japanese sweet azuki beans

Ingredients japanese sweet azuki beans

150 g Azuki beans (about 3/4 cup or 150 ml)
100 g Light brown or regular sugar (about 1/2 cup) more or less depending on taste
1 pinch Salt
Ice water

how to make japanese sweet azuki beans

Soak beans overnight in a pot covered with an inch or two of water.

The next day, heat the pot of beans until they are almost ready to boil.

Meanwhile, prepare a big bowl of ice cold water, which you'll be throwing the beans in next. This will "shock" them and help crack the skin so they become softer easily when boiling.

Drain off the hot water from the beans. Immediately throw them into the ice water.

Drain beans and put back in pot. Pour in enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for about 60 minutes until soft. Skim off any foam that rises while simmering. If the water gets low, add a little more.

Once the beans are soft (they should be easily mashable), mix in the sugar. I used about 100g/half cup. But I recommend starting with less and adding a little at a time until it's sweet enough for you.

Bring to a simmer again, making sure the sugar is dissolved. If it's too soupy, simmer off some of the liquid.

That's it! You can optionally pour off some of the water and mash into a paste (called anko). Store it for up to week in the refrigerator, or freeze it along with the liquid.

There are lots of ways to use and turn sweet azuki into yummy Japanese goodies: -eat over rice dumplings (dango 団子）or ice cream -use paste as spread for bread or baked inside sweet buns -Made into "zenzai" soup along with "mochi" (rice cakes). Search and explore the internets for more ideas ;)