Most recipes for Anko (Red Bean paste) have it so you soak the beans overnight and then you blend them--this doesn't work since I don't have a blender, or a food processor to do this with. Plus it makes for more dirty dishes that are a pain to clean (since I don't have a dishwasher either.) Bean is a real pain in the neck to clean once it dries on a surface.
Others have you crush the beans when they are hot and then separate them later. This is also a pain and also painful. Te following recipe solves both problems (lack of a blender and a lack of a painful experience).
Materials:
* Something to grind the beans with, hands, motor and pestle, fork, spoon, etc.
* A Wooden spoon (for stirring)
* 2 stainless steel sauce pan, NOT tephlon-based. (easier to clean for this project)
* A bowl to soak the beans in.
* A final container for storing the anko.
* A sieve
* misc bowls.
Ingredients:
* 1 cup of azuki beans
* water (in general, bottled water is best...)
* sugar (corn syrup, brown sugar, granulated sugar, honey, molasses all work, adjust to taste--starting out with 1/4 cup of granulated sugar is a good start.)
Steps:
1. Soak the beans overnight.
2. Remove the shells and reserve. Discard soaking water.
3. With the new water put the shells in a spearate pot.
4. In another pot put in the beans without the shells.
5. bring both pots to a boil and reduce. It should take about 1-2 hours for the beans to soften add water as necessary, just enough to cover both the beans and the shells.
6. When the beans are well cooked, drain them out.
7. Mash the beans.
8. The shells should have made the water a deep, deep red color by now. Strain out the shells and discard, but reserve the water.
9. Add the beans, and the red water to a pot, add sugar, honey and any other sweeteners you desire to the pot (brown sugar, molasses, whatever suits your tastes.) Simmer on low.
10. Keep careful watch of the pot so that the mixture doesn't burn. When it's come together into a paste keep stirring until thick.
11. Let cool and refrigerate.
Tips:
- Depending on the amount of the red bean water you add back to the beans the color will change. It can be really light and yellow or it can be a dark, dark almost purple. Because azuki beans in this process usually are often wash, rewashed rinsed, using half of the water will give the traditional medium red color. More than that and it will turn purple or darker. This will give you lots of flexibility, and even ability to make several batches of different colors at once.
- Korean Hot pepper paste, say a teaspoon of it might add a strange little kick.
- nutmeg won't hurt here either.
- nut paste, a common Chinese ingredient can also be added.
- Molasses will give it a darker taste. Experiment with the sugars availible to you. (Stay away from chocolate though...)
- Letting the beans burn slightly at the bottom--not alot will create a caramel taste to it.
- This paste is really good stirred into rice and also good in Chinese Sesame Balls as well as my recipe for Chinese Sesame sweet potato/yam balls.