My mother's recipe, to which I used to refer, was less satisfying because it called for a certain amount of water but actually required the occasional addition of water. So, to avoid that extra step, I increased the amount of water considerably. Blending brown sugar into the white sugar will give it a light and yet rich taste.My recipe doesn't call for additional water later in the cooking process, but if the simmering water level becomes lower than the beans, then add water. Old beans -- harvested more than six months before use -- may take up to twice as long to become tender. Recipe by Raby

This is my mother-in-law's recipe. The symbolic auspicious meaning of serving the beans at new year's meals is to give those who partake a long life well until the skin wrinkles from age, so actually, hard and wrinkled beans are symbolically more appropriate; however, when using kuromame from Tanba, this is the way to prepare them. Apparently, it's the way they are prepared at high-end traditional Japanese restaurants. Although the beans are expensive, it's a nice way to end the year, and a perfect way to honor my mother-in-law's signature recipe.Since the beans must never be above the liquid when simmering, add water from time to time. This method of stewing prevents the beans from wrinkling, and gives them a springy texture. The standard addition of baking soda was omitted here because it sometimes leaves a bitter taste. Some beans do not produce scum. The beans turn out not so sweet with 60 g of sugar; I use 65 g. For a small serving. Recipe by milkcrown

I learned this recipe when I was in high school.I reduced the amount of sugar from the original recipe.This method of cooking kuromame is different from other ways, but it has never failed me! Give it a try!The key to this recipe is that the beans should not be exposed to air while simmering.As you can see, there's no need to boil the beans with nails--they become black and shiny!For variation, try adding honey or brandy after they've cooled. Recipe by Choco makaron

Enjoy the taste of Kuromame. I cooked Osechiryouri and put it in a plate. The center black soy beans in a white small bowl is Kuromame. This is my aunt's receipe.

I always grilled shrimp, but they tend to toughen. So I decided to simmer them.If you simmer too long the shrimp will become tough, so blanch them first to remove the odor, and after simmering the shrimp in the combined seasonings, leave them to absorb the flavor. I held back on the saltiness so adjust with light soy sauce to taste. Recipe by purelife

This is the recipe I settled on after experimenting with the proportion of ingredients.The key is the degree of the stewed seasonings. Practice making this several times. For 3-4 servings. Recipe by jun120121

I bought a bent but fresh burdock root from a local farm. My mother would always add some sort of burdock root dish for "Osechi (new years feast)." I seasoned the dish with soy sauce malt I made this year.As for the soy sauce malt, I used 300 grams of dehydrated rice malt and 450ml of dark soy sauce. If you don't have soy sauce malt, use regular soy sauce and bonito flakes. If you use shio-koji, use about 1 tablespoon. Recipe by Hakuundou

I like to make my simmered vegetables separately.I make the recipe until Step 3 on the 30th, and the finish on the 31st, so the recipe is very little trouble when I am doing so much cooking. Recipe by moriam

It's our family custom to make our osechi New Year's feast every year.Since I make osechi every year, to increase my repertoire, I reference department store brochures and prepare dishes resembling the items from famous high-end Japanese restaurants.Since sea bream roe is fragile and may break apart while simmering, be gentle with it. Try not to agitate it too much with chopsticks or any other utensil. Recipe by Momora

This is part of a series of osechi (New Year's feast food) items that can be made in advance during busy December and frozen. There are a lot of recipes, so please give some a try! These shrimp aren't just for New Year's; they are very useful year round in bentos as well.The flavors will penetrate the shrimp while they are frozen. Defrost them naturally, or under running water. For 8 shrimp. Recipe by moriam

I wanted to make delicious shrimp that stayed moist for osechi (New Year's feast food), so I looked through old magazines and so on and studied it a lot before making this.You can use headless shrimp too, but head-on shrimp are better since they have the 'miso' inside the heads! Recipe by pekechan

This is a delicious wintertime simmered dish. It's great in special occasion bentos for sports festivals or picnics, too.Prep the vegetables properly. Bamboo shoots added to the mix would be delicious, too. Please cut the vegetables anyway you like. The key is to add the meat at the very end. For 4 servings. Recipe by Taunbi-