Foodie Blogroll

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Red Bean Paste

I am all about trying new ideas in my cooking. Although I like things that are quick, easy and impressive, I am willing to try new and challenging things. I love all types of international cuisines. My friend Kristy at My Little Space has been introducing me to so new and fascinating recipes. I would love to bake more and try to make Mooncakes. The only problem is the difficulty in finding all the ingredients. The Asian market I go to stopped carrying red bean paste because it came in to them already past date. So Kristy suggested that I try to make it myself because it was well worth it. So I did a little research and here is what I came up with.

One of the original recipes looked at is from is from Rhonda Parkinson on about.com

Sweet Red Bean Paste:
Made from azuki beans, sweet red bean paste is used in Sesame Seed Balls and Sweet Bean Paste Pancakes.
Prep Time: 8 hours, 00 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Ingredients:
•2/3 cup dried red beans
•Water for boiling
•1/2 cup sugar
•1/4 cup oil for frying
Preparation:
Wash the beans and throw out any that are damaged. Place the beans in a small to medium-sized saucepan, cover with water and soak overnight. (This helps shorten the cooking time).
The next day, bring the beans and water to a boil. Simmer for 1 1/2 - 2 hours, until the beans have softened, adding more water as necessary. Drain.
Process the beans in a blender until smooth. Remove from the blender, and stir in the sugar.
Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan. Fry the beans on medium-low heat (about 4 on an electric stove) for a few minutes until they are dry, pressing them gently with the back of a spatula to form a paste. Cool and use as called for in the recipe. (Stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator, homemade sweet red bean paste will last for approximately one week). Yields approximately 1 3/4 cups.




I found all the recipes were basically the same ingredients, just different quantities. I started with a small batch just to play around with it. I cheated and did use a can of Organic Adzuki Beans and put them through the food processor to get a nice puree. I tried to push it through the mesh wire sieve that I have but I was getting no where. The skins just clogged up the holes. (I almost just went with the chunky version).

Next I tried it in my other strainer that I have. It can take more pushing on it than the wire one. But the skins just plugged it up too. So I ended up just doing it in small sections, then scraping up the skins and do another small amount etc...
What I was reading is the already prepared red bean paste can tend to be too sweet. I don't care for things too sweet. So I put a little canola oil to a pan and added the bean puree and a little sugar maybe 1/4 cup. Then sprinkled in a little more. I did taste it (at least now I know what it tastes like) and it seems sweet enough for me. I do think I needed to add a little more oil to get it to look more like the photos I've seen. Well here it is.
Looks lovely doesn't it? ha ha
It does handle well and I can always add more oil if I feel that I need to for the recipes I want to try. I would like to do at least one type of mooncake, and the coffee buns (I also have Nutella for that) and maybe some Chinese Steamed Buns! I will of course let you know what I end up doing with it, and post if you want to hear about it. Do you want to see my failures too? Ok Kristy I'm getting there one step at a time! he he

2 comments:

  1. So funny, I've actually made 2 comments based on this posting yesterday but I wonder where they go! Anyway, I made another one incase you didn't read them. Hey Lyndsey, great job! Congratulations! You're getting there alright, mama! Who cares about the failure we all been through that stage. Just enjoy yourself and have fun. I believe in you. Keep up the good work. Cheers.

    P/S looking forward to your mooncake posting. Best of luck!

    ReplyDelete
  2. No I didn't get any comments but this one! I'm glad you made another one, I was curious on what you thought. You inspired me, and I'm having fun learning new things to make (or try). I am also making friends with the owner of the Asian store :) Thanks for your help!

    ReplyDelete

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