Home Cook Together. Celebrate Life.

JapaneseAuthentic Cuisine

Japanese Bean Stew

Serves 4 to 6 Entree vegetarian

Japanese Bean Stew

Japanese Bean Stew reflects the comforting simplicity of Japanese home cooking, where the careful balance of ingredients transforms a humble dish into a cherished meal. Traditionally prepared in family kitchens, this stew is a staple of home tables, perfect for sharing among loved ones. It embraces the essence of Japanese culinary tradition by allowing personal adjustments — salt is judged by hand, and fat is used generously to enrich the dish.

With every spoonful, you experience the creamy texture of tender beans melded with the subtle sweetness of onions and the rich depth of tomato paste. The oil adds a silky mouthfeel, while the seasoning of fine sea salt and black pepper rounds out the flavors. It's a dish that invites you to savor each bite, embodying the warmth and simplicity of home-cooked meals.

Ingredients

  • 400 gdried beans — soaked
  • 1onion
  • 2 tbsptomato paste
  • 80 mloil
  • to tastefine sea salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Rinse 400 g of dried beans under cold water, removing any debris or damaged beans. Soak them in a large bowl filled with water overnight or for at least 8 hours until they have doubled in size. Drain and set aside.
  2. Peel and finely chop 1 onion. Heat 80 ml of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over low heat. Add the chopped onion and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the onion becomes translucent and soft, about 10 minutes. This gentle cooking releases the onion's sweetness, forming the flavor base for the stew.
  3. Stir in 2 tbsp of tomato paste to the softened onions, mixing well to coat the onions. Cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until the paste darkens slightly, enhancing its rich flavor.
  4. Add the soaked and drained beans to the pot, stirring to combine them with the onion and tomato mixture. Pour in enough water to cover the beans by about 2 cm. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then reduce the heat to low.
  5. Cover the pot and cook the beans slowly, stirring occasionally, until they are tender and creamy, but not falling apart. This should take about 1 to 1.5 hours, depending on the type of beans used. The beans should be soft enough to easily mash with the back of a spoon against the side of the pot.
  6. Once the beans reach the desired tenderness, season the stew with fine sea salt and black pepper to taste. Stir well and let it simmer for an additional 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together.
  7. Taste the stew one final time and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve the Japanese Bean Stew warm, ideally with rice or crusty bread, and enjoy the comforting flavors shared around the table.
Cover of Authentic Japanese Cuisine
From the cookbook

Authentic Japanese Cuisine

This recipe is from Authentic Japanese Cuisine by Yassine Sbiti — the Japanese volume in the ComidaTime International Cuisines series.

Available soon on Amazon…

Explore Japanese cuisine