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Hana Ingen no Nimame
Hana Ingen no Nimame — sweet-simmered scarlet runner beans from the highlands
Large scarlet runner beans, grown only in the highlands above 900 meters, gently simmered with sugar and salt. Made from dried beans and easy to keep, it appears at festivals and in New Year spreads.
- Origin: Gunma Nakanojo
- About 130 km northwest of Tokyo
Lineage
What it's made of
Large scarlet runner beans are simmered until soft and sweet. Their mealy texture takes on a gentle sweet-salty seasoning of sugar and salt, giving a dish that is light yet carries the bean's own flavor clearly through.
How it's made
Beans soaked overnight in water are simmered several times in fresh water, then seasoned with sugar and salt and simmered further to let the flavor soak in. Removing them from the liquid while still hot is said to prevent wrinkling on the surface. The simmered beans also find their way into candied sweets, festive rice, and yokan.
Why it took this shape
Scarlet runner beans grow only in the cool climate of elevations between 900 and 1,300 meters, making them a specialty said to be shaped by the Azuma region's mountain climate. Simmering the dried beans until soft is said to have become the standard way to make them easy to eat, and the dish is said to be served at festivals and celebrations.
Before You Go
- How to shop at a supermarketHow to choose prepared foods, sashimi, and packaged sushi, when discount stickers tend to appear, region-only specialties, buying by weight, the checkout and bagging flow, and sampling etiquette at a local supermarket.
- Osechi and zoni for the New YearA guide to the meaning behind osechi's tiered boxes, the regional differences in zoni (square vs. round mochi, clear vs. miso broth), and the nanakusa-gayu custom.
- Setsubun: ehomaki and lucky beansA guide to ehomaki, the uncut sushi roll said to be eaten facing a lucky direction on Setsubun, and to mamemaki, the bean-throwing custom with roasted lucky beans.
Dishes in the same style
- Agonoko UmaniThe roe of egg-bearing flying fish, caught only in early summer, is simmered in stock and soy sauce as an Oki bar snack. Its large grains and dense, sticky texture are prized as a delicacy said to be scarcer even than the fish's flesh.
- Funa MisoCrucian carp is simmered slowly with soybeans for around five hours, then finished in a sauce of red miso and coarse sugar. A freshwater fish dish of the Kiso rivers' lower basin, made with fatty winter carp simmered until the bones soften through.
Ingredients and dishes from this land
Also from Gunma
- Fujioka RamenAn unassuming clear soy chuka soba, rooted in the town's diner culture.
- AmanejiWheat dumplings simmered in a sweetened red bean soup, mainly eaten around Shibukawa; Kawaba village calls it amadango. It was a treat during breaks from farm work.
- Ayu ShioyakiGunma's official fish, skewered in a zigzag and salted before charcoal grilling. Sweetfish from the Kanna river are prized for their aroma and firm flesh, drawing visitors once the season opens in June.
- KatemeshiRice cooked with barley, beans, daikon and other bulking ingredients called kate. Born of rice shortages, it survives today as a mixed rice dish often served on the Tenjin festival day.
- Sosu KatsudonBreaded pork fillet dipped in a house sauce blending Worcestershire with eel tare, served over rice. It spread as a delivery favorite in the textile town of Kiryu and is now found across the prefecture.