Sweetened Red Bean Paste

Ann
Feb 25, 2023
1 min read

A sweet filling made from cooked adzuki beans that is commonly used in East Asian desserts and pastries.

Storytime

Not sure how you feel about beans in dessert? You like peanut butter cookies, right? What about Reese's peanut butter cups or Snickers? I hope you're seeing a theme at this point. Peanuts are legumes and so are beans.

Red bean paste is a popular filling used in a variety of East Asian desserts and pastries. It is made from cooked adzuki (or azuki) beans that are mashed and sweetened with sugar. The paste is smooth and velvety in texture, with a sweet and slightly nutty flavor that complements other ingredients in desserts.

Red bean paste is a versatile ingredient that can be used in a wide range of dishes. It is often used as a filling for traditional Japanese sweets such as taiyaki and dorayaki, Chinese mooncakes and steamed buns or Filipino halo-halo and pan de monggo. Since it's used by many cultures, it can also be referred to as:

minatamis na monggo (Tagalog)
hong dou sha (Mandarin Chinese)
anko (Japanese)

In addition to its delicious taste, red bean paste also has nutritional benefits. Azuki beans are high in protein and fiber, as well as vitamins and minerals such as iron, potassium, and folate. So not only does red bean paste make desserts taste amazing, it can also be a healthy addition to your diet.

Tools

Want to know what equipment I use to make this recipe? Check out the Tools for Red Bean Paste Makers.

FAQs

Can this be vegan?

... it is vegan? Unless you somehow milked the water from a chicken.

Almost everything is in grams, can you convert it to US Standard?

I could, but no. I highly recommend getting a kitchen scale. It's honestly a lot easier to mise en place and scale things. Weighing your ingredients also guarantees the same results every time.

Can I use a sugar substitute?

I don't really bake with alternative sugars, but sure, give it a try. Let me know how it goes!

Does this work with any other bean?

Good for you! I have no clue but please tell me how it goes. I'm intrigued.