Commonly found in Japanese and Chinese cuisine, red bean paste is an essential part of East Asian dessert culture. From traditional Japanese sweets like mochi to Chinese dishes like tangyuan and mooncake, you can enjoy red bean paste in all sorts of different mediums. Thus, making the Recipe: Red Bean Paste needed as a side dish for meals.
The difference between Japanese-styled red bean paste and the Chinese one is small but essential. Japanese red bean paste comes in two forms: smooth (koshian), and textured (tsuban), and is made using red beans and sugar only. Meanwhile, Chinese red bean paste is almost always exclusively smooth and is made with additional oil added into it.
Red beans are also a great source of nutrients! They provide healthy amounts of antioxidants, and are believed to help promote weight loss, improved digestions, as well as reduce the risks of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
So, whether you like the Japanese or Chinese style of making red bean paste more is up to your personal preference; there’s no right or wrong. Both are incredibly delicious, extremely healthy and also very easy to make.
Here, we’ve provided a recipe that will allow you to make either style easily from the comforts of your own home!
Ingredients:
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Chinese & Japanese Style Red Bean Paste
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- 200g red beans (aka adzuki beans)
- 700-800ml cups water
- 30g butter or lard
- 40g rock sugar or 2 tablespoons regular sugar
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Only for Chinse style red bean paste
- 30g coconut oil
Cooking Method:
- First, rinse the red beans and soak them in water overnight.
- Then, move the red beans and water into a pot and put to boil. Leave to simmer for around 50 minutes. At this point, the beans should still be in shape but soft enough to smash easily with your fingers.
- (for smooth red bean paste) Press the red beans through a fine-mesh sieve into a separate bowl. This will be easier to do at a more watery stage. Discard the fibrous solids, and return the beans to the pot to simmer for another 10-20 minutes.
- Turn the heat up high, and add butter, sugar and coconut oil (for Chinese style only) into the mixture. The amount of butter and sugar used can be adjusted to your own liking. Mix until the red beans become mushy, and no liquid can be seen (but make sure it isn’t too dry).
- Now, you can use the red bean paste to make other delicious dishes or eat it on its own. Enjoy!
Are you looking for some red bean pastry, like red bean bao or mooncake? Why not order from some local Chinese stores on the foodpanda app today! The foodpanda app offers a variety of cuisines and delivers straight to your doorstep.