Anko (Japanese Sweet Red Bean Paste) Recipe

"Anko is used in a variety of Japanese desserts, most notably Anpan and Dorayaki. It is also used as a Mochi filling. Make sure to use ONLY Azuki beans, and that they are not beyond their expiration date (within 1 year of packing). If the beans are old, they will never soften up regardless of how long you cook them. You can find Azuki beans online at Amazon or Mitsuwa, or in your local Asian market. Recipe is from Japanese Cooking 101 dot com. She has a great video that is very helpful to watch before you begin."

Original is 1 serving

Metric US

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Ingredients

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1 cup Azuki beans (Japanese red beans - DO NOT substitute)

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Nutritional

Serving Size: 1 (400 g)
Calories 1192
Total Fat - 0.2 g
Saturated Fat - 0.1 g
Cholesterol - 0 mg
Sodium - 9 mg
Total Carbohydrate - 306.9 g
Dietary Fiber - 2.7 g
Sugars - 302.7 g
Protein - 1.8 g
Calcium - 40 mg
Iron - 1.2 mg
Vitamin C - 12.2 mg
Thiamin - 0.1 mg

Step by Step Method

Step 1

Put red beans in a pot with 4-5 cups of water. Let boil for 5 minutes and discard water.

Step 2

In a clean pot, place red beans and 4-5 cups of water, cover, and let it simmer at low heat for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (add more water to keep above the beans). When done, the beans should be very soft and easily crushed between fingers.

Step 3

Drain, then place the soft beans back in the pot with the sugar. Cook at medium high heat, stirring constantly for about 10 minutes or until it forms a paste that looks shiny but still a little loose. Immediately transfer the paste to a container.