Secrets of the Soya Bean

In Malaysia, when we think of the soya bean, we instantly think of soya bean milk, tauhwa and tofu, in that order. But the soya bean is actually the main ingredient in more things than just those three. The soya bean we consume in all its processed forms is actually a hybrid and not a recent one, either. 

The Chinese and Japanese developed it many hundreds of years ago, probably because they found it so useful. Did you know that soya beans are made into cooking oil, sauces, pastes, and condiments? They are also ground into flour and made into fine white noodles called “tau chiam” which are usually served in clear soup made with either fis, prok or chicken.

We usually eat only the dried beans, but the young pods are also quite delicious when stirfired with prawns or sliced meat. In some parts of the world, however, soya beans are considered to be food for cattle only, however.

The wonderful properties of the humble bean are many. Each bean contains up to as much as 60 percent proteins and 20% oil. In fact, its protein and fat content are so high that just 300g of soya beans give you the caloric value of 27 eggs!

 That’s why soya beans and soya bean products feature so heavily in Asian vegetarian cuisine. The cytelin in it is also said to have a healing effect on arterioscleriosis. And if you have ever wondered what a soya bean plant looks like, here is a picture of some young soya bean plants.

And for more information, here are some YouTube videos about soya beans. Just click on the links -

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