Tofu with Okra and grated Japanese yam, served with soy sauce and bonito flakes (おくらとろろやっこ)

/ Haruka Sugiyama

Description: Japanese superfoods. Simple and easy to prepare. Slimy texture of Yam might be like Marmite: either you love it or hate it. But if you think about the health benefits, you would not mind having some from time to time 🙂
Serves: 1
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • Tofu – 150g
  • Yam – grated 50g
  • Okra – cut in small pieces 50g
  • Bonito Flake – 1.5g
  • Soy sauce – 1 teaspoon

Method

1. Boil the okra and cut it into small pieces. Grate the yam and mix with okra to make a paste.
2. Place the tofu on a plate and pour the paste on top of the tofu.
3. Serve with soy sauce and bonito flake.

Nutritional Values Per Serving

KcalProteinFatCarbsFibreSugarsSaltSaturated FatMagnesiumPotassiumVitamin C
162.510.2g4.3g21.5g3.5g2.8g0.8g0.6g80.7mg833.7mg17.8mg
8.1%20.3%6.1%8.3%11.7%3.1%12.9%2.8%29.9%23.8%44.4%
*These values are approximate and based on the value from ingredients prepared before cooking (Reference USDA). Percent daily values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may vary depending on your calorie needs. Calcium, iron, and Folate are over 10%, Phosphorus and vitamin B6 are also over 20%, and Vitamin B1 is over 30% of an adult’s daily reference intake.

Nutritional Tips

Tororo (Grated Japanese Yam) is a root vegetable and is famous for its slimy texture. However, it matches perfectly with Japanese dishes such as soba or udon noodles. It is a good source of dietary fiber, potassium, and vitamin C. Potassium is one of the major cations (positively charged ions) of intracellular fluid along with other electrolytes, such as sodium, calcium, magnesium, chloride, and phosphorus.

Potassium maintains the balance of body fluid. Higher potassium intakes may help to lower blood pressure by increasing vasodilation and urinary sodium excretion as it reduces plasma volume. The benefits of reducing blood pressure and preventing hypertension are very important because hypertension increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Tofu is made from soya beans and it contains “isoflavone” which has a similar structure to estrogen. Due to the similarity in structure, they could interfere with the action of our own estrogen and it could help to ease menopause symptoms including improving bone health (Ikeda et al, Journal of Nutrition, 2006, 136:1323-1328). There are some other known benefits, such as reducing the risk of breast and prostate cancers or improving skin health.

This dish is rich in important minerals and provides some protein and carbs with low fat and salt (unless your tofu is soaking in soy sauce). So I would say it is a decently balanced dish to serve :). However, if you plan to eat a big bowl of rice, you could possibly reduce the amount of yam so as to balance out the amount of carb intake.

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