Homemade Red Bean Paste Food

HOW TO MAKE RED BEAN PASTE

Steps:

• Soak the beans. Transfer the beans to a 2-quart (1.9-L) large bowl and cover them with room temperature water. Cover the bowl with a clean towel to keep out bugs and dirt, and set the bowl aside on the counter. Leave the beans to soak for 8 to 12 hours. Soaking the beans will help to tenderize them and reduce the boiling time. You can skip the soaking if you're going to cook the beans in a slow cooker. The most common beans to use for this paste are long dull and adzuki.
• Parboil the beans. Drain the soaked beans in a colander to remove the water. Transfer the beans to a 2-quart (1.9-L) saucepan and add enough water to cover them with 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5.1 cm) of water. Bring the beans to a boil over medium heat. When the beans boil, turn off the heat, put on the lid, and let the beans steam for 5 minutes. Parboiling will help to remove bitterness from the beans, resulting in a sweeter paste.
• Drain and rinse the beans. Remove the lid from the saucepan and transfer the beans to a colander to drain out the water. Rinse the beans under cool water to stop the cooking process, and remove any film from the beans. While the beans are in the colander, use soap and water to clean the saucepan you used to parboil them.
• Cook the beans until soft. Transfer the beans back to the clean saucepan. Add enough water to cover the beans and put on the lid. Bring the beans to a boil again over high heat, and then reduce the heat to medium. Continue boiling the beans for about an hour, until they're soft enough that you can mash them with your fingers. As the beans cook, add more water to the pot as necessary to keep them covered. To cook the beans in a pressure cooker, cook them on medium-high heat until the pressure cooker reaches pressure, and then reduce the heat to low and cook the beans for 20 minutes. To cook the beans in a slow cooker, cover them with 2 inches (5.1 cm) of water and cook them on low for 8 hours. Even if you cook the beans in a pressure or slow cooker, the remaining steps are the same.
• Drain the beans. Turn off the heat and remove the beans. Take off the lid and transfer the beans to a colander to drain out the excess water. Return the beans to the saucepan you cooked them in.
• Cook the beans with the sugar. Add the sugar to the saucepan with the beans and stir to combine the ingredients. Heat the mixture over medium-high heat, stirring constantly for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is thick and dry. Remove the pan from the heat. When the mixture is ready, the beans will have the consistency of mashed potatoes.
• Finish the paste with salt. When the mixture is ready, sprinkle in a pinch of salt, to taste, and stir to incorporate it into the paste. You can also add 1 teaspoon (4.9 ml) of vanilla extract if you want a flavored bean paste, or 2 tablespoons (28 g) of butter for an even richer paste.
• Cool the paste. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and set it aside to cool to room temperature. The mixture will thicken even more as it cools. Once you move the mixture to the refrigerator to chill, it will further thicken into a proper paste. If you want to make a smooth bean paste instead, skip the cooling step and process the beans.

RED BEAN PASTE

Steps:

• Cover beans in cold water and soak uncovered, overnight.
• Drain, transfer back to the pot and cover in 5 cups of cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Drain and puree with a hand blender or in a food processor.
• Press through a metal sieve. Note: This is time consuming work. The pureed beans become a thick paste and it takes some time to press through the sieve, clean off the underside, continue pressing until most of the bean puree passes through and the skins are left behind.
• Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add pureed beans and sugar. Stir with a wooden spoon for about 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to cool.
• After the paste has cooled, scoop out 1/2" balls. Cover loosely with plastic wrap so they won't dry out.

ANKO (SWEET RED BEAN PASTE)

Steps:

• Place beans in a saucepan and cover with 2 cups water; bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and discard water.
• Place drained beans in a clean saucepan and cover with 2 to 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover the saucepan, and simmer, adding more water as needed, until beans are soft and can be crushed between your fingers, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Drain beans and discard water.
• Stir beans and sugar together in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar melts and beans form a loose, shiny paste, about 10 minutes. Immediately transfer the paste to a container to cool. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.