Background
This project explores kinako, a roasted soybean flour commonly used in Japanese cuisine. Traditionally, it is produced by roasting soybeans, peeling them, and grinding them into a fine powder, resulting in a nutty, toasted flavor profile. This experiment utilizes soybeans sourced from Lani’s Farm to test how different roasting times affect the final flavor.
Recipe
Ingredients
Soybeans
Variables
10 Minute Roast
14 Minute Roast
22 Minute Roast
Equipment
Oven
Grinder or Blender
Instructions
-
Roasting
Roast the soybeans for three distinct durations: 10 minutes, 14 minutes, and 22 minutes. -
Processing
Grind the roasted beans into a fine powder. -
Tasting
Evaluate the flavor of the flour plain, as well as mixed with sugar, oil, and maple syrup.
Notes and Observations
- The 10-minute roast resulted in a light flour. When mixed with sugar, and especially when combined with oil or maple syrup, it developed a flavor profile reminiscent of sugar cookies or marzipan, with subtle notes of edamame.
- The flavor of the lighter roast also evoked comparisons to Middle Eastern chickpea flour sweets and Indian semolina desserts.
- The 10-minute and 14-minute roasts shared a similar flavor profile.
- The 22-minute roast achieved a classic kinako flavor, though it introduced a slight burnt bitterness. An 18-minute roast might offer a better balance, though this depends heavily on the specific oven used.
- Future experiments could involve a lacto-fermentation of the soybeans prior to roasting and grinding.
- Another avenue for exploration is roasting the beans, powdering them into kinako, and then hydrating that powder to create a miso or garum.
- We might also try roasting the beans to help hull and split them, then soaking and boiling them to make tempeh.