I love beans in general. Among all the bean dishes, soybean stew ("Gomoku-ni" - stewed with various ingredients) has always been one of my favorites. It's not only easy to make, but also very healthy. Luckily, whether you are a meat-eater or vegetarian, our (Japanese) typical diet consists of a lot of vegetarian/vegan dishes like this and keep us healthy.
This Soybean "Gomoku-ni" is also considered to be a shojin-style (Buddhist monk-style vegan) dish.
To make Soybean "Gomoku-ni", my soup & stew donabe, "Miso-shiru Nabe", is the best tool. After soaking the soybeans over night, I first simmered them in a separate pot for about 20 minutes. The beans were drained and transfered to the donabe, and cooked with carrot, shirataki konnyaku, hijiki seaweed, and dry shiitake in dashi-based broth for about 30 minutes. That's basically it. Because the beans were cooked with this donabe, they were so fluffy and flavorful. I can eat the whole pot myself.
You can find the whole recipe on toiro's website. Please check it out.
