Red Bean Paste
Red bean paste is a sweet paste made by boiling and mashing adzuki (also spelled as azuki) beans. The paste is then sweetened with honey or sugar. It is used as a filling for bread, steamed bread, cakes, and dumplings. The adzuki bean originates from China, but it has been introduced to Japan by the Chinese, and is now the sixth largest crop in Japan.
There are two most popular varieties of red bean paste in Japan today: koshian (smooth) and tsubuan (with whole beans). Although red bean paste is most closely associated with Japan, it is also used in Chinese and Korean cuisine, in the preparation of dishes such as mooncakes, baozi, red bean soup, and baram tteok.
Part of
Butsi
Butsi balls are the Filipino version of traditional Chinese jian dui sweets. They are made with glutinous rice flour that is formed in small round shapes ... Read more
Ichigo daifuku
Ichigo daifuku is one of the most interesting versions of the traditional Japanese daifuku sweets. All daifuku varieties consist of a chewy mochi shell, made ... Read more
Shio daifuku
Shio daifuku is a traditional confectionery which consists of chewy mochi shells filled with creamy or coarse anko red bean paste. Unlike other daifuku varieties, the ... Read more
Coffee daifuku
This daifuku variety consists of a chewy outer layer made with mochi and a creamy coffee-flavored bean paste. The dessert comes in different variations that are available ... Read more
Red Bean Paste Authentic recipe
This recipe is adapted from the justonecookbook.com website. Preparing daifuku mochi with homemade anko drastically impacts the flavor of the sweet. Both tsubuan (coarse texture) and koshian (fine texture) red bean pastes are simple to make, so which one you will settle for depends entirely on your personal preference. The recipe makes for 21 oz/600g of paste, which is approximately enough to fill about 40 mochi.
