Homemade Red Bean Paste

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Sweet Red Bean Paste - in chunky and coarse texture


Sweet Red Bean Paste - in smooth texture

Easy, simple and classic. These red bean paste is quite versatile can be found in any types of Chinese cuisine, Korean cuisine and  Japanese confectionery shops The method of making these red bean paste is actually simple, made by boiling and mashing the red beans until well incorporated; and then sweetened with sugar and fat. They're two typed of red bean paste in all kinds of Chinese, Japanese and Korean pastries - smooth and chunky. A part of stirring and simmering non-stop for nearly 2 hours, making your own red bean paste from scratch is rewarding and you know exactly what ingredients are in it. You can either use your slow cooker or pressure cooker to cook these red beans. My version of making red bean paste is actually easy, the most traditional method not on the charcoal stove but on a gas stove. The actual steps are not that difficult, just time consuming but it's worth the effort. Truly a labor of love!

Personally, I preferred the taste of homemade than a store-bought but if you have no time to make one, feel free to use it. But of course, there's no comparison. Writing out recipe for red bean paste is a bit intimidating because it is all based on estimation, like we used to say in Malay language, agak-agak (approximate estimate). By making your own red bean paste, adding the amount of sugar in the paste can be less or more; this can be adjust according to your personal preference. If you're not sure about the amount of sugar, best to divide and add the sugar in two or three stages. Adding a bit of salt and using salted butter in the recipe, can actually enhance the flavor even more. Some preferred lard, vegetable oil or butter, this too can be adjust according to your preference. In my recipe I used both, butter and canola oil to make these red bean paste more flavorful and smooth. Making red bean paste from scratch no doubt is a lengthy process, but totally worth it. I'm sure you'll be amazed how simple and easy to make your very own red bean paste. 

You'll want to double up your recipe which I did for two typed of red bean paste - smooth and chunky, and well-prepared your red bean paste in advance. With the convenience of ready made red bean paste, making Chinese steamed buns, Sweet rolls, Chinese pancakes or any typed of sweet desserts at last-minutes will be quick and easy. The possibilities are endless! It takes only half an hour to defrost your homemade red bean paste and in no time you'll be making your favorite pastries. If you've unexpected guests, you can easily make these red bean pancake in just under 15 minutes, that are sure to impress!


HOMEMADE RED BEAN PASTE 

Author: Vivian Tee
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours
Total time: 2 hours 20 minutes
Yields: 1.5 kg (approximately)
INGREDIENTS:

 INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Wash and rinse your red beans. Cover the red bean entirely with water. Allow them to soak overnight.

 2. Drain and rinse the red beans. Use a large cooking pot, add in the red beans  and cover with water about 2" above the beans as they swell considerably whist cooking. Add in the pandan leaves and boil on the high heat about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low, cover and simmer the beans for about 2 hours. Stir occasionally and add more water if needed.  Cook until completely softened.
 
3. To insure your beans are done, use your ladle and press it on the side of the pot. If it mashed easily, it's done. Add in sugar, molasses, butter and salt, cook over low heat for another 10- 20 minutes until the liquid almost thickened and stir until the fat is incorporated. Add in canola oil and stir on low heat for 3-5 minutes until the paste thicken. *You can add more or less - butter, oil or sugar in your cooked beans, best to adjust according to your desired consistency and preference.

4. If you like your red bean paste chunky - on the cooking pot which the beans already cooked, mash the red bean using potato masher and cook the red beans paste over medium-low heat  until it resemble to your desired consistency. 
 If you preferred the texture of the red bean paste to be more fine and creamy consistency, you can use a food processor or a blender and blend it until smooth. If you find difficulty to blend, add extra 1-2 tbsp of canola oil or softened butter into the food processor. Transfer the blended bean  paste back to the same cooking pot and cook the red beans paste over medium-low heat for 3-5 minutes until the paste begins to turn glossy and smooth.

5. Set aside and let it cool before using. Red bean paste will be thicken once it cools down.

Notes:-
* Once the red bean paste has cooled down, divide it into small portions and store in freezer bags or air-tight container up to one month/
* When you need to use it, leave at room temperature. It takes about 30 minutes to defrost.

PRINT FOR RECIPE




Using some of the organic ingredients for making the red bean paste.



Red beans which have been soak overnight, drained and rinse thoroughly before cooking.



To begin, ensure the water level is about 2" above the red beans. Add in the pandan leaves and bring to a boil on high heat for about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and let it simmer for about 2 hours until the red beans becomes tender.



Add in 3 tbsp of molasses into cooked red beans for extra flavor.




In these recipe, I added salted butter and canola oil to make it more flavorful and glossy.


For chunky texture, use the potato masher and mashed up the red beans until it reaches to your desired consistency.


For the smooth texture, transfer the cooked red beans to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. If you find difficulty to blend, add 1-2 tbsp canola oil or softened butter into the food processor.



Here is sneak peek at my Chinese steamed buns with red bean paste and Shanghai red bean pancake.

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