am grateful to have received the support of many seniors and juniors from the Juku on many occasions. Ten years ago, okara was hardly a topic of conversation, but since "okara powder" went on sale a few years ago, I have been receiving many inquiries.

When people think of okara, they often think of it as mere dregs with no nutritional value. However, its protein content is actually higher than that of tofu, and its dietary fiber content is among the top three of all foods. It is an ingredient well-suited for the recently popular "gut health" (chokatsu). In cooking, it blends well not only with Japanese food but also with Italian, ethnic, and French cuisines. It is economical, contributes to the environment, and is a wonderful high-protein, low-carb food.

Last year, at the request of the general incorporated association JLMM, I went to a poor region in Cambodia to provide guidance on making healthy food using okara, which was being discarded in large quantities. An easy-to-make okara cake was well-received and began to be served as a daily snack at the school from the following day, which made me very happy. In the future, I am considering initiatives to utilize okara as a way to solve food shortage problems both domestically and internationally.

No matter the era, the most important thing is to eat enjoyably and deliciously. To that end, I want to keep running a little longer with the motto: "Delicious and healthy with okara!"