午夜剧场

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 my home since 2003. My life's work has been promoting the use of "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 it was so beautiful that I couldn't stand the fact that it was being treated as industrial waste. Wanting to create dishes and sweets using okara was 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 provided advice and recipes for product development at major corporations and social welfare corporations, conducted joint research on okara with university laboratories, appeared in media such as TV, radio, and magazines, and held events with local governments and restaurants. I am grateful to have received support from seniors and juniors of the Juku on many occasions. While okara was hardly talked about 10 years ago, I have been receiving many inquiries since "okara powder" began to be sold a few years ago.

When people think of okara, they often think of it as mere dregs with no nutritional value, but it actually contains more protein than tofu. In terms of dietary fiber, its content is among the top three of all foods. It is also a suitable ingredient 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. The simple 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 joyfully and deliciously. To that end, I want to keep running a little longer with the motto: "Be healthy and delicious with okara!"