Recipes
About 40 g (4 tablespoons) for 4 servings
Kuromame, sweetened cooked black beans, are a staple item in Osechi-ryori, the celebratory dishes eaten during the Japanese New Year. To learn more about the wishes and meanings associated with Osechi-ryori and black beans, please refer to this article. This shiny delight is also enjoyed year-round as a typical home-cooked dish.
300 g kuromame (Black soybeans)
Mixture A
190 g granulated sugar
1400 g boiling water
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon (about 5 g) salt
Others
4 tablespoons (about 40 g) TREHA®
70 g glucose syrup
Rinse the black soybeans. Combine all the ingredients of A and bring the mixture to a boil to make a seasoning liquid. Soak the beans in the hot seasoning liquid, and let them stand overnight.
Transfer the beans and the seasoning liquid into a pot, cover with an otoshibuta* (Japanese cooking lid meaning a drop-lid), and simmer for 30 minutes while skimming scum as needed.
Add TREHA® into the mixture.
Continue simmering over low heat for a full day. Add more water when the cooking liquid has reduced due to evaporation, as bean surfaces tend to get wrinkled when exposed to the air. Although cooking with the lid on is generally recommended, cooking with the lid slightly open to prevent overflow is all right. Remove the lid only when checking the progress.
Add glucose syrup and cook until beans become glossy. The finished Brix** is approximately 45°.
Let beans sit in the syrup until the temperature reaches about 104°F/40°C.
*An otoshibuta is a Japanese drop-lid for even heat distribution in a pot. It prevents ingredient breakage and ensures uniform cooking. Parchment paper or aluminum foil with a center hole can be used as a substitute.
** Brix is a widely-used scale for measuring the concentration of dissolved solids in a liquid, often employed to determine the dissolved sugar content in aqueous solutions.
Cooks the beans evenly while preventing them from falling apart.
Extends shelf life without adding extra sweetness.
