If you’re looking for a delicious fasting dish, here’s a recipe for tasty, nutritious, low-calorie soybeans paste. This healthy appetizer can be enjoyed for breakfast, spread on a slice of wholemeal bread or on puffed rice cake.
Soybeans contain protein and a wealth of nutrients, ideal for fasting days. The amount of protein contained in soybeans is similar to the amount in meat. They are also rich in antioxidants important for protecting blood vessels, the heart and the circulatory system. They also contain healthy carbohydrates that help improve the digestive system. Soybeans contain a number of vitamins, including A, B1, B2, C, D and E; essential amino acids, mineral salts, carbohydrates and enzymes are also present in this nutritious food.
Because of the beneficial effects of soybeans on the body, it is advisable to include them in your culinary preparations.
For starters, you can try out a recipe for a delicious soybean paste.
Ingredients
- 250 g soybeans
- water + salt for cooking
- 50 ml olive oil
- 3-4 cloves of garlic
- 1 medium onion
- 1-2 tablespoons tomato juice
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1-2 tsp lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 100 – 150 ml cooking
Preparation
Like chickpeas and beans, soybeans require some hydration time before cooking.
Rinse the soybeans thoroughly in cold water, then place them in a large pot. Add cold water over them, just enough to cover them well, and leave to hydrate for at least 12 hours. This way, the beans can be cooked in a shorter time without losing any of their nutritional properties.
The next day, drain the soybeans well, rinse in cold water and cook in two litres of cold water for about two hours.
Remove the husks that come off the beans and rise to the surface of the water. Add a teaspoon of salt after the water reaches boiling point. When the soybeans are cooked through and falling apart, transfer them to a sieve and drain.
How to make soybean paste
While the soybeans are draining in the sieve, prepare the other ingredients. Place a frying pan on the stove and heat up the oil. Peel the onion, chop it finely and sauté in the oil. Peel and chop the garlic and add it to the pan.
When the onion starts to soften, add the tomato juice. Stir the ingredients in the pan and leave for another 1-2 minutes for the flavours to mingle. Add the soybeans and again mix the ingredients well. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika.
Turn off the heat, allow the ingredients to temper for 10-15 minutes, then blend into a smooth paste with the blender. During the mashing add some of the boiling water to the soybeans to adjust the texture of the paste. You can add a little more oil if you want the paste to be creamier.
Season the paste with salt, pepper and lemon juice and transfer to glass jars with lids. It’s ideal to keep it in small jars, so that when you open a jar you can eat the contents immediately. You can keep jars of soy paste in the fridge for up to two weeks.