Cookbook:Red Bean Paste


 * Vegetables | Beans | Chinese Cuisine

Red bean paste (in simplified Chinese: 红豆沙, in traditional Chinese: 紅豆沙, Pinyin: hóngdòushā, meaning "red bean sand", due to its texture) is a sweet paste used for many things in Chinese, Japanese and Korean cuisine. It is made from mashed adzuki beans (known as red beans in Chinese), mixed with sugar.

A range of texture from coarse and gritty to fine and smooth is possible. For a coarse paste, boil the beans for less time and mash by hand. For a fine paste, boil for longer and use a blender to mash the beans.

Ingredients

 * 200 ml dried adzuki beans
 * Water as needed for soaking and boiling
 * 150 ml sugar
 * 75 ml vegetable or peanut oil for frying

Procedure

 * 1) Wash the beans, checking for and removing any that are damaged or diseased. Soak the beans in cold water for at least 4 hours or, preferably, overnight. This softens the beans slightly and reduces the cooking time greatly.
 * 2) Drain the beans and rinse once soaked.
 * 3) Place into a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil.
 * 4) Simmer the beans for 1½–2 hours, until soft and disintegrating slightly. Longer boiling will result in a smoother paste. Remember to top up the water occasionally so the beans don't boil dry and burn.
 * 5) Drain away the water.
 * 6) Depending on the desired texture, mash the beans by hand (coarse) or in a blender (fine) until they are as you want. Note that the paste is very thick, so if using a blender, it is easier to do it a bit at a time.
 * 7) Stir in the sugar. You should now have a thick but damp paste.
 * 8) Preheat the oil in a frying pan or wok, and fry the bean paste, using a spatula or spoon to stir, until the water has been driven off. The bean paste will now be quite dry, with a slightly grainy texture.
 * 9) Cool, and store in an airtight container until needed. This paste will keep for at least a week in the fridge.

Use
Red bean paste is used in many recipes:
 * As a filling for baozi
 * As a filling for daifuku
 * As a filling for mooncakes
 * As an ingredient in red bean soup
 * As a filling for tangyuan, boiled glutinous rice balls
 * For zongzi, made of steamed or boiled rice and red bean paste
 * Spread on toast, much like peanut butter or jam

Notes, tips, and variations

 * 75 ml sounds like a lot of oil, but it is required to drive out the water properly.