Green beans with soy bean hummus

 I would love to learn new techniques and perfect the skills.  However, at times, I feel like to retreat myself from "being too much". That's when I take out a thick earthenware pot to cook rice and pay attention to the simplest and easiest things which I do everyday without thinking. It is just as valuable and rewarding as learning a difficult skill. I achieve infinite feeling of calmness from inside. Hearing and smelling as the clay rice pot releases vapor is mesmerizing. Feeling soy beans through my fingers to make tofu is also a peaceful experience to send me to different status of mind. It's just like listening to wind, rain...

I conceived the idea of this dish by accident while making soy bean milk. I used to make quite similar Banchan dish like this one using tofu. Although soy bean hummus is made with pretty much same components with tofu-soy bean and water basically-, it is fresher and, of course tastes better. The nuttiness of soy bean hummus elevates the flavor and the texture of the vegetable without disturbing the essence of it.

I got a bag of green beans from farmer's market. I blanched them in boiling water with a big pig pinch of salt until the color of green beans turns bright green. Then I took out the green beans when they are still crunch, plunged them in the ice water,

Soy bean hummus 

1 cup soy bean/ soaked with 3 cup of water overnight

reserved soy bean cooking water

sea salt

In a big pot, cook soy beans in its soaking water over med-high heat. Boil for 15 minutes. (Over cooking and under cooking will result serious off smell.) Follow the instruction exactly as described in  the previous post except the amount of water. Blend the drained soy bean and peanut mixture in a blender, use just enough water to obtain the hummus consistency, maybe 1/2 cup or a little more. I like to keep it creamy but with a little bit of peanut chunks. Season it with salt. Scoop out as much hummus as you need. Add more reserved cooking water to make soy milk.

Mix blanched green beans with soy bean hummus. Sprinkle some black sesame seeds on top.

The soy bean hummus is very versatile. You can use any kind of vegetable for this Banchan. I hope you try this recipe when you make some soy bean milk. It's simple, healthy, delicious and therapeutic!