Here in Canada, our sushi restaurants have desserts that really standout from anything I have ever had. If you told me I would be eating green tea ice cream or red bean ice cream 10 years ago, I would say no way!
I was always big on the green tea ice cream, but I was curious about red bean ice cream. I finally gave it a try and fell in love. Ever since, I usually pick red bean ice cream 8/10. Then again, I tend to order both after a big meal so those figures could be off! I may enjoy the ice cream at the restaurant, but when I am at home there is no way to get a hold of this delicious dessert! Mr. TCW actually bought a large tub of red bean ice cream directly from the sushi restaurant for me the one time, but I really wanted to try my hand at homemade. In order to do that I had to make a red bean paste.
Red bean paste is common in Japanese sweets. It is often quite sweet, and when I came across a red bean paste recipe I was quite hesistant over the amount of sugar. I fought with myself, but since I knew it was going into ice cream, I decided to keep the sugar content quite low. This was my choice, and I totally see why people would add more sugar if they were using the paste for other recipes. I highly suggest taking a look at Yi Reservation to understand more about red bean paste.
All this blabbing and I totally forgot to mention what red bean paste actually is. It is made with adzuki/azuki beans. I ordered mine from Amazon but of course shortly afterwards I finally found them at my grocery store. They are a bit expensive, but well worth it if you love red bean ice cream. They are also great on their own, not mashed into a dessert and have great nutrient properties. But let's be real, I bought them for the red bean paste!
Red Bean Paste
Red bean ice cream is popular at local sushi restaurants. Now you can make your own at home with this simple recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 cup adzuki (azuki) beans
- Pinch of salt
- ½ - ¾ cup granulated sugar (some people use upwards of 1-2 cups)
- 3 cups water for boiling
Instructions
- Place your beans into a bowl and cover entirely with cold water. Allow them to soak overnight.
- Drain the beans and rinse thoroughly. Place into a medium-sized saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour, or until beans are tender.
- Drain the liquid from the pot into a bowl and save. Place the beans into a food processor (working in batches probably) and add a bit of water to the beans. Puree until a smooth consistency is reached, adding more water if necessary. *I worked in two batches and used between ½ cup and ¾ cup water total.
- Move the beans back into the pot with the sugar and cook over low heat. Stir the mixture until it is nice and smooth, and the mixture has basically thickened up (and peaks form.)
- Allow to cool and refrigerate.
- **I did not make my paste overly sweet because I knew I was going to use it in ice cream, Many people put in at least 1 cup sugar minimum, but I tasted along the way and found ½ cup was good enough for me!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 48Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 27mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 0gSugar: 12gProtein: 0g
And for fun, here is a sneak peak at my red bean ice cream recipe!
Laura @MotherWouldKnow
I'm not at all familiar with Japanese food (other than sushi and ramen) and I have no idea what red bean paste tastes like. Can you describe it in a way that I might get a sense for what the ice cream is like? It looks wonderful and sounds like fun to make.
Kacey
Laura, I wish I could do it justice! I mean, it does not taste like beans, so do not worry about that. It is sweet in nature, but not sickeningly. Think of a sweet vanilla ice cream with some texture 🙂
Tonia
Red bean ice cream? I just can't get my head around it, but I would love to taste it! What other recipes could this red bean paste could be used in?
Kacey
I have a cookie recipe coming up next week that uses this paste 🙂 I could easily see it used in cakes and muffins!
Abigail
We have a lot of pastries in Manila which use red bean paste as ingredient and I love them all! Glad to find your recipe, I may finally try to make those goodies using your recipe. Pinned, too.
Kacey
Yay! I know many are unfamiliar with red bean paste desserts, so I am glad I found someone who has experienced it first hand 🙂
Becky | The Cookie Rookie
Such a great recipe to have around! So delicious!
Kacey
Thanks, Becky!
tanya
I'm not familiar with red bean paste but boy do you have me intrigued. I cannot wait for that ice cream!
Kacey
Thanks, Tanya! I will keep you posted!
Josie
Love desserts with red bean paste, I was wondering how to make it! Yum! Thanks for posting 🙂
Kacey
Wonder no longer 🙂 Really easy to make and great to have on hand!
Nutmeg Nanny
I didn't realize you could make your own red bean paste! How totally delicious!
Kacey
I didn't realize either, and it is super easy to make!
Andi @ The Weary Chef
Oh wow! As Nutmeg Nanny said I didn't realize you could make your own. Sounds kinda delicious!
Kacey
Definitely is, Andy. I made mine very un-sweet (totally not a word, but you get my drift.) For actual confectioneries, I would add more sugar!
Yi @ YiReservation
Hi Kacey, thanks for linking your post to my recipe. Your version of red bean paste looks fabulous! Love your beautiful blog as well!
Kacey
Thanks so much! I love your site and was so happy to have stumbled across the red bean recipe 🙂