Stove Top Recipe - Only 1 Hour of Simmering! Tanba Kuromame

The fresher the bean, the plumper the result.
Rinse the beans, then drain.
Either lumped or powdered cane sugar is fine.
The proportion of black soybeans to the combined amount of sugar should be 1:1.
I used the proportion of 3:1 for unrefined brown cane sugar to refined sugar.
Bring the sugar, soy sauce, and water to boil in a pot, then turn off the heat and let cool.
When it cools, add the black soybeans and soak overnight.
After soaking overnight, the wrinkles should almost disappear and they'll look reconstituted like this.
Since the skins will break if brought to a boil too quickly, cover with a lid and simmer for 1 hour over low heat.
Do not allow the water level to go below the level of the beans.
After simmering, they should be plump and tender all the way through.
If they are still hard, simmer until they reach this degree of tenderness.
To allow the flavors to completely blend, cover with a lid and let sit overnight.
The beans should settle to the bottom.
Transfer to a dish, then serve.
If storing, be sure to store in the liquid and keep it above the level of the beans.
Otherwise, the beans will become wrinkled.
Note - I tested the proportion of 1:1 for kuromame to sugar.
The color was slightly reduced and the sweetness increased.
I recommend this method when using the beans for sweets since they are not strong-tasting.