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Homemade Mung Bean Paste Filling (Sweet Version and Savory Version )

written by Marvellina Updated: July 25, 2021
15.8K
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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 )

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

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?

I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!

Homemade Mung Bean Paste Filling (Sweet Version and Savory Version )

Homemade Mung Bean Paste Filling (Sweet Version and Savory Version )

Homemade Mung Bean Paste Filling (Sweet Version and Savory Version )

Homemade Mung Bean Paste Filling (Sweet Version and Savory Version )

Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 40 minutes mins
Servings 300 gr paste
5 from 9 reviews
REVIEW & RATE PRINT

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

RECOMMEDED TOOLS

Food Steamer
Instant Pot
non stick skillet
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23 comments

jaci September 8, 2024 - 1:53 pm

I always wanted to know how to cook the mung beans in the instant pot. Thank you!

Reply
Marvellina September 8, 2024 - 6:54 pm

I hope the recipe works well for you if you have a chance to try it out!

Reply
Christina See September 3, 2024 - 4:01 am

May I know 300g of Muang beans can make how many grams of dough?

Reply
Marvellina September 3, 2024 - 8:39 pm

Hi Christina, 100 grams of mung beans make about roughly 300 grams of paste, so if you have 300 grams, it’s probably triple the amount. Just a rough estimate!

Reply
Elisa February 22, 2024 - 4:33 pm

I have a question about the step « To make sweet mung bean paste ». There is no mention to start the heating. Do we have to start the heading and should we put it at a low temperature? Thank you very much!

Reply
Elisa February 22, 2024 - 4:37 pm

Hi just saw in the steps before to put in medium heat, sorry about that 🙂

Reply
Marvellina February 22, 2024 - 9:19 pm

Hi Elisa, how did the mung bean paste turn out for you ?

Reply
CH January 25, 2023 - 11:58 am

Hi, can I use green mung beans instead of yellow split mung beans for this recipe? Thank you in advance.

Reply
Marvellina January 25, 2023 - 8:07 pm

Hi, yes you can, it’s just going to be a different color, but it should taste good too

Reply
LL April 15, 2021 - 12:57 pm

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!

Reply
Marvellina April 15, 2021 - 9:28 pm

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!

Reply
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5 from 9 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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