February 24, 2012

Mame Ten/豆天

My wife made mame ten the other day.
Mame = Bean (soybean in this case)
Ten = Tempura
For batter, she used wheat flour and salt only (no eggs).
The soybeans were previously soaked in water for a few hours and drained.
先日、妻が豆天を作りました。
衣には小麦粉と塩だけ(卵なし)を使いました。
大豆は数時間水に漬け、水を切ったものです。
Mame ten is a specialty of Niigata, and store-bought mame ten is like this, and it's a snack rather than an okazu (side dish).
豆天は新潟の名物です。市販の豆天はこんな感じで、おかずと言うよりスナック菓子です。
(Photo taken by me years ago)
(数年前に撮った写真です)

Here is one recipe for mame ten.

Ingredients for 20 pieces

1 bag (120 g) steamed soybeans
120 g rice flour (joushin ko)
2 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 cup (= 200 ml) water
Appropriate amount of oil for deep-frying

1. In a bowl, put mix rice flour, salt, sugar, and water, and mix well.
2. Add soybeans, and mix.
3. Heat oil to low temperature (150-160C), and scoop 1 tbsp of batter at a time, and put in the oil.
4. Deep-fry slowly, turning over occasionally, and remove from oil when crisp.

豆天のレシピです:

20枚分の材料

蒸し大豆 1袋(120 g)
上新粉 120 g
しょう油 小さじ2
塩 小さじ1/2
砂糖 大さじ1
水 1カップ
揚げ油 適量

1. ボールに上新粉、しょう油、塩、砂糖、水を入れ、よく混ぜる。
2. 大豆を入れ、混ぜる。
3. 油を低温(150~160C)に熱し、生地を大さじ1づつすくって入れる。
4. 裏返しながらゆっくり揚げ、カリッとしたら取り出す。

5 comments:

Sissi said...

It looks delicious! I have never thought tempura might be made with soybeans. I love to discover regional dishes (especially Japanese, since even the national cuisine is still full of surprises to me!)

Fräulein Trude said...

Hiroyuki: did your wife steam the beans after soaking? The linked recipe calls for soft steamed beans too. How soft is soft?

Sorry for my curiosity but I have soybeans and riceflour in storage and I am always eager to try something new.

Hiroyuki said...

Sissi: I myself was a little surprised when I first saw mame ten almost two decades ago.

Kiki: No, she didn't, so the mame ten was rather tough.

The recipe is by a manufacturer of steamed soybeans, so it calls for their product, "yawaraka mushi daizu" (soft steamed soybeans").
I think soybeans cooked in a normal way (soaked first and then simmered) can be used instead. (I would cook soybeans in a thermos bottle, like I usually do.)

Ines A. said...

hello!
I'm a reader from Indonesia, and I have been enjoying your blog for quite a long time. i liked it! thank you for the recipes!

You know, I get somewhat interested in this post of mameten
just sharing, in Indonesia, we have something exactly like this too! :D
In indonesia we call it 'Rempeyek', or 'Peyek kacang', and have rooted very deeply in our cuises history, I think! The concept is the same, not for side dish but a snack! though I personally love to eat this when I'm eating a meal, just for crispiness :)

I found it rather interesting, to see food alike ours here in a country so faraway.
sorry for the randomness.

I found your blog very interesting! :D

Hiroyuki said...

dhe~: Thank you for your comment!
I'm glad to know that I have a pretty girl from Indonesia like you as a reader!

My children both like AKB48 and Arashi, like millions of other youngters, but most of all, they are now huge fans of AAA
http://www.avexnet.or.jp/aaa/index.html