Red Bean Paste (红豆沙)
Photo: Naotake Murayama from San Francisco, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
Red bean paste is a sweet filling made from adzuki beans and sugar, used across Chinese, Japanese and Korean cooking. The Chinese name, hóngdòushā, means red bean sand, a nod to its texture. You control that texture yourself: simmer the beans a little less and mash by hand for a rustic, gritty paste, or cook them longer and blend for a smooth one. Frying at the end dries it into a firm filling.
Instructions
Wash the beans and pick out any that look damaged or diseased. Soak them in cold water for at least 4 hours, or overnight if you can, which softens them and shortens the cooking time a great deal.
Drain and rinse the soaked beans, then put them in a small saucepan and cover with fresh water. Bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer for 1½ to 2 hours, until the beans are soft and starting to fall apart. Top up the water from time to time so the pan never boils dry and the beans do not burn. Cooking them longer gives a smoother paste.
Drain off the water. Mash the beans by hand for a coarse paste, or in a blender for a fine one. The mash is very thick, so blend in small batches.
Stir in the sugar until you have a thick, damp paste.
Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok and add the paste. Stir with a spatula or spoon until the moisture has cooked off and the paste looks quite dry with a slightly grainy texture. The full amount of oil is needed to drive the water out properly.
Let the paste cool, then pack it into an airtight container. It keeps in the fridge for at least a week.
Make it personal.
Custom engraved cutting boards, utensils, and kitchen accessories. Great gifts for anyone who cooks.
Shop Custom Chef →Affiliate link · PicksByRecipe may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
_(6639292463).jpg){kind=link}