Soy products are everywhere in Japanese cuisine, and what better way to enjoy soybeans than with soybean powder? Kinako is roasted soybean powder and is seen a lot in desserts, but can also be used in baking and more savory dishes as well. It’s often used in mochi as a dusting or a filling, and has a flavor that reminds me a bit of peanut butter. Just as popular as red bean paste but not quite as strange to the Western palate, you might find yourself a new favorite flavor once you give it a try!
I’ve found myself craving kinako lately, and sadly it’s very rarely available near me. But although it may be hard to come by, kinako is actually very easy to make! In fact, I love freshly made kinako at home even more, since you get to eat it right after roasting with the peak of that toasted flavor, and at a fraction of the cost! It might not be as refined as commercial kinako, but the flavor is definitely worth it. All you need are soybeans and a grinder, and you’ll have homemade kinako in about 20 minutes!
Recipe – Kinako:
– To make kinako powder, we want to slow roast our soybeans to bring out their flavor. Place a wide skillet over medium low heat. Don’t let it get too hot otherwise the beans won’t roast and will only burn! Add the beans and stir every minute or so to keep them from burning.
– Keep roasting the beans until the side are nice and toasted and smell fragrant, stirring them every few minutes. The beans will pop a little like popcorn, and kind of smell like them too! Keep roasting them until almost all of the beans are cracked and showing their golden yellow pod inside. Keep an eye on them while they’re roasting, if they’re getting too burned and not popping yet, turn down the heat a little.
– Once they’re roasted, immediately transfer them to grinder or food processor and blend until smooth. Once ground, it will keep for quite a while just like any other spice, though may lose some nutty potency over time.
– Being handmade, it’s not as refined as store bought kinako, but tastes just as good! You can try running through the blender twice, or if you want to separate out the larger bits, run the powder through a mesh sieve to get the really fine powder. To make sweetened kinako for desserts, mix together 1 tablespoon of sugar for every 2 tablespoons of kinako powder. If using for savory dishes, leave out the sugar and use it as is!
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