Anko Recipe - Japanese Sweet Red Bean Paste (2024)

FAQs

What is Japanese sweet with anko? ›

It is the most basic and favorable filling in traditional Japanese confectionery and pastry. Whether it's Daif*cku Mochi, Dango, Dorayaki, Taiyaki, Manju, or Anpan, they are filled with Anko and bursting with the deep, sweet flavor of red beans. So let's learn how to make Anko red bean paste today!

Anko, or red bean paste, is used in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean desserts. It's made by boiling azuki beans/adzuki beans with sugar and a pinch of salt. The Japanese use the sweetened paste in many traditional Japanese sweets, such as Daif*cku Mochi, Dango, Dorayaki, Taiyaki, Manju, Zenzai, and Anpan.

There are a few substitutes for red bean paste, white bean paste, and black sesame paste. Some common substitutes include: Red bean paste: You can use any type of bean paste, such as black bean paste or mung bean paste. You can also use mashed sweet potatoes or pumpkin.

Many people are often surprised to hear that beans can be enjoyed as dessert in Japan. But "anko", a paste made from red beans called "azuki", is a staple in traditional Japanese confectionery, and has been enjoyed by Japanese people for centuries.

There are two types of anko: Tsubu-an, which is made by cooking adzuki beans so as not to crush the grains, and koshi-an, which is cooked adzuki paste with the outer skin removed. Besides "wagashi", it is also used as an ingredient of the popular Japanese bread "Anpan" (sweet bread with anko inside of it).

"Red bean paste, which is rich in carbohydrates and dietary fiber, is indispensable for adjusting the intestinal environment, which tends to be disrupted when one diets," Nagai says. Bodybuilders in the United States regularly eat anko these days, he says.

This is the most common and popular type of red bean paste eaten in Chinese confections. It can also be eaten on its own or in sweet soups.

Sweet bean paste is a food ingredient used throughout East Asian cuisine, primarily as a filling for sweet desserts and pastries.

The Bottom Line. Adzuki beans are rich in nutrients, such as fiber, protein and manganese. They are linked to several health benefits, including weight loss, improved digestion and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. You can make them into a red bean paste, sprout them or simply boil them.

Why is my red bean paste bitter? ›

Wash the red beans, pour the water only until the red beans are soaked, and boil for about 5 minutes. To reduce the bitter taste of the red bean skin, discard the water, pour the new water about 8 times the amount of the soup, and start boiling again.

Its natural vegetal taste is similar to a cooked sweet potato, and gets a little help from added sugar. All in soft, mashed up form. Red bean paste is made of adzuki beans boiled with sugar, which turns them into something more supple and spreadable.

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Anko has a thick, mushy texture and can be used as a spread just like jam. The taste is quite sweet but not like your typical cookie or cake. It's more complex because the nutty flavor of adzuki beans is so powerful it gives the paste an earthy taste on top of the sweetness.

Anko's favourite foods are sweet bean soup and dango. Her least favourite type of food is spicy-tasting food. Her favourite phrase is "Calling on" (参上, Sanjō). Anko has completed 647 official missions in total: 72 D-rank, 86 C-rank, 398 B-rank, 89 A-rank, 2 S-rank.

Monaka. Monaka are traditional Japanese sweets consisting of two crisp and airy wafers made from sticky rice that are sandwiched around sweetened red bean paste. The wafers are typically crafted into the shape of a flower such as the cherry blossom, chrysanthemum, or plum blossom.

Anko is a sweet red bean paste that's used to hold together pastries, cakes, and other desserts that come from Japan. Store cooled anko in a covered container in the refrigerator. By Allrecipes Member. Updated on April 18, 2023.