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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 )
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Rinse the mung beans in several washes of water and drain off water
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
25 comments
Can I omit the AP flour?
I haven’t tried without the all-purpose flour. You can try to omit the all-purpose flour, but the texture of the mung bean paste will be softer and may take longer to cook down to a firm, moldable consistency. The flour helps absorb some of the moisture and gives the paste a little more structure, especially if you’re using it as a filling for mooncakes, buns, or other pastries. If you need the paste to be gluten-free, you could try substituting the flour with a gluten-free flour blend instead. I hope that helps!