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5.0 from 15 votes

Red Bean Paste

Sweet Red Bean Paste is the foundation of many Japanese sweets, and I've come up with an easy way to make it. This Anko recipe stacks several kitchen hacks to reduce the time required to prepare Red Bean Paste from several hours to about forty-five minutes with only a few minutes of active work.

Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
50 mins
Servings: 8
Calories: 133 kcal
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

  • 225 grams adzuki beans
  • 4 cups water
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
  • 200 grams evaporated cane sugar (~1 US cup)

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Put the Adzuki beans in a strainer and wash them well.
  2. Add Adzuki beans, water, baking soda, and salt to a pressure cooker and affix the lid.
  3. Set the pressure to high and bring the cooker up to pressure over high heat.
  4. Adjust the heat down to maintain a gentle stream of steam escaping from the valve and then set a timer for 20 minutes.
  5. When the timer goes off, turn off the heat and let the pressure drop naturally for 20-30 minutes.
  6. When the pressure has dropped, open the lid and then dump the beans into a strainer set over a frying pan (a non-stick pan works best). Press on the red beans with a spatula to get as much liquid out of the beans as possible, but don't press the beans through the sieve.
  7. Add the sugar to the bean liquid and bring the mixture to a boil. Skim any scum off that floats to the top and continue boiling the mixture until it is thick and syrupy and has reached a temperature of 230°F (110°C).
  8. Add the Adzuki beans to the syrup and stir well to combine. Continue cooking the mixture while constantly stirring until the red bean paste has thickened enough that you can run a spatula across the pan without the Anko immediately running back into the path.
  9. Let the Anko cool to room temperature and transfer it to a container and refrigerate it overnight.

Nutrition Information

Calories 133kcal (7%) Carbohydrates 32g (11%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 1g (2%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 1g Sodium 79mg (3%) Potassium 150mg (4%) Fiber 2g (8%) Sugar 25g (50%) Vitamin A 2IU (0%) Calcium 12mg (1%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 133

% Daily Value*

Calories 133kcal 7%
Carbohydrates 32g 11%
Protein 2g 4%
Fat 1g 2%
Saturated Fat 1g 5%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 1g 5%
Sodium 79mg 3%
Potassium 150mg 3%
Fiber 2g 8%
Sugar 25g 50%
Vitamin A 2IU 0%
Calcium 12mg 1%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.