# Shoyu Mame / Shoyu no Mi (Soy Sauce Beans / Soy sauce seeds) ｜ Our Regional Cuisines

**Cuisine Name**: Shoyu Mame / Shoyu no Mi (Soy Sauce Beans / Soy sauce seeds)

**Region**: Our Regional Cuisines

## Main Lore Areas
Hokushin Area, Chushin Area

## Main Ingredients Used
Soy sauce, soybean koji( Malt), rice koji (Malt).

## History, Origin, and Related Events
"Shoyu Mame" or "Soy Sauce Beans" is a fermented food traditional to the northern and central Shinshu region. It is made by fermenting steamed soybeans or black beans with seed koji(seed malt), creating a fermented product with the savory flavor of soy sauce, akin to "eating soy sauce." It should not be confused with the regional dish "Shoyu Mame" from Kagawa Prefecture, which uses soramame (fava beans).For "Shoyu Mame" in Nagano, steamed soybeans or black beans are fermented with rice koji, and then soaked in raw soy sauce. The mixture is manually stirred every day while monitoring the fermentation process. After fermenting for over a month, the result is the flavorful "Shoyu Mame." Nagano Prefecture, known for having the highest number of miso storehouses in Japan, has a deep-rooted fermentation culture. Various fermented foods, such as "Koji Amazake," "Shio Koji," and "Shoyu Koji," utilizing koji, play a significant role in the local culinary traditions. In the Ina region, people make "Shiromiso" by adding beans to amazake and letting it mature for a few days, which is then enjoyed with mochi during the New Year. In the Saku region, a firmer type of amazake with added beans, known as "Amamiso" or "Onattou," is prepared and enjoyed by dipping mochi in it during the New Year festivities.

## Opportunities and Times of Eating Habits
In the Northern Shinshu region, people eat "shoyu mame" (soy sauce beans) during the New Year.

## How to Eat
"Shoyu Mame" can be enjoyed by placing it on warm rice, dipping tofu or vegetables, or using it as a soy sauce substitute for ohitashi (boiled greens) or natto (fermented soybeans).

## Efforts for Preservation and Succession
(Outline of the traditions, the preservation society, social media use, modern approaches to commercialization)"Shoyu Mame" is rarely made at home. It can be obtained from koji shops, direct sales outlets of miso and soy sauce breweries, online shopping, and similar sources.

## Ingredients
- [For Bean Koji(malt)] Soybeans: 18L
- [For Bean Koji(malt)] Seed Koji(malt): As needed
- [For Bean Koji(malt)] Wheat flour: 1 cup
- [For Shoyu Mame (Shoyu no Mi)] Mame Koji(malt): 2L
- [For Shoyu Mame (Shoyu no Mi)] Rice Koji(malt): 2L
- [For Shoyu Mame (Shoyu no Mi)] Soy sauce: 2 cups
- [For Shoyu Mame (Shoyu no Mi)] Water: 3 cups

## Recipe
1. 1. [Mame Koji Procedure 1]Wash the soybeans and soak them in water for one day and night.
2. 2. [Mame Koji Procedure 2]Steam the soybeans until they become soft (approximately 6-7 hours, or until they can be easily crushed with your fingers).
3. 3. [Mame Koji Procedure 3]Roast the wheat flour in a thick-bottomed pot and let it cool.
4. 4. [Mame Koji Procedure 4]Mix the roasted wheat flour with the seed koji.
5. 5. [Mame Koji Procedure 5]Cool the steamed soybeans to 25-30°C and mix them evenly with the seed koji from [Mame Koji Procedure 4].
6. 6. [Mame Koji Procedure 6]Keep the temperature of the koji at around 24-26°C for 3-4 days until the entire soybeans turn white.
7. 7. [Shoyu Mame Procedure 1]Warm soy sauce and water to about 60°C, add crushed Mame Koji and Rice Koji, and mix well.
8. 8. [Shoyu Mame Procedure 2]Stir occasionally, and if it becomes too hard, add hot water. After about 10 days, the salt will be well absorbed.

## Provider Information
provider : "Tsukemono no Aji Furusato no Aji" (Nagano Prefecture Agricultural Improvement Association)

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