You must have heard or even have made the red bean paste, a commonly used ingredient in oriental desserts. Today I would like to introduce you another way of cooking red beans (azuki): the sweetened red beans.

The procedure is much easier and less time consuming. Because the beans are kept in their original forms, when you chew them in your mouth, you get to enjoy thoroughly the natural creamy texture offered by the beans.

SWEETENED READ BEANS (蜜红豆)

Recipe by Sasha WangCourse: BASIC PREPARATIONSCuisine: ChineseDifficulty: Low

Preparation

10

hours 

Cooking

1

hour 

A quick and easy way to taste the red beans. They are perfect to add in any type of Chinese dessert.

INGREDIENTS

• Red beans (azuki): 100g

• Brown sugar: 100g

• Salt: 1/2 tsp

• Honey: 25g

• Water: q.b

Preparation

• Soak the red beans in water for 8-10 hours.
• Drain the soaked red beans and put them into a pot. Cover the red beans with water and bring the water to boil. Simmer the red beans for 30-40 minutes (you can cover the beans with a small plate to help keep them in form).
• Remove the plate from the pot. Add in the sugar and salt and mix them well with the red beans.
• Put the pot back onto the stove and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add a little bit water if needed, just enough to avoid burning the beans.
• After the simmering, the sugar should all melted and there should remain little liquid at the bottom of the pot. Turn off the fire and add in the honey. Mix everything evenly.
• Store the sweetened beans in fridge overnight before using them. Keep them in freezer if you make a lot and want to use them in the future.

VIDEO RECIPE

There are countless ways to enjoy these sweetened red beans azuki, here are some ideas:

1. Spread on top of a piece of hot buttered toast
2. Stuff in mochi
3. Serve with chopped summer fruits or ice cream
4. Eat out of a bowl with a spoon
5. Wrap into Zongzi to celebrate the Dragon Boat festival.

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