Red bean paste, made by boiling dried azuki beans in sugar water, is a popular filling in baked breads and confectionery across East Asia. It is also used in hot or cold dessert soups and as a topping for crushed ice. Red kidney beans are a rich source of carbohydrates, proteins, soluble fiber, and iron.
The small, normally russet-colored beans of the Vigna angularis vine, which grows throughout East Asia to the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains, has several culinary uses but is most commonly cooked and stored as a sweet paste. This red bean paste is one of the most popular fillings in baked breads and confectionery. It is most often used in breads and biscuits, although it is found in a variety of other foods.
Believed to have been first cultivated as early as 1000 BC, it is a starch based nutrient. In Japan, where the bean is called azuki, its consumption is second only to the ubiquitous soybean. In Chinese cuisine, the common name for this bean, as well as red bean paste, is dousha, and Koreans call it pat. Elsewhere in Asia such as India, they may carry the translation of “red beans”. Red kidney beans are rich in carbohydrates, proteins, soluble fiber and the mineral iron.
Sweet red bean paste is made by simply boiling dried azuki beans in sugar water, sometimes in honey with additional flavorings such as ground chestnut. Left whole in the resulting syrup, it can be eaten as is or used in a variety of ways, such as a hot or cold dessert soup. Cooked beans are most commonly mashed into an easier-to-spread consistency. In Japan, this red bean paste is called an. The husks of the bean can be further removed with a sieve like cheesecloth for a creamier, almost jam-like texture.
Many Asian cultures use this red bean paste as a filling or topping for a variety of baked breads and desserts. Anpan is a baked Japanese savory bread filled with sweet bean paste; Korean chalboribbang is a thin bean paste sandwich with sweet barley hush puppies. The most popular fillings of steamed and Chinese yeast bread baozi are barbecue pork and red bean paste. Different regions across East Asia have their own unique variation of the generously filled, thin crust pastry called mooncakes.
Other vehicles for red bean paste include firm biscuits and gelatinous rice pounded to a chewy mozzarella cheese texture. Less common confections include its use as a topping for crushed ice and its blending with agar into a solid gel. In Japan, azuki beans are sometimes incorporated into legume dishes, such as sekihan, a simple mix of rice and beans traditionally served for special celebration occasions.
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