Red bean paste, also known as Anko in Japanese or ‘hong dousha’ (红豆沙) in Chinese, is a classic filling used in Asian desserts and Chinese pastries. Depending on the dish, the consistency and texture of the paste will vary. Traditionally, there are two red bean pastes – silky-smooth and chunky. My vegan-friendly recipe below will include both variations.
What are Red Beans/Azuki Beans?
Azuki beans (spelt adzuki bean, aduki bean) or hongdou (红豆) in Chinese is a mung-bean-like small red bean commonly found in Asian cuisine. They are readily available in Asian supermarkets/grocery stores. The beans can come in raw (rarely), dried or canned. Some people will use canned beans, but I’ve always done it with dried beans like in traditional recipes. This way, I don’t have to worry about additives or preservatives.
What is Red Bean Paste Used For
Red bean paste is one of those all-rounder fillings that fills a lot of Asian desserts. Be it in mochi(もち) or taiyaki (鯛焼き) cakes in Japan, Chapssaltteok (찹쌀떡) rice cake in Korea or Pan de Monggo in the Philippines, each Asian country will have some pastry or another using this sweet paste. In Chinese cuisine, red bean paste is inside almost every type of pastry and dress all sorts of desserts. From mooncakes(月饼) to tang yuan (汤圆) to zongzi (粽子) sticky rice dumplings to Jiandui (煎䭔) sesame balls to steam buns, the options and possibilities are endless.
Smooth vs Chunky
There are two types of red bean paste. Depending on what dish or pastry it is filling, the texture of the paste will vary. The smooth red bean paste is the default all-purpose filling for almost any sweet dish. It is silky smooth and is a choice for Chinese pastries like mooncakes, tang yuan and sesame
balls where the filling needs to be silky and compliments the more delicate texture of the wrapping.
The second type of red bean paste has a little more bite and chunky texture. It contains slightly mashed and sometime unmashed, cooked red beans. The chunky filling for desserts that requires the addition of a textural element like ice creams, steamed buns and sticky rice dumplings. While many recipes mash and cook the red beans into a chunky paste, I like to have a little more textural contrast, so I prefer to make a smooth red bean paste, then add in half mashed and half unmashed cooked red beans. All of this is in the recipe below.
Commercial Red Bean Paste VS Homemade Red Bean Paste
Like many sweet Asian fillings, ready-made red bean paste is usually available at your nearest Asian/Chinese grocer. The smooth paste version is what is most common in stores. They are also very sugary and can contain preservatives, colouring and additives. Making your own at home will mean you can control the sweetness and the fats used in your paste. For those who love a little more texture or chew in their red bean paste, making it at home will allow you to create a paste to your liking.
The Sugars, The Fats and The Substitutions
Traditionally red bean paste uses Chinese rock sugar called ‘bingtang’ (冰糖) and lard to mix with the cooked red beans. The rock sugar will bring a unique sweetness, while the lard will give the paste that silky smooth texture and add a richer flavour profile to the finished paste. The fat will also help the red bean paste hold its shape better once it cools.
I love a sweet Asian dessert with Chinese rock sugar, but they are chunky, rock-hard (excused the pun) and super messy to smash up. For my recipe, I went with raw sugar, which is more accessible for everyone and gives a similar taste. I’ve also added a few cubes of Chinese rose dark brown sugar to give the paste a hint of floral scent and a more caramel taste. There’s no specific sugar or portion size for red bean paste, so feel free to use whatever sugar you like as long as the sugar’s taste does not overpower the red beans. You can control the amount of sweetness by tasting the paste as you cook.
I’m not a fan of using lard in my sweets, and I have to consider my vegan and peanut-allergic friends when making pastries for sharing. Vegetable oil is my go-to fat replacement and is what I use for my red bean paste recipe. It gives the same silky texture as lard, and because vegetable oil has no scent, there is no chance it will change the taste of the paste. Other vegan options include vegan butter made from non-scented oils. Peanut oil is a delicious addition for those who want a nuttier fragrance. Of course, butter is a good alternative for meat lovers who want a similar flavour to lard. It’s easily accessible and will help make the paste easier to shape.
Tips before you start:
- Always soak the red beans overnight or for at least 8 hours before cooking to avoid having bits of beans cooking at different rates.
- Other sugars like white sugar or Chinese rock sugar can replace raw sugar and Chinese rose dark brown sugar in the recipe. Beware of using scented sugar, make sure the scent is not too strong that it overpowers the flavour of the paste.
- Always watch the water level when shimmering the beans to avoid burning. Top up water if necessary.
- You will know the red beans are cooked when they mush when pressed with the back of the spoon but still holds the whole shape of a red bean.
- Don’t overcook the red beans, or they will go mushy; separating the liquid from the beans will be hard. The more liquid in your bean mixture, the longer you will need to stir it, and the sorer your arms get.
- Always pass the blended red bean mixture through a sieve to remove any large grains or lumps. It will give the paste a smoother texture.
- Separate the sugar into three or four portions and add each amount separately. Ensure to taste the paste after each sugar portion is added to control the sweetness level.
- Transfer the cooked red bean paste into a container and cover the red bean paste immediately with a clingfilm or the equivalent to avoid a dry layer forming at the surface as the paste cools.
Homemade Red Bean Paste
- 5 September 2022
- 5-8
- 12 hr 30 min
- Print this
Ingredients
- 150g Dried red beans
- 160g Raw sugar (separate into 110g and 50g)
- 40g Chinese rose dark brown sugar
- 1/4 Teaspoon of salt
- 40g Vegetable oil (separate into 30g and 10g)
Directions
- Step 1
- FOR BOTH TYPES OF RED BEAN PASTE: Wash red beans under running water and soak in cold water overnight or for a minimum of 8 hours.
- Step 2
- Put the Chinese rose dark brown sugar in a ziplock bag and use a meat tenderiser or a rolling pin to break it into smaller pieces.
- Step 3
- Drain and place red beans in a pot and add water until it covers 2cm above the top layer of red beans.
- Step 4
- Bring everything to boil then turn heat to low and cook red beans for about 90 minutes to 2 hours or until red beans fall apart to a tender paste when lightly pressed. A good indication is when the water looks red and a little murky, and the water volume is lower than when you started. Do not let the water dry out. Water should not be lower than the top layer of red beans or you will burn the beans. If needed, top up with a little bit of hot water to prevent burning.
- Step 5
- Take out 2 cups of the red bean liquid to set aside and drain the cooked red beans. Be careful not to be burned by the steam or hot water.
- Step 6
- Let beans cool for 30 minutes.
- Step 7
- FOR SMOOTH RED BEAN PASTE: Place red beans in a blender with one cup of red bean water and blend until it becomes a smooth velvety paste with no small lumps. If you are having problems blending, add the remaining cup of water.
- Step 8
- Pour the blended mix into a sieve to pass into a non-stick pan. Use a spatular to help press the mix through and discard any bigger bean pieces, skin or bean sprout core remaining in the sieve.
- Step 9
- Start cooking your mixture over medium heat. After a few stirs, add half of your 30g of oil and keep stirring. You must be continually stirring to prevent any of the paste from sticking and burning.
- Step 10
- Once the oil and beans are mixed evenly, add the salt, smashed Chinese rose dark brown sugar and the larger portion of the raw sugar. If you want it not so sweet, only add the 150g bowl or even less than that. Keep stirring and folding until the sugar has melted and the paste has thickened up.
- Step 11
- After about 45 minutes of stirring or when some of the bean paste has dried to the point of starting to stick to the pan, add the remaining half of the 30g of oil and keep moving the paste in a stirring and folding motion. You should see the paste getting more and more dough-like as the liquids evaporate.
- Step 12
- After another 30-40 minutes your the paste should move around as one full dough-like clump. This dough-like clump should be easy to move around the pan as one, and you should be able to see that there’s not a lot of liquid inside. The paste should hold its shape when pushed and folded by a spatular. The filling is now ready. If you are finding your paste to be sticking to the pan and hard to move around, add some of the remaining 10g of oil and incorporate it into the paste by a folding motion until it is mixed through evenly. Once the paste can hold its form, your paste is now ready.
- Step 13
- Move the red bean paste into a sealable glass or ceramic container to cool and store in the fridge for late use. If stored correctly it can be stored for a week.
- Step 14
- FOR CHUNKY RED BEAN PASTE: Divide cooked beans into 4 even portions set one portion aside. For another one portion, use a potato masher or the end of a rolling pin and crush the beans.
- Step 15
- Place two portions of the red beans in a blender with 1/2 cup of red bean water. Blend until it becomes a smooth velvety paste with no small lumps. If you are having problems blending, add parts of the remaining cup of water to help it blend.
- Step 16
- Pour the blended mix into a sieve to pass into a non-stick pan. Use a spatular to help press the mix through and discard any bigger bean pieces, skin or bean sprout core remaining in the sieve.
- Step 17
- Start cooking your mixture over medium heat. After a few stirs, add half of your 30g of oil and keep stirring. You must be continually stirring to prevent any of the paste from sticking and burning.
- Step 18
- Once the oil is evenly incorporated into the blended red beans, add the salt, smashed Chinese rose dark brown sugar and the larger portion of the raw sugar. If you want it not so sweet, only add the 150g bowl or even less than that. Keep stirring and folding until the sugar has melted and the paste has thickened up.
- Step 19
- After about 45 minutes of stirring or when some of the bean paste has dried to the point of starting to stick to the pan, add the remaining half of the 30g of oil and the portion of hand mashed red beans then keep moving the paste in a stirring and folding motion. You should see the paste getting more and more dough-like as the liquids evaporate.
- Step 20
- After another 30-40 minutes your the paste should move around as one full dough-like clump. This dough-like clump should be easy to move around the pan as one, and you should be able to see that there’s not a lot of liquid inside. The paste should hold its shape when pushed and folded by a spatular. If you are finding your paste to be sticking to the pan and hard to move around, add some of the remaining 10g of oil and incorporate it into the paste by a folding motion until it is mixed through evenly.
- Step 21
- Once the paste can hold its form, fold in the remaining portion of uncrushed cooked red beans you’ve set aside earlier. Once the last portion of the red beans is evenly incorporated your paste is ready.
- Step 22
- Move the chunky red bean paste into a sealable glass or ceramic container to cool and store in the fridge for late use. If stored correctly it can be stored for a week.
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