How to Make Sweet Red Bean Paste (甜红豆沙/PASTA DE FRIJOL ROJO DULCE)
Red bean paste is famously used as a filling for many Asian desserts like bread rolls, pancakes, mochi and the popular Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival sweet, mooncake.
Healthy Asian Cuisine.com
Makes: 880-900g Paste Preparation time: 5 minutes (Exclude soaking time) Cook time: 1 hour 30 minutes (from cooking, making paste and frying the bean paste)
Course: Condiment, Dessert
Cuisine: Chinese, vegan, vegetarian
Author: Healthy Asian Cuisine
Ingredients
- 350g/12oz dried red bean (adzuki bean)
- 45g/1.5oz dark brown sugar or other sugar, plus more according to taste
- 60g/2oz golden syrup or honey
- ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
Method
Step 1: Soaking & Cooking Red Beans
- First, sort through the red beans and remove any stones. Rinse and cover them with cold water. Soak the beans for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- To cook the beans, drain the soaking liquid and rinse well. Place the beans into a medium-sized pot then cover with 1 litre of cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let simmer for about an hour. Cook until the beans soften and can be easily broken down when it’s being pressed.
- Drain the beans with a colander and reserve the water.
Step 2: Blending the Beans
- Add 2 cups of beans to a blender followed by 60ml/¼ cup of the beans’ cooking water to initiate the blending. Blend the beans until it turns into a smooth paste.
- With a spatula, push the beans down from the side of the blender occasionally to help with the blending. If the paste is too dense and can’t be blended well, add a little more liquid (e.g 1-2 tablespoons) at a time to facilitate this step.
- Repeat the process by using 2 cups of cooked beans at a time to finish blending.
Step 3: Making the Bean Paste
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat then add ½ tablespoon of oil. Add the smooth bean paste then the sugar and golden syrup, stirring constantly, until the sweetener is fully absorbed. To use the paste as a filling for mooncakes, cook until the paste is dry and in a thick density that can be handled by hand. This entire process will take about 15 to 20 minutes. If using bean paste as a filling for mochi or bread roll, cook to the stage at which the paste is still soft.
- Once done, transfer the bean paste to a large bowl and let it cool while you are preparing the mooncake dough.
- For 350g of dried red bean, it will yield approximately 880g -900g of paste.
| Notes: Cooking pan: Non-stick pan is perfect for the cooking process, less oil is required to prevent the paste from sticking to the bottom of the pan. If using another type of pan, use 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil to prevent the paste from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Golden syrup: Other sweeteners which could be used to substitute golden syrup are honey, maltose, molasses or brown rice syrup. Storage: The cool bean paste can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for later use. Use within 5 days. |
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Red bean paste
Condiment
Dessert filling
Vegetarian
Easy to make