Okara "Sea" Cakes

This recipe is inspired/adapted from the Tofu cake recipe from the Korean Vegan Cookbook. When I make soymilk at home, the remaining blitzed up cooked soybeans (the leftover pulp), is called Okara. It's a really great ingredient for adding to vegan sea cakes, nuggets, or muffins. You can also mix it into dog food or give it to chickens for a tasty snack. (I learned about Okara in my Vegan Pantry Cookbook) I'll the link to my soy milk recipe below. There is also a video where you can see what the by product looks like. 

Recipe Notes
I mixed the Okara (which has great texture), with chopped bell peppers, scallions, nori, and shiitake mushrooms. The flavour is of these is just so good. I love the hint of sea the nori offers. As suggested in the Tofu Cake recipe from the KV book. I used Just Egg to dip the cakes into before frying in olive oil. You can make your own egg substitute by mixing together plant milk, potato starch, and turmeric. (I'll share measurements below) I tested both methods. I think I like the Just Egg better....but the other method is really delicious too. The turmeric adds an earthiness that is definitely notable. You can't go wrong with either options. I would say the benefit of using the DIY vegan egg is that it's more affordable and accessible, depending where you live. When I make a batch of these I do all the dunking and frying at once. Then I keep them in the fridge and heat them in the oven during the week for quick meals. 

For Dipping
I make a quick creamy guachjang dressing to dip these in, and the combination is divine.

Guachjang Dressing
Whisk together

• 1 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp guachjang paste
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp soy sauce 

Okara "Sea" Cakes Recipe

Yield: 20 cakes (approx, depends how big you make them)

Sea Cake Mixture
Ingredients:

• Okara from 1 batch of soy milk (I weighed it, 1 lb 13 oz)
• 1/2 - 3/4 bell pepper, I used orange and yellow about 2/3 cup chopped
• 100 g shiitake mushrooms, chopped (I bought 1 x 113 g package, removed the stems)
• 3 sheets nori, ripped or cut into small pieces. (ripping it seemed easiest)
• 2 tbsp Just Egg, or 2 tbsp plant milk
• 2 tbsp potato starch
• S & P (I add this to taste, a few good pinches)

Method: 

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, use your hands to mix together.

Cooking the Cakes

Ingredients:

• olive oil for frying (as needed)
• Just Egg for Dipping (about half a bottle) or make your own ** Egg Substitute (see below)

Method:

1. Form the okara mixture into patties, and place them on a baking sheet.
2. When you have your patties made up, heat a generous amount of olive oil in a non stick pan.
   
3. Dip the cakes into the egg mixture and place in the hot oil. (I did about 4 at a time in my pan) Flip over when they are golden brown on one side. Avoid trying to flip before they are ready. They can stick a bit even when they are golden so just keep an eye.
   
4. Place the browned okara cakes back onto the baking pan. 
   
5. Now I place them in a food storage container in the fridge, and reheat in the oven as needed. If I want to eat some straight away, I still pop them into the oven to get really hot after they've been browned. 
   
6. Serve them with your favourite dipping sauce.  

***Egg Subtitute for Dipping

Whisk together 3/4 cup plant milk, 2 tbsp potato starch & 1 1/2 tsp turmeric. If you have it, I also like to season the mixture with Kala Namak (It's a black Sulphur based salt that tastes like egg)