TSUKUI KINAKO (ROASTED SOYBEAN POWDER)

Prefecture: Kanagawa 
Producer: Toyokuniya
Ingredients: Tsukui soybeans (100% domestic)
Vegan, Gluten-free, Dairy-free
Size: 100g 
Storage: Refrigerate after opening. Avoid humidity.

Kinako is a fine, golden brown powder made from dried, milled and roasted soybean flour. It has a warm, toasted and nutty flavor, similar to roasted nuts, and is typically used as a powder topping for Japanese sweets.

Sadly, Japanese farmers have been unable to compete with foreign-grown soybeans and now almost 90% are imported. There are very few domestic producers left in Japan, but our producer, Toyokuniya, is one of the remaining Japanese soy farmers who continue to harvest soybeans by hand, while producing and seeding offspring to support continued growth in the future.

For this kinako powder, Toyokuniya uses an heirloom variety of Japanese soybeans called tsukui soybeans, grown domestically in Kanagawa Prefecture. Tsukui soybeans are larger than typical soybeans and have a natural sweetness which increases when roasted, almost like a chestnut. A once common soybean, tsukui soybeans have become so rare that they’re known as “phantom soybeans”. 

Suggested uses: Sprinkle it on Japanese sweets such as mochi (pounded rice cakes), cookies, cakes and bread, in smoothies, on cappuccinos and lattes, or on ice cream and yogurt.