''Kinako'' ( or "yellow flour") is roasted soybean flour, used in

Japanese cuisine Japanese cuisine encompasses the regional and traditional foods of Japan, which have developed through centuries of political, economic, and social changes. The traditional cuisine of Japan (Japanese language, Japanese: ) is based on rice with m ...

. In English, it is usually called "roasted soy flour". ''Kinako'' is mostly used as a topping to flavor

rice cakes A rice cake may be any kind of food item made from rice that has been shaped, condensed, or otherwise combined into a single object. A wide variety of rice cakes exist in many different cultures in which rice is eaten. Common variations include ...

mochi A mochi ( ; Japanese ) is a Japanese rice cake made of , a short-grain Japonica rice, japonica glutinous rice, and sometimes other ingredients such as water, sugar, and cornstarch. The steamed rice is pounded into paste and molded into the ...

History

Usage of the word ''kinako'' appeared in Japanese cookbooks from the late

Muromachi period The , also known as the , is a division of Japanese history running from approximately 1336 to 1573. The period marks the governance of the Muromachi or Ashikaga shogunate ( or ), which was officially established in 1338 by the first Muromachi ...

(1336–1573). An early record of the word comes from the text ''Sōtan Chakai Kondate Nikki'' (''Sōtan's Tea Ceremony Cookery Menu Diary''), written in 1587 by

Sen no Sōtan (1578–1658), also known as , was a Japanese tea ceremony master, and grandson of the famous Sen no Rikyū. He is remembered as Rikyū's third-generation successor in Kyoto through whose efforts and by whose very being, as the blood-descendant of ...

, a

tea ceremony Tea ceremony is a ritualized practice of making and serving tea (茶 ''cha'') in East Asia practiced in the Sinosphere. The original term from China (), literally translated as either "''way of tea''", "''etiquette for tea or tea rite''",Heiss, M ...

master.

Production

''Kinako'' is produced by finely grinding roasted soybeans into powder. The skin of the soybean is typically removed before pulverizing the beans, but some varieties of ''kinako'' retain the roasted skin. Yellow soybeans produce a yellow ''kinako'', and green soybeans produce a light-green product.

Usage

''Kinako'' is widely used in Japanese cooking, but is strongly associated with ''

dango is a Japanese dumpling made with regular rice flour and glutinous rice flour. They are usually made in round shapes, and three to five pieces are served on a skewer, which is called . The pieces are eaten with sugar, syrup, red bean paste, a ...

'' and ''

wagashi is traditional Japanese confectionery, typically made using plant-based ingredients and with an emphasis on seasonality. ''Wagashi'' generally makes use of cooking methods that pre-date Western influence in Japan. It is often served with green ...

''. ''Dango'',

dumpling Dumplings are a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of cooked dough (made from a variety of starchy sources), often wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, wheat or other flours, or potatoes, and it may be filled wi ...

s made from ''mochiko'' (

rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...

), are commonly coated with ''kinako''. ''Wagashi'', traditional Japanese confections, also make extensive use of a mixture of ''kinako'' and sugar. Examples include ''

ohagi is a wagashi (Japanese confection) made with glutinous rice, white rice (ratio of 7:3, or only glutinous rice), and sweet azuki paste (red bean paste). They are made by soaking the rice for approximately 1 hour. The rice is then cooked, and a ...

'' and ''Abekawa-mochi''. ''Kinako'', when combined with milk or

soy milk Soy milk (or soymilk), also known as soya milk, is a plant-based milk produced by soaking and grinding soybeans, boiling the mixture, and filtering out remaining particulates. It is a stable emulsion of oil, water, and protein. Its original ...

, can also be made into a drink. One example of its use in popular foods is warabimochi, which is a famous kinako-covered sweet. 140614 Yagyu Iris Garden Nara Japan07s.jpg, ''

Kuzumochi is a Japanese language, Japanese term referring either to cakes made of (), starch derived from the root of the kudzu plant, or cakes made from Lactobacillales-fermentation in food processing, fermented wheat flour, wheat starch () which is ...

'' with ''kinako'' Oharano-jinja Kyoto13s4592.jpg, ''

Kusa mochi Kusa mochi (, "herb mochi"), also known as ''yomogi mochi'' (), is a Japanese confection. It is made from mochi and leaves of yomogi (Japanese mugwort). The leaves are kneaded into the mochi, giving it a vivid green color. The greenness depend ...

'' covered in ''kinako'' みつだんご (34100732711).jpg, ''

Dango is a Japanese dumpling made with regular rice flour and glutinous rice flour. They are usually made in round shapes, and three to five pieces are served on a skewer, which is called . The pieces are eaten with sugar, syrup, red bean paste, a ...

'' with ''kinako''

Nutrition

Being composed of soybeans, ''kinako'' is a nutritious topping and source of flavor, containing

B vitamins B vitamins are a class of water-soluble vitamins that play important roles in Cell (biology), cell metabolism and synthesis of red blood cells. They are a chemically diverse class of compounds. Dietary supplements containing all eight are referr ...

and

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

. Compared to boiled soybeans, however, the protein in ''kinako'' is not easily digested.

References

External links