Learn how to easily make sweet mung bean paste filling and also savory mung bean paste. They are both suitable for moon cakes, ang ku kueh, steamed or baked buns, tau sar piah, and other kueh or Asian pastries and cakes. Both pressure cooker and stove-top recipe included.
Homemade Mung Bean Paste Filling (Sweet Version and Savory Version )
MOONG BEAN PASTE FILLING
Mung beans or moong beans are ubiquitos ingredients across Asia. Whole mung beans are usually green in color and when the skins are removed, it’s yellow in color and usually called split mung beans, which is what this recipe is using.
Split mung bean paste filling is very commonly used in Asian cakes and pastries. They can be sweetened with sugar or made savory by adding salt. I’m sharing how to make both versions in this post.
split mung beans
HOW TO MAKE SWEET MUNG BEAN PASTE FILLING
1. Wash the beans in several rinses of water
2. To cook in a steamer: Soak mung beans in hot water for 1 hour or in room temperature water for 4 hours. Drain off soaking water. Bring water in the steamer to a boil. Place the beans in a dish along with water and put inside the steamer and steam for 20 minutes or until the beans can be easily mashed with a fork. Use blender or immersion blender to blend into a fine paste
3. To cook in Instant Pot pressure cooker: Pour 1 cup of water in the inner pot of instant pot. Place a trivet in there. Place the beans in a dish. Place this on top of a trivet. Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes. Discard excess liquid if any. Use a blender or immersion blender to blend into a fine paste
4. Place the mashed bean paste on a pan followed by sugar, oil, and flour
5. The mixture will be wet at first as the sugar melts
6. Keep stirring until it gets drier and drier
7. As the water evaporates, the beans will no longer be sticky and shiny (because of the oil) and leaves the side of the pan and become like a dough
8. Let the sweet mung bean paste cool down completely before using or storing
HOW TO MAKE SAVORY MUNG BEAN PASTE FILLING
1. Wash the beans in several rinses of water
2. To cook in a steamer: Soak mung beans in hot water for 1 hour or in room temperature water for 4 hours. Drain off soaking water. Bring water in the steamer to a boil. Place the beans in a dish along with water and put inside the steamer and steam for 20 minutes or until the beans can be easily mashed with a fork. Use blender or immersion blender to blend into a fine paste
3. To cook in Instant Pot pressure cooker: Pour 1 cup of water in the inner pot of instant pot. Place a trivet in there. Place the beans in a dish. Place this on top of a trivet. Pressure cook on high for 8 minutes. Discard excess liquid if any.
4. Place the mashed bean paste in a blender along with sugar, oil, and flour. Blend into a fine paste.
5. Transfer to a non-stick pan and cook over medium heat until it comes into a non-sticky mass that you can easily mold into balls
6. Keep stirring until it gets drier and drier
7. As the water evaporates, the beans will no longer be sticky and shiny (because of the oil) and leaves the side of the pan and become like a dough
8. Let the savory mung bean paste cool down completely before using or storing
HOW TO USE
Both sweet and savory versions of mung bean paste filling can be used for: ang ku kueh, tau sar piah, mooncakes, steamed buns, baked buns, or any other pastries or cakes
HOW TO STORE
1. Let the mung bean paste cools down completely at room temperature
2. Transfer to a jar or any container and they can be kept for up to 1 week at the refrigerator
3. For longer storage, transfer to a freezer bag and push out all air and pack them flat so it’s easier to thaw later and save freezer space. They can be kept frozen for up to 6 months. Simply thaw in the fridge overnight before using
DID YOU MAKE THIS EASY MUNG BEAN PASTE RECIPE?
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Homemade Mung Bean Paste Filling (Sweet Version and Savory Version )
Homemade Mung Bean Paste Filling (Sweet Version and Savory Version )
Ingredients
- 100 gr split yellow mung beans will yield close to 300 gr cooked mung beans
- 300 ml Water
For sweet mung bean paste filling:
- 100 gr sugar
- 50 gr oil
- 30 gr all-purpose flour
For savory mung bean paste filling:
- 75 gr sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- 30 gr fried shallots
- 50 gr oil
- 30 gr all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Rinse the mung beans in several washes of water and drain off water
Cook the beans in the steamer:
- Soak mung beans in hot water for 1 hour or in room temperature water for 4 hours. Drain off the soaking water. Discard the water after that and transfer to a dish and pour in water and put inside the steamer and steam over high heat for 20 minutes or longer until the beans can be easily mashed with a fork
Pressure cook the beans in Instant pot:
- Transfer to the inner pot of your instant pot. Pour 1 cup of water in the inner pot of instant pot. Place a trivet in there. Place the bean in a stainless steel or heat-proof dish and add 300 ml of water
- Cover the lid and turn the steam release handle to seal. Set pressure cooker to 8 minutes. Once the timer is up, release pressure. The beans should be soft and drain off any excess liquid
To make sweet mung bean paste:
- Place the mashed or pureed mung beans on a large non-stick pan. Add sugar, oil, and flour and keep stirring until it dries and comes into a nice non-sticky mass and shiny
To make savory mung bean paste:
- Place the cooked mung beans, fried shallots, oil, sugar, and flour in a blender or use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Transfer to a non-stick pan and cook until it dries and comes into a nice non-sticky mass and shiny
Storing:
- Let the mung bean paste cool down completely before using. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week or transfer to a freezer bag and kept for up to 6 months in the freezer
16 comments
Hi, can I use green mung beans instead of yellow split mung beans for this recipe? Thank you in advance.
Hi, yes you can, it’s just going to be a different color, but it should taste good too
Hello,
I was wondering if you can clarify the instant pot instructions – “Pour 1 cup of water in the inner pot of instant pot. Place a trivet in there. Place the bean in a stainless steel or heat-proof dish and add water”.
The “add water” at the end of that sentence, is that 300 mL water into the dish with the yellow mung beans?
Thanks!
Hi, yes you are right. It’s 300 ml of water to cook with the beans. I have updated the recipe to reflect that. I hope that helps to clarify!
This turned out great! I boiled the mung in a little bit of water instead of steaming, and then put it in the blender. I followed all the other instructions and the taste and texture turned out very well. The only problem i had was trying to stop eating all the paste straight out of the pan.
Hi JS, I’m glad it turned out well for you 🙂 I love homemade mung bean paste too and I hear you on the “eating straight out of the pan” lol! I did the same thing!!
If I don’t hv a non stick pan, can I use ordinary pan?
Hi Melinda, yes you can, it can be kinda sticky at first, but as you cook and as the mixture absorbs the oil, it should be easier (I hope 🙂 )
Omg I love this recipe! It’s so simple yet tastes amazing— I get compliments from family and friends from the flavor and how smooth it is. Some of my mung beans didn’t cook all the way (my fault haha) but my paste was still smooth. As a tip put the paste through a sieve to make it smoother if your mung beans didn’t cook all the way. Overall 10/10! If you’re looking for a recipe this is the one 🙂
Hi Michelle, I’m so glad you like! A good tips on sieving the mung beans to make it smoother, I will add it in my instruction just in case 😉
marv, can you please share your old recipe
Hi Tuhinaah, I’m so sorry that I don’t have the old recipe anymore 🙁 do you like the old version better?
Marv, can I use mung bean flour for this recipe?
Hi Maidy, I have never tried it before with mung bean flour. I would imagine it should work too as long as it’s a mung bean flour and not mung bean starch. Mung bean flour is made by grounding the whole mung beans, where as the starch is extracted out from the mung beans. So, make sure it’s a mung bean flour and not mung bean starch.
This recipe works perfectly for me. Thanks!
Great to know Magda! Thank you for your feedback always 🙂