Denbu ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

1. [Instructions for making cooked beans] Soak the “kintokimame” (=red kidney beans) in plenty of water for 5 to 6 hours before cooking.

2. Put the water that the beans were soaked in and the beans in a pot and cook. Once the water starts boiling, turn off the heat and drain the water.

3. Put plenty of fresh water into the pot so that the beans are fully soaked and cook some more. Lower the heat once the water starts to boil. Simmer until the beans become soft.

4. Add the sugar to the beans and water and simmer for another 10 minutes. Then, add the soy sauce. Turn off the heat and put a lid on the pot to let the flavors absorb into the beans.

5. [Instructions for making “Denbu”] Cut the carrots and daikon radish into 1cm cubes. Cut the “gobou” (=burdock) into small pieces.

6. Soak the freeze-dried tofu in some water. After that, cut the tofu into 5mm thin squares. Cook the Konjac(=yam cake) and cut into 1cm cubes.

7. Put the ingredients from steps 5 and 6 and “dashi” (=Japanese soup stock) into a pot and cook. Once the soup comes to a boil, add sugar, sake and umeboshi. When the vegetables become soft, add the soy sauce, and cook some more. Add the cooked beans and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes so that there is some soup left when done.