1. Wash and soak the beans 6 to 8 hours.

2. Put kombu in the bottom of a heavy pot, add beans. Add water to just cover beans, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer beans, adding water as needed.

3. Vegetables are added when beans are 75% done.

4. When beans are soft, add miso on top оf beans. Cook another 5 minutes. If beans are too watery, leave the lid off during final cooking time and let the water evaporate.

5. Beans can be pressure-cooked for 45 minutes; then add vegetables and cook with miso until soft.

• Instead, of adding vegetables, you may sweeten the beans with 1-1/4 cup barley malt at the end of cooking.

Optional:

• Add 1 Tbsp natural mustard and/or brown rice vinegar when you add the miso and continue cooking for 5 minutes.