This coarse crimson bean paste is the workhorse filling in Chinese language dwelling baking. It’s the one I take advantage of in steamed buns, sticky rice desserts and lots of different recipes I share intimately in my the best way to use it part beneath. What this paste isn’t designed for is mooncakes, which use a smoother oil-and-maltose filling that I’m writing up in a separate submit coming quickly.
It is a household recipe my mother taught me. She made sticky rice cake with crimson bean paste typically after I was rising up, and it was certainly one of my favourite snacks after faculty. I like this model as a result of it comes along with only a few components and retains a little bit little bit of bean texture as an alternative of turning right into a easy puree, which is nearer to the paste my mother cooked at dwelling than something I’ve purchased from a Chinese language market.
As a busy mother I want the On the spot Pot technique as a result of it skips the in a single day soak and the beans come out constantly smooth each time, so the paste-cooking step within the skillet is the one half that wants my consideration. I included the stovetop model for you guys in case you don’t have a stress cooker, and it really works simply as properly with an extended simmer. I encourage you to offer this one a strive at dwelling utilizing my straightforward instructions beneath and hold a batch within the freezer for the following time a pastry recipe on the positioning requires crimson bean paste.
Components
To make this straightforward crimson bean paste recipe, I take advantage of solely 3 components, which I clarify intimately beneath together with doable substitutions.
Azuki beans: I take advantage of dried azuki beans, typically labeled adzuki or crimson beans at Chinese language and Japanese markets. I search for beans which can be crimson, entire, and unbroken, which prepare dinner down on the similar price.
Rock sugar: I extremely advocate rock sugar over granulated sugar for this paste. The completed texture comes out smoother within the mouth and glossier in look, each of which matter when the paste sits inside a pastry. Granulated sugar nonetheless works if that’s what I’ve on the shelf.
Salt: I add a small pinch of salt to maintain the sweetness from flattening.
The way to Make
On the spot Pot technique (my most popular technique)
- Mix the azuki beans and a pair of cups of water within the On the spot Pot. Lock the lid and prepare dinner on Excessive Stress for 40 minutes. Let the stress launch naturally earlier than opening the lid.
Stovetop technique
- Rinse the azuki beans, then soak them in a bowl of water in a single day within the fridge. Drain and discard the soaking water.
- Switch the beans to a big pot and add 4 cups of water. Convey to a boil over medium-high warmth, then scale back to low. Cowl and simmer till the beans are very tender and could be simply mashed with a spatula, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
- Test the water degree often throughout simmering to verify the beans keep coated. Add extra water in small quantities if wanted to stop scorching. Stir with a lightweight hand occasionally, taking care to not mash the beans.
Make the crimson bean paste
As soon as the beans are absolutely cooked: Ladle out many of the cooking liquid, leaving simply sufficient within the pot to assist dissolve the sugar within the subsequent step.
Begin cooking the paste: Switch the cooked beans and the remaining cooking liquid to a big nonstick skillet. Add the rock sugar and salt. Cook dinner over medium warmth, stirring often, till the sugar has utterly dissolved.
Because the combination thickens: Scale back the warmth to medium-low to stop scorching. Proceed cooking, stirring extra often and mashing the beans with a spatula, till the paste is thick sufficient to remain agency, about quarter-hour.
Check for doneness: Draw a line via the paste with a spatula. The paste is prepared when it slowly holds the road and the underside of the skillet stays seen for about 5 seconds earlier than the paste flows again collectively.
Serve: Switch the paste to a big bowl and let it cool utterly. The paste will proceed to thicken because it cools and companies up additional after chilling within the fridge.
My Cooking Ideas
Cool the paste earlier than I take advantage of it. Heat paste is free and sticks to my fingers when I attempt to form it right into a filling. As soon as it chills within the fridge for an hour or two, it companies up right into a shapable consistency that parts neatly into balls for buns and pastries.
Scale back the paste in a large nonstick skillet relatively than the pot you cooked the beans in. The large floor space lets moisture evaporate sooner, and a nonstick floor makes it a lot simpler to scrape the paste because it thickens. In a deep pot, the paste takes longer to cut back and is extra prone to catch on the underside.
Don’t dump all of the cooking liquid directly. I ladle out many of the liquid and reserve it in a separate bowl so I can add a splash again if the paste tightens too rapidly earlier than the sugar has absolutely melted.
Watch the warmth as soon as the paste thickens. Sugar and starch scorch rapidly as soon as the liquid is usually gone. I flip the warmth all the way down to medium-low as quickly because the paste begins to carry a spatula path and stir consistently for the previous couple of minutes.
How Do I Use This Paste
It is a element recipe, not a “stand-alone” dish, so I consider it as a jar within the fridge or freezer that unlocks an extended listing of Chinese language sweets. The paste goes into my sticky rice cake because the filling and into coconut mochi as a hidden heart. It additionally stuffs crimson bean bread because the candy center inside a smooth steamed bun.
At Dragon Boat Pageant I fold this paste into alkaline dumplings, and I layer it below the fruit in eight treasure rice for a celebratory dessert. It additionally presses into the center of a Chinese language pumpkin cake as a smooth candy filling.
For the only use, I spoon a giant scoop over a bowl of shaved ice or unfold it on scorching toast for breakfast, which is how I ate the leftovers as a child.
Regularly Ask Questions
Can I take advantage of canned crimson beans?
I don’t advocate it for this recipe. Canned crimson beans are often kidney or pinto beans, not azuki, and the flavour and texture are totally different. Even canned azuki beans have typically been sweetened or seasoned already, which throws off the sugar ratio on this recipe.
Can I scale back the sugar on this recipe?
Sure, however I select the sugar quantity based mostly on how the paste is getting used. If I plan to eat the paste in massive spoonfuls as a dessert topping or serve it by itself, I begin with 1/2 cup of sugar and style because it reduces, including extra provided that wanted. If the paste goes inside a pastry, I take advantage of the complete quantity within the recipe.
How lengthy does the paste hold within the fridge and freezer?
I retailer the cooled paste in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 4 days, or portion it into freezer luggage within the quantities I want for a single recipe and freeze for as much as 1 month. To thaw, I transfer the bag to the fridge in a single day and stir the paste briefly earlier than shaping. Freezing tightens the feel barely, which is definitely useful after I want agency parts for pastry filling.
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This selfmade crimson bean paste is a coarse-textured Chinese language pastry filling made by slowly cooking down azuki beans with rock sugar. It is excellent for filling buns, topping desserts, or utilizing in sticky rice pastries. That is the on a regular basis homestyle crimson bean paste I grew up consuming, and it is surprisingly straightforward to make at dwelling.
Forestall your display screen from going darkish
To Cook dinner in an On the spot Pot:
To Cook dinner over the range:
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Rinse the azuki beans and soak them in water in a single day within the fridge. Drain and discard the soaking water.
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Switch the beans to a big pot and add 4 cups of water. Convey to a boil over medium-high warmth, then scale back to low. Cowl and simmer till the beans are very tender and could be simply mashed with a spatula, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
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Throughout cooking, verify the water degree often to verify the beans stay coated. Add extra water as wanted to stop the beans from drying out or scorching. Stir gently occasionally, taking care to not mash the beans.
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As soon as the beans are absolutely cooked, use a ladle to take away many of the cooking liquid, leaving simply sufficient within the pot to assist dissolve the sugar.
Make the crimson bean paste:
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Switch the cooked beans and the remaining cooking liquid to a big nonstick skillet (*Footnote 2). Add the rock sugar and salt. Cook dinner over medium warmth, stirring often, till the sugar has utterly dissolved.
-
Because the combination thickens, scale back the warmth to medium-low if wanted to stop scorching. Proceed cooking, stirring extra often and mash the beans, till the bean paste is thick sufficient to carry its form, about quarter-hour.
-
To check for doneness, draw a line via the paste with a spatula. The paste is prepared when it slowly holds the road and the underside of the skillet stays seen for about 5 seconds earlier than the paste flows again collectively.
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Switch the bean paste to a big bowl and let it cool utterly. The paste will proceed to thicken because it cools and can grow to be even firmer after chilling within the fridge.
Ingredient Substitution Information
2. I want lowering the bean paste in a nonstick skillet on the stovetop as a result of the large floor helps moisture evaporate extra rapidly and offers you higher management over the consistency.
3. This recipe makes a country homestyle crimson bean paste with a naturally coarse texture and pure bean taste. It’s excellent for buns, steamed pastries, sticky rice desserts, toast, or serving as a topping for shaved ice and desserts. It isn’t supposed for mooncakes or different baked pastries, which generally use a a lot smoother, oil-rich filling made with maltose.
Serving: 42g, Energy: 88kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 2g, Fats: 0.1g, Saturated Fats: 0.01g, Polyunsaturated Fats: 0.01g, Monounsaturated Fats: 0.002g, Sodium: 32mg, Potassium: 124mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 15g, Vitamin A: 1IU, Calcium: 7mg, Iron: 0.5mg
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