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The Soya StoryBean Cuisine - an introduction to cooking with soya
By Jane Easton Not only are soya beans full of protein but they are also a valuable source of calcium, zinc and many B vitamins (not B12). So rather than feed them to animals which are then killed for meat – the unhealthiest, environmentally damaging, wasteful and cruel method of producing protein imaginable – why not cut out the middleman and just eat them directly?
Oriental cuisine uses a range of delicious soya products which are very healthy and as near to the bean’s natural state as possible. These products became available in the West from the 1960s onwards. However, as the VVF and Viva! discovered when they launched the Incredible Veggie Roadshows, not everyone is in on the secret; either they don’t know about soya foods and their benefits or else they don’t know how to cook them. It’s no coincidence that the tofu cookery demonstrations and soya talks have been some of our best attended presentations. Hence this guide! But never fear. You’ve read the soya science, now we’ll show you how to make delicious dishes and tell you where to buy the products. But first, a brief introduction to soya foods anda few other goodies, plus stockists.
Soya source Buy them uncooked or ready-cooked in tins/cartons. The dried beans are sold readypacked or loose from shops with ‘weigh-yourown’ sections. As with all dried beans, make sure they are in date (old beans take forever to cook and are tough and indigestible!). Store them in an air-tight container until you use them. To cook, first soak the beans overnight or for a minimum of twelve hours in lots of cold water. Make sure they are well covered because the beans will swell up during the soaking.process. Before cooking, drain off the soaking water and rinse the beans thoroughly. Cover with fresh water and cook in a saucepan for 2- 3 hours or 1 hour in a pressure cooker. Once cooked, strain, cool and store the beans in a sealed container in the fridge. They will keep for up to three days. Alternatively, cook a bigger batch, divide into portions and freeze in sealed containers or freezer bags (240g/9oz cooked beans is the equivalent of a tin of drained soya beans).
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The Soya Story - ContentsResources:
Myth-Busting Soya and the Environment FAQs Soya research |
Superfoods of the Ancients
The Soya Story
The Safety of Soya 
Soya-Based Infant Formula 
The Soya Saga  |
Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation Top Suite, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol, BS2 8QH, UK T: 0117 970 5190 W: www.vegetarian.org.uk E: info@vegetarian.org.uk |
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