A pound of dried soybeans (or other beans) A colander or strainer Seasonings to cook the beans, including salt, garlic, onions, bay leaves, oregano, cumin, or whatever else you like. These are optional but tasty! A stockpot, slow cooker, or pressure cooker A culture to ferment the beans, which you can purchase online or in health food stores or obtain by straining plain yogurt (this will be discussed more in the next section).
If you have a colander or sieve, you can put the beans in it and then rinse them directly in the sink. Otherwise, you can put them in a large pot, fill with water, and swish it around, then drain out the water. Do this a few times to rinse thoroughly.
Place the beans in a large glass bowl and cover the beans with clean, warm water. Allow the beans to sit in the water for 24 hours. You can change out the water periodically to eliminate some of the starches in the beans. [2] X Research source Even if you don’t change the water, be sure to add more as needed; the beans will triple in size and soak up a lot of the water you’ve placed them in. Drain the beans and rinse once before cooking.
To cook the beans in a slow cooker, place beans in a 3 1/2 quart slow cooker and enough water to cover the beans by two inches. Add a teaspoon of salt if you like. Set the slow cooker to “low” and cook for six to eight hours, depending on how firm you want your beans. Add another teaspoon of salt toward the end of cooking time. [4] X Research source To boil the beans, place them in a medium to large sized stockpot. Add enough water to cover them by one inch, and turn on the burner to the medium-high setting. When the water comes to a boil, turn the burner down to low so that the rapid boil turns to a gentle simmer (the water should be moving, but just a bit). You can decide if you want to leave the lid on or off of the beans depending on how firm you like the beans; no lid will result in firmer beans, but a lid placed slightly ajar will result in softer beans. Cook for an hour or so until they’re tender, and then add salt to taste (usually about two teaspoons for a pound of beans). [5] X Research source To cook the beans in a pressure cooker, place beans, a teaspoon each of salt and vegetable oil, and eight cups of water to the pot. Secure the lid tightly and turn heat to high. When it reaches high pressure, turn the heat down to medium low. [6] X Research source Cook the soybeans for 22 minutes if you’re using an electric pressure cooker, or 20 minutes if it is a stovetop cooker. You’ll need to increase your cooking time if you are at an elevation above 2,000 feet above sea level. [7] X Research source Whichever method you choose, cook the beans until they are soft and easy to stab with a fork or smash with your fingers (be careful, they’re hot!). Don’t overcook them, or they will be mushy.
If they are already well flavored and seasoned from your cooking method, you won’t need to add any more seasonings. Otherwise, if they taste bland, you can add seasonings like salt, garlic, herbs, or onions to taste.
Purchase a dry culture powder. These are sold at health food stores or online (search for “powdered starter culture for vegetables”). The package will tell you how much to use. Strain the whey from buttermilk or plain, unflavored and unsweetened yogurt or kefir. The whey is the liquidy part of yogurt, and it contains live bacteria cultures that will ferment the beans. It can take a little while to strain, but it is easy to do: place a coffee filter in a sieve or strainer placed over a large bowl. Pour the yogurt into the strainer and let it sit so that the liquid drains through. [8] X Research source Use a tablespoon for every cup of beans you want to ferment. [9] X Research source
You can mash the beans if you want a mashed texture. [11] X Research source If you want to keep the beans mostly intact you can bruise them by stirring vigorously. [12] X Research source
Cover the container tightly so that no dust or bugs gets inside. Place the beans in a warm place–[13] X Research source the top of a radiator, a warm sunny window, or the top of a clothes dryer are all good places. Leave the beans to ferment for several days, checking on them often.
Open the lid slightly once a day to release excess gasses and prevent a blowout. [14] X Research source
It’s possible that fermented beans would still be good a year later, but to be on the safe side, eat the beans with a month. [16] X Research source During the first month of storage, keep an eye on the package to be sure that it doesn’t build up more gasses and explode. You might need to “burp” the container that the beans are in by opening it a bit and then re-closing it. [17] X Research source
This is the traditional way to use fermented beans in Japan, where they are called natto. Eat natto over hot rice with soy sauce.
In China, fermented black beans are eaten as a condiment known as dou chi in Mandarin. You can braise them with meat or use them in sauces, soups or stir fries. [18] X Research source Fermented black beans pair well with garlic and ginger, and they add an umami flavor to your dishes.
