Japanese Cakes/Wagashi 5: Recipe-Kinako/Roasted Soy Beans Powder

Abekawa Mochi from Shizuoka, one served pasted inside red sweetmeats/anko and the others with kinako powder.

As promised here is a simple recipe for kinako/黄な粉, roasted soy beans powder, so often used with Japanese cakes/Wagashi!

Kinako (黄粉 or きなこ), also known as soybean flour, is a product commonly used in Japanese cuisine. In order to create the soybean flour, soybeans are toasted and ground into powder. Its flavor is commonly compared to that of peanut butter.

INGREDIENTS:
Soy beans: 1 cup (200cc)

RECIPE:

Discard beans showing broken skin or with an unusual colour.

To make sure of any taking away any humidity, put them inside a clean cloth sack and roll them inside your hands/fingers.

Use a pan with as thick a bottom as possible. Roast for 12 minutes above medium fire. Stir around with wooden spatula. The soy beans will emit their smell making small “noises” at the same time.

Transfer to a bamboo basket/zaru or a reipient with small holes to cool off.

Start slowly processing them inside a food processor/mixer, working 15 seconds at a time, 3 or 4 times. All the beans will probably not be reduced to powder. Transfer powder into earthenware mortar little by little until all the beans are reduced into powder.

Make sure you get an even powder by crushing it around with a wooden pestle.

Sieve powder through a fine strainer.

The powder obtained should be fragrant and almost sweet.

You can turn into a drink if you want to!
Milk: 1 glass, kinako, 2 tablespoons, sugar, 1 tablespoon.

Kinako should be eaten as soon as possible!