I love Japanese food, and here is where I generally have to make an exception to my no recipe rule. azuki bean dessert is on the menu tomorrow!
2 cups washed azuki beans
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
Soak the beans in cold water to cover for 24 hours.
Drain the beans and put them in a pot with water to cover. Bring the water to a boil, boil for a minute then drain the beans. Put the beans back in the pot with fresh cold water, bring to a boil and drain again. This twice-boiling gives the beans a better flavor, according to my mother.
Put the beans, sugar, salt in a pot, and add enough water so that it comes up to about 2cm/1 inch above the beans. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a low simmer. Add water if it boils away. Cook until the beans are completely cooked and falling apart. Taste, and add a bit more salt if needed.
Roughly mash the beans with a potato masher, fork or a pestle and let cool.
This will keep in the refrigerator, well covered, for up to three days or so. It doesn't freeze well - the texture turns rather grainy.
Notes:
See my article about Japanese red rice and beans for more about azuki beans.
I hate the word "adzuki". It sounds like some made-up word, probably coined by an non-Japanese speaker, and is phonetically incorrect. Let's stick with "azuki"!
I recently found some small red beans at my local Indian grocery store that look a lot like azuki, though they are just marked as "red beans". I'll have to try them out to see if they are the same. I hope so because they are about 1/5th the price of the azuki beans at our local Japanese grocery!
For people who emailed me wondering about more Japanese recipes...don't worry, they will be here. My belly dictates it.
via Not-so-sweet Tsubu-an: Japanese Azuki Bean Paste | Just Hungry.