Kuromame-ni (Sweet Simmered Black Soybeans)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 780 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 7
About this dish
No New Year osechi box is complete without these sweet black soybeans, which carry a wish to work hard enough to be tanned dark and to stay well for years.
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Large, richly flavored Tanba beans from Kyoto simmer under a drop lid for eight hours at the lowest heat. A sudden jump in heat, or a bean left above the liquid, will split or wrinkle the skin, and that is why they stay submerged the whole time.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the black soybeans quickly and drain.
Remove split or damaged beans and stones without rubbing off the skins.
- 2
In a large heavy pot, combine 2400 ml water, sugar, soy sauce, salt, and a washed food-safe iron cooking piece.
Bring to a boil, stirring, then turn off the heat.
- 3
Cool the syrup fully to room temperature, then add the beans.
Place a drop lid so they remain submerged and soak for 4 to 5 hours.
- 4
Bring the pot to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce to low.
Skim the foam with a ladle without stirring the beans.
- 5
When it returns to a boil, pour 100 ml additional water down the side and replace the drop lid.
Cook 8 hours at the lowest heat, with barely any surface movement.
- 6
If liquid falls, add a little boiling water so the beans always stay submerged.
When a bean crushes easily between the fingers, turn off heat and cool completely in the syrup.
References checked
These references were consulted when this page was prepared or corrected. A source check does not mean the recipe was independently kitchen-tested.
- 일본 농림수산성 うちの郷土料理
「京ごちそうさまお母さんの味」（京都府生活研究グループ連絡協議会） · Checked: 2026-08-11