Zenzai (Japanese Red Bean Soup with Toasted Mochi)
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5
4 reviews
Excellent
Zenzai (Japanese Red Bean Soup with Toasted Mochi)
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Bring something special to the table with this well-loved recipe.
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Ingredients
- 200 g adzuki beans dry
- 2000 ml water Half for the first cook, the other half for the second plus extra for topping up
- 160-200 g sugar
- 1-2 pinches salt
- 4-6 pieces kirimochi (rice cakes) optional
Instructions
- Pour 200 g dry adzuki beans into a sieve and place it over a large mixing bowl. Run cold water over the beans until covered, swish them around to wash them. Repeat 1-2 times and remove any damaged beans.
- Transfer the beans to a large sauce pan and add half of the water, make sure the beans are fully submerged. Bring to a boil over a medium heat, then lower to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, pour the beans through a colander placed over the sink to discard the first batch of water. Return the beans to the saucepan and pour in the other half of fresh water.
- Bring to a boil over a medium heat once more, then lower to a simmer.
- Place a drop lid on top of the beans and simmer for 40-70 minutes. Check it from time to time to make sure the beans are always fully submerged, add more water if necessary (about 100ml at a time). Remove any scum that forms on the surface.
- Once 40-60 minutes have passed, test a bean by running it under cold water and then squashing it between your thumb and forefinger. If you can spread it like a paste it's ready. If not, continue to simmer and test a bean every 10-15 minutes until thoroughly softened.
- When the beans are soft enough, add 160-200 g sugar and mix over the heat until dissolved.
- Taste test to check the sweetness, if it's not sweet enough you can add more sugar. Once you're happy with the sweetness, add a generous pinch of salt to balance the flavour.
- Toast the kirimochi on both sides using an oven toaster or grill/broiler feature on your regular oven. (I usually place mochi on a piece of foil to prevent any sticky mess in my oven.) Pour the red bean soup into a bowl and place the toasted mochi on top.
- Serve an enjoy!
Notes
- To store the zenzai (without mochi), transfer to a sealed container and allow to cool. Once cool, store for up to 3 days in the fridge or in the freezer for 1-2 months.
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User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
4 reviews
Excellent
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