Dried Soybeans, Daikon in Simmered Dishes Taste Better with Water from Soaking

By Tomoyo Yamada / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

12:30 JST, July 6, 2025

Cooking expert Ryuta Kijima shares two simmered dishes made with dried foods, which he recommends cooking carefully based on classic recipes. Soaking the dried foods in water to rehydrate them beforehand adds to the joy of cooking.

The two dishes featured this time are simmered hijiki seaweed and soybeans and simmered dried daikon radish. They are “common dishes that have often been on the dining table at home since I was a child. The older I’ve grown, the move I’ve come to like their flavors,” Kijima said.

One major advantage of dried foods is that you can cook with the water they are soaked in.

Convenient products such as steamed soybeans in dry packs are available these days, so we use dried foods less frequently.

Kijima said: “I hope you will use dried foods once in a while. Using the water from soaking and boiling soybeans as cooking liquid gives a natural sweetness to the dish. I hope you make the most of the water.”

To cook, soak the soybeans in water, rehydrate them and simmer slowly over low heat. When you taste the cooking liquid, you’ll be surprised by its sweetness. Cook the beans until they are soft enough to mash with your fingers; they will expand to about twice their original size. The hijiki seaweed to be used should be naga-hijiki (stalk hijiki), as it has a firm texture. Me-hijiki (leaf hijiki) can sometimes become too soft if it is cooked too long.

Simmered dried daikon radish is also a common dish.

“The water used to soak and rehydrate dried daikon radish becomes very sweet. Put water in the pan, add the dried daikon radish to soak and once rehydrated, simmer them all together,” Kijima said.

No dashi stock is needed. Instead, simply add katsuobushi dried bonito flakes at the end.

“Turn off the heat when there is still some cooking liquid left in the pan, and let it cool. Reheat it to the temperature you like, so that the ingredients better absorb the flavor,” Kijima said.

I sampled the finished dishes. The soybeans cooked with hijiki were soft, crumbly and satisfying. The simmered dried daikon radish had a crisp texture and a deep flavor with enriched sweetness from the daikon radish.

I did not know dried foods could be so delicious. They are sure to become regular dishes on my dining table.

Simmered hijiki seaweed and soybeans

Ingredients:

• 15 grams naga-hijiki (dried)
• 50 grams soybeans (dried)
• 3-centimeter piece of carrot
• 4 snow peas
• 100 milliliters dashi stock



Directions:

1. Soak the soybeans in 400 milliliters of water for about 6 hours to rehydrate them. Heat the soybeans and the water, bring to a boil, skimming off the foam, then cover and simmer on low heat for about 1 hour. Keep the cooking liquid.

2. Rinse the hijiki lightly and soak in 300 milliliters of water for about 30 minutes. (The water from soaking the hijiki is not used for cooking.)

3. Cut the carrot into strips 4-5 millimeters wide. Remove the strings from the snow peas, blanch briefly, then cut diagonally into thin strips.

4. Heat 1 teaspoon of salad oil in a pan, and quickly stir-fry the carrot. Add the drained hijiki and stir until blended, then add the soybeans. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1/2 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of mirin, 100 milliliters of the soybean cooking liquid and dashi stock and then simmer. When it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes until the liquid is reduced. Mix in the snow peas and serve.

Simmered dried daikon radish



Ingredients:

• 30 grams dried daikon radish
• 4-centimeter piece of carrot (thin end)
• 1 sheet aburaage thin fried tofu
• 3 grams katsuobushi dried bonito flakes



Directions:

1. Rinse the dried daikon lightly, put it in a pan, add 300 milliliters of water and let it sit for about 10 minutes.

2. Cut the carrot into 5-millimeter-thick strips. Wash the aburaage in lukewarm water and cut it into 5-millimeter-thick strips.

3. Add the carrot and the aburaage to the pan containing the daikon radish and the water, then heat. When coming to a boil, add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of mirin and simmer for 10 minutes.

4. When the cooking liquid has reduced, crush and add the dried bonito flakes, and mix lightly. Turn off the heat and serve in a bowl.