Kuromame (Simmered Black Beans) Recipe
Simmered sweet black beans, one of the traditional Osechi New Year dishes
Ingredients
- 8.5 oz Japanese black beans
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 10 oz sugar
- 3/4 cup water
Instructions
1st Day
- Wash black beans and put in a large cast iron pot. Add baking soda and 1.5L (6-7cups) boiling water to the beans, and let it sit overnight.
2nd Day
- Next day, cook the beans at high heat until water boils, and skim bubbly scum. Turn down to low heat and cook for 5-6 hours. Add water as you need. The beans need to be submerged all the time. Crush a bean and see if it's squished easily. Reduce water to just barely covering the beans so the water gets a darker color. Cool.
- In a different pot, cook sugar and 3/4 cup (200 ml) water until sugar completely dissolves, and cool.
- Under running warm water, gently clean beans, and strain. Be careful not to damage cooked beans.
- Add strained beans to the syrup. Cover the surface with parchment paper, and heat to just below boiling (about 5 minutes). Let it sit overnight at room temperature.
3rd Day
- Cook further until just before boiling and let cool.