Instant Pot Sweet Red Bean Paste (Hong Dou Sha)

Learn how to make smooth and shiny sweet red bean paste (dou sha) or known as Anko in Japan that you can use as filling for many Asian pastries, Chinese mooncakes, bread, baked buns, steamed buns, or just eat by spoonfuls if you wish. Instant pot-friendly. Vegan and gluten-free.

What is sweet red bean paste?

Sweet red bean paste, also known as “anko” in Japan, “hongdou sha” in China, is a cherished and versatile ingredient that has been a staple in Asian cuisine for centuries. This delectable paste is made from red beans, typically adzuki beans, and sugar, resulting in a rich, sweet, and slightly nutty flavor. Sweet red bean paste has a long and storied history in Asian cuisine, dating back over a thousand years. Its origins can be traced to ancient China, where it was first used as a sweetener. Over time, it spread to other parts of Asia, including Japan and Korea, where it was adapted and incorporated into local culinary traditions.

How to use sweet red bean paste

In Chinese cuisine, sweet red bean paste is a key ingredient in many classic dishes, such as tangyuan (sweet rice balls) and dou sha bao (red bean paste steamed buns). It is also used as a filling for traditional mooncakes, a popular treat during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

In Japan, anko is used in a wide array of traditional sweets, such as dorayaki (pancake sandwiches), taiyaki (fish-shaped pastries), and anmitsu (a dessert with agar jelly cubes and fruit). Anko comes in two main varieties: tsubuan, which contains whole beans, and koshian, which is a smoother paste.

INGREDIENTS FOR SWEET RED BEAN PASTE

1. SMALL RED BEANS (AZUKI BEANS)
Small red beans or azuki beans are available at Asian grocery store in dried form.

2. SUGAR
Regular white sugar is used in this recipe. The level of sweetness can be adjusted to your liking.
3. COOKING OIL
The cooking oil is added to create that shine and smoothness to the paste to make it suitable to roll into balls which you can use for filling later
4. SALT
Adding a small pinch of salt elevates the final taste of the sweet red bean paste. We love it!

Instant Pot Sweet Red Bean Paste (Hong Dou Sha)

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Servings 1 recipe (650 grams)

4.8 from 12 reviews

REVIEW & RATE PRINT

Ingredients

0.5x1x2x

US CustomaryMetric

• ▢ 200 gr red beans / azuki beans (not kidney beans)
• ▢ 3 cups Water for cooking the beans
• ▢ 85 gr sugar more or less to your preference
• ▢ ¼ tsp salt

If making red bean paste for mooncakes or other pastries:

• ▢ 120 gr cooking oil see notes

Instructions

 

Stove-top method:

• If you are going to cook this on the stove, soak the beans for at least 4 hours or overnight. Discard the soaking liquid.
• Prepare a big pot and add water, about 2-inches above the beans. Bring the water to a boil and then lower to medium heat and boil the beans until they are soft and you can easily mash it with your fingers, about 45 minutes to 1 hour or so. You may need to top off with some water along the way Proceed to "Blending the paste"

Instant Pot method:

• You don't need to soak the beans if you plan to cook with a pressure cooker. Though if you choose to, it will shorten the cooking time. Either way works.
• Place the beans in the insert of the instant pot. Add water about 1 inch above the beans. Cover the lid. Turn the steam release handle to seal. Press pressure cooker and set timer to 45 minutes if you did not soak the beans. If you soak the beans, set the timer to 25 minutes
• When the timer is up, wait for 10 minutes and then release pressure. Discard the water. The beans can be easily mashed with your fingers when you squeeze it. Proceed to "Blending the paste"

Blending the paste:

• Drain off the water and pour the beans into a food processor or a blender or use an immersion blender. It may be hard to blend it with a blender without enough liquid, so you can add a bit to get it going if necessary. Try not to add too much because the more you add, the longer you have to cook off the water later
• Alternatively, if you don't have a blender or a food processor, you can also mash the cooked beans through a strainer to make them smooth and paste-like consistency. It's a lot of work, but it's doable. You can also use a potato masher, which will make the job a bit easier for you

Cooking the paste:

• Spread the paste on a non-stick skillet with a rubber spatula or wooden spatula and add the sugar, and salt. The paste will seem a bit "runny" at first when the sugar melts, but continue to cook it on medium-high heat until the color darkens and the paste is thickened again and most of the water has cooked off and the paste can hold its shape but still moist and spreadable. This is perfect consistency if you are going to use the paste as filling in bread, steamed buns, or other dessert, etc
• If you plan to make the red bean paste for mooncakes, you want to add oil. Add the oil and continue to stir over medium-low heat using a spatula until the oil are absorbed by the beans, leave the side of the pot and shiny and smooth. The consistency for this paste should be firmer and can hold its shape. It can take about 40-45 minutes of total cooking time
• Let it cool off before filling if you are using it

Storing:

• You can portion them out into 2-3 servings in a glass jar and store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. You may also freeze them and they can keep for 3 months. Just thaw in the refrigerator when ready to use them. No recooking required

RECOMMEDED TOOLS

digital kitchen scale

Instant Pot

Marv’s Recipe Notes

You can omit the oil if you are using the red bean paste as a filling for steamed buns, bread, or baked buns. I won’t recommend omitting the oil if you are using this as a filling for mooncakes or other pastries.

*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*

Nutrition Facts

Instant Pot Sweet Red Bean Paste (Hong Dou Sha)

Serving Size

 

1 recipe (with oil)

Amount per Serving

Calories

1642

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

121

g

186

%

Saturated Fat

 

9

g

56

%

Trans Fat

 

0.5

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

34

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

76

g

Sodium

 

631

mg

27

%

Potassium

 

808

mg

23

%

Carbohydrates

 

130

g

43

%

Fiber

 

15

g

63

%

Sugar

 

85

g

94

%

Protein

 

17

g

34

%

Vitamin C

 

2

mg

2

%

Calcium

 

79

mg

8

%

Iron

 

6

mg

33

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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HOW TO MAKE SWEET RED BEAN PASTE FROM SCRATCH

1. SOAK THE BEANS FOR AT LEAST 4 HOURS
2. COOK THE BEANS
If cooking on the stove: Boil the beans for 1 to 1/2 hours or until the beans can be easily mashed with your fingers
If cooking with pressure cooker: If the beans are soaked, pressure cook the beans on high pressure with some water for 25 minutes. If the beans are not soaked, pressure cook on high pressure for 45 minutes.

3. BLEND
Drain off the water and pour the beans into a food processor or use an immersion blender. It may be hard to blend it with a blender without enough liquid, so I suggest using a food processor if possible. If it’s really hard to blend, you can press the cooked beans through a strainer to make them smooth
4. COOK AGAIN
Spread the paste on a non-stick skillet with a rubber spatula or wooden spatula and add the sugar, and salt. The paste will seem a bit “runny” at first when the sugar melts, but continue to cook it on medium-high heat until the color darkens and the paste is thickened again and most of the water has cooked off and the paste can hold its shape. The paste will be smooth and shiny and leave the side of the pot. This is perfect consistency if you are going to use the paste as filling in pastries, steamed buns, etc

5. If you plan to make the red bean paste for mooncakes, you want to add oil. Add the oil and continue to stir over medium-low heat using a spatula until the oil are absorbed by the beans, leave the side of the pot and shiny and smooth

6. LET IT COOL DOWN
Let the sweet red bean paste cool down completely before storing. They can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. You can freeze them for longer storage.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR MAKING DOU SHA

1. Dou sha came out so runny
It is important to drain off water after cooking the red beans and cook off the water. Too much moisture will make it soft and not suitable as filling for bread, steamed buns and pastry as this will affect the overall result. Just cook it a bit longer will dry up the moisture and the dou sha will be firmer in texture
2. Does it have to be smooth or chunky?
It can be both. It really depends on your preference. If you like a chunkier texture (you can still see some beans), then don’t process it in a food processor and just manually mash it
3. Can I pressure cook red beans?
You certainly can. In fact, I love to pressure cook beans because I don’t have to presoak the beans. See recipe for more detailed instructions

DID YOU MAKE THIS HOMEMADE SWEET RED BEAN PASTE RECIPE?

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