Nimame (Simmered Sweet Soy Beans) with Chili Heat

About This Recipe

Nimame -- beans simmered slowly in soy sauce, mirin, and sugar until they absorb a deep sweet-savory flavor -- is a staple of Japanese home cooking and osechi (New Year) spreads, most familiar in the black soybean version called kuromame. This version uses everyday dried soybeans or edamame beans and adds dried red chili for a sweet-heat contrast that's less traditional but very much in the spirit of festival-stall cooking, where vendors often punch up simple simmered dishes with extra spice. The technique is entirely about low, patient simmering: beans are soaked overnight, then simmered gently in a kombu dashi with soy sauce, mirin, and sugar added gradually so the skins don't toughen or split. A drop cover (otoshibuta) or a piece of parchment pressed directly onto the beans keeps them evenly coated without agitation, which is the traditional method for keeping simmered bean dishes from breaking apart. Served warm or at room temperature as a side dish, this bean pot keeps for days and actually improves as the beans continue to absorb the sweet, spiced syrup -- much like slow-simmered Japanese nimono dishes are designed to do.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 300 gdried soybeans(soaked overnight)
• 1 piecekombu(10cm square)
• 4 cupswater
• 4 tbspsoy sauce
• 4 tbspmirin
• 3 tbspsugar
• 1 tbspsake
• 2dried red chilies(seeded, thinly sliced)
• 0.5 tspsalt
• 1 tsptoasted sesame seeds(for garnish)

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the beans

   Soak dried soybeans in plenty of water overnight, at least 8 hours, until roughly doubled in size. Drain.

2. 2

   Start the simmer

   Combine soaked beans, kombu, and water in a heavy pot. Bring to a boil, skim off foam, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook uncovered 45 minutes until beans are nearly tender.

3. 3

   Remove the kombu

   Discard the kombu once the beans are nearly tender -- it has already given up its flavor to the broth.

4. 4

   Season gradually

   Add soy sauce, mirin, sugar, sake, and chilies. Adding sugar before soy sauce toughens beans, so keep this order. Press a piece of parchment directly onto the beans as a drop lid.

5. 5

   Simmer to glaze

   Simmer gently for 30-40 minutes more, until the beans are fully tender and the liquid has reduced to a light glaze coating them. Season with salt to taste.

6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Let the beans sit off heat for at least 15 minutes to absorb more sauce. Serve warm or room temperature, scattered with sesame seeds.

Variations

• •

  Use black soybeans (kuromame) for a traditional New Year's version, omitting the chili.

• •

  Swap soybeans for azuki beans and reduce the sugar for a more traditional sweet bean dish.

• •

  Add a knob of grated ginger with the seasonings for extra warmth.

Storage

Refrigerate in the cooking liquid in an airtight container up to 5 days -- the beans keep absorbing flavor. Reheat gently on the stovetop or eat cold as a side. Freezes well up to 2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions