| Moscow Food Co-op Recipes | |
Adzuki Beans and Japanese Sweets
by Jackie Miyasaka, from the August 2003 newsletter
Adzuki beans are the second-most important dry bean crop in Japan after soybeans. They have been used since ancient times by the Japanese imperial court, and their use increased throughout the country after stable sugar imports began during the 14th century.
You may be familiar with adzuki beans as ingredients used in macrobiotic cooking. In Japan, for the most part, they are either cooked with sticky rice or used in confections. Because of their deep burgundy color, they are often associated with festivals because red is the color of happiness and luck. One of these festivals is the Moon-Watching Festival in September.
It may be hard to imagine using beans in desserts, but when cooked with sugar and water to form a jam-like paste (called ‘anko’ in Japanese), they can be used as a deliciously sweet filling for steamed breads, sweet dumplings, sweet rice cakes, and even ice cream. In fact, the majority of Japanese sweets contain adzuki beans. At Japanese sweet shops, you can find all sorts of traditional sweets shaped into different flowers, fruits, birds, and so forth depending on the season.
Unlike American and European desserts that are often made with high-calorie ingredients such as butter, traditional Japanese desserts made with adzuki beans are said to be low in calories and high in protein. They do have a high content of sugar, however.
I had never tried making my own adzuki bean paste before (it is normally bought pre-made in Japan), so I decided to buy some dry adzuki beans at the Co-op and try it. Although somewhat time-consuming, it was simple to make, and the results were well worth my while. My recipe (below) is a combination of several Japanese recipes that I found on the Internet, and I’d like to share it, along with a recipe for a traditional Japanese dessert called Dorayaki. Legend has it that the first Dorayaki were made when a samurai named Benkei forgot his gong (‘dora’ in Japanese) upon leaving a farmer’s home where he was hiding and the farmer used the gong to fry the pancakes, thus the name Dorayaki.
Anko (Adzuki Bean Paste)
1 cup adzuki beans
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Water
Soak adzuki beans in water overnight.
Heat adzuki beans in a pot with one cup of water. When they come to a boil, add two more cups of cold water. When they come to a boil again, drain the beans in a colander.
Return the beans to the pot, add three cups of new water, and cook over high heat. When the beans begin to jump around after the water comes to a boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer until the beans are soft, about one hour. If necessary, add water so that the beans are always covered. Fastidiously skim off any foam that appears on the surface.
When the beans are soft enough to break between your fingers, drain them in a colander.
Return the beans to the pot again and mix in the sugar.
Mash the beans continuously over medium heat until almost all the water has evaporated and a paste has formed, about 35 minutes.
Add the salt and stir over medium heat for about 5 minutes more.
Remove from heat and transfer the paste to a container so that it can cool.
The paste may be kept in the refrigerator for three days and then frozen. (Makes 2 cups.)
Dorayaki (Sweet-Filled Pancakes)
2 cups adzuki bean paste
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs
1/4-1/2 cup water
Whisk eggs with sugar and honey in a mixing bowl.
Add sifted flour and baking powder.
Slowly add water while whisking until smooth.
Drop small ladlesful on a lightly oiled fry pan or griddle to make pancakes that are about 3 inches in diameter. When bubbles start to appear, turn over the pancakes and cook briefly on the other side until golden.
Spread about two tablespoons of adzuki bean paste on one pancake, then cover it with another to make a sandwich.
Enjoy! (Makes about 10 dorayaki.)
Jackie Miyasaka works as a Japanese-English translator in Pullman.
|
Copyright: Copyright on articles, recipes, and
images are jointly held by the Moscow Food Co-op
and the respective authors, except were otherwise noted. |
For additions or corrections to this page, please contact the Webmaster.
