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This is part 1 of 2 recipes for July’s 12 Months of Dim Sum. I love sweet red bean paste with adzuki beans. I kind of feel like I have to reiterate that sweet red bean paste is made with adzuki beans because most Americans probably think of the kidney bean or a big pot of chili when they hear “red beans”. For part 2 of 2, click here.
This super easy recipe that is obviously for a versatile sweet red bean paste with Adzuki beans. While a lot of Chinese (or Chinese inspired) cuisine is labor-intensive, this luckily a lot more easy! For ease and because I’m a busy mama, I used the Instant Pot.
Since I grew up in Oakland, California, I was lucky enough to be exposed to loads of Asian food, especially Chinese cuisine, growing up. My favorite red bean Chinese foods were Jian Dui (sesame balls) and hong dou tang (a sweet red bean soup). Red bean paste is also used in Japanese and Korean cuisine but I would like to focus on keeping this a Chinese inspired post so I can dedicate posts to the non-Chinese cuisines properly.
Most people would say that sweet red bean paste with adzuki beans is already “naturally vegan” and/or “accidentally vegan” like many other dishes and products out there. But technically, to be vegan, every single ingredient must be vegan – this includes the sugar being used which, to be vegan, must be organic. Also, “sweet” is subjective. This is not sweet like your typical confectionary treat. This is just sweet enough.
This recipe is adapted from Red House Spice and I’m so grateful for Wei’s knowledgeable posts that really break down each recipe and the background of the food and ingredients.
To make the beans, we use dry adzuki beans and soak them overnight.
Then we cook it with water in the Instant Pot and let the steam release naturally.
When done, we blend it with an immersion blender. I can’t recommend an immersion blender as part of the kitchen arsenal enough. It’s so useful for so many recipes as it allows me to blend food without having to do extra work like pouring into a relatively big appliance (which can be dangerous with hotter foods) and creating mess which means more cleanup. No thank you.
When done, we let it cool down for handling. Or we can store in the fridge up to 3-4 days. It’ll firm up and be crumbly though. Because of this, make sure to add a little bit of oil when reheating. This should be done on the stovetop and not the microwave. Make sure to pay attention and not burn.
12 Months of Dim Sum Recipes:
January 2021: Vegan Siomai
February 2021: Instant Pot Congee
March 2021: Vegan Potstickers with Ginger Scallion Tofu
April 2021: Crispy Golden Fried Tofu
May 2021: Toasted Cumin Scallion Pancakes
June 2021: Gluten-Free Asian Dipping Sauce
July 2021: Sweet Red Bean Paste and Perfectly Golden Sesame Balls
PrintSweet Red Bean Paste with Adzuki Beans
Truly easy and vegan Sweet Red Bean Paste Recipe with Adzuki Beans made in the Instant Pot – Chinese inspired recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup or 218 grams dry organic adzuki beans
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons organic cane sugar
- 2 tablespoons organic dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup or 50 grams refined coconut oil
Instructions
- Fill a large bowl with water ¾ full. Add the dry beans and soak overnight.
- When beans are soaked, add to the instant pot with the 2 cups of water.
- Make sure seal is on the Instant Pot and pressure cook on medium for 25 minutes.
- When done, allow steam to release naturally.
- When steam has released, add coconut oil and both sugars to the mix and use an immersion blender to make a smooth paste. Make sure to taste and adjust as needed.
- Let cool before handling with hands.
Notes
- If needed, add tiny bits of water to make blending easier. Remember, the more water you add, the more dilute the flavor.
- Store in the fridge for up to three days.
- To reheat, use a small saucepan and add a little bit of oil to help make the paste more smooth as it might be too dry and firm. I like to use a spray oil for this.
