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Instant Pot Sweet Red Bean Paste (Hong Dou Sha)

written by Marvellina Updated: January 17, 2024
14.4K
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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.

Homemade Sweet Red Bean Paste (Dou Sha)

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.

Dried red beans (Azuki beans)
Dried red beans (Azuki beans)

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!

Homemade Sweet Red Bean Paste (Dou Sha)

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

  • 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
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.
Did you make this recipe?Let me know how you like this recipe and consider rating it! Tag me @whattocooktoday I’d love to see your photos/videos on Instagram
Homemade Sweet Red Bean Paste (Dou Sha)

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.

The beans can be easily broken when you squeeze it with your fingers

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.

Homemade Sweet Red Bean Paste (Dou Sha)

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?

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 Sweet Red Bean Paste (Dou Sha)

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33 comments

Jessica January 23, 2020 - 7:41 pm

Hello fellow Minnesotan! I was wondering if I could possible use canned azuki beans and proceed with the rest of the recipe?

Reply
Marvellina January 27, 2020 - 9:16 pm

Hi Jessica (fellow MNers) 🙂 I don’t see why you can’t. Just make sure you drain off the liquid and then proceed with cooking it with sugar, oil, and the rest of the ingredients. I hope this helps!

Reply
Iga November 26, 2014 - 6:32 am

Hi Marvelina,

I am a Polish girl living in the UK who loves mochi – I was making anko paste yesterday and it was too runny (I got sloppy when cooking it due to kid number 3 distractions) – your recipe gave me the encouragement not to give up on my pot of mushy beans and I did manage to make it thicken in the sugar adding step. Thanks to you I could bring a plate of mochi to my sensei as promised, thanks!

Reply
Marvellina November 26, 2014 - 1:14 pm

Hi Iga,

was it my recipe that makes the beans runny ?

Reply
Ron February 3, 2024 - 11:08 pm

Hi, do I need to add cooking oil if using it as filling for tang yuan? Thanks!

Reply
Marvellina February 4, 2024 - 8:38 pm

Hi Ron, you don’t need to. The one with oil of course will feel smoother and richer, but as a filling for tang yuan, it’s fine without the oil.

Reply
Ron February 6, 2024 - 2:26 pm

Thanks for your prompt reply. I wanted to check the oil quantity listed on your recipe card. It seems excessive. Is that correct??

Reply
Marvellina February 6, 2024 - 8:55 pm

I know it seems like a lot. The beans will gradually absorb the oil as you cook them. That amount is appropriate when you use it for mooncakes, but if you are concern about too much oil and you are using it for filling in bread or steamed buns, etc, you can always skip the oil or cut the amount in half. I hope that helps.

Lilian May 3, 2013 - 6:33 pm

Hi , thanks for the recipe , my children love to eat tau sau pau , definitely I will try it, thanks

Reply
What To Cook Today May 5, 2013 - 9:43 am

Hi Lilian, hope they like the tau sha 🙂 Thanks for stopping by

Reply
Lisuan April 25, 2021 - 1:39 pm

Hello , I was wondering do you know what additional processing steps to make the red bean really dark? I have made red bean pau multiple times and though my red bean is dark , it is not as dark nor is the taste the same as the tau sar pao I grew up with which makes me think there is one more ingredient to be added. Any ideas?

Reply
Marvellina April 25, 2021 - 9:08 pm

Hi Lisuan, I’m not sure where you are from, but I also grew up with a tau sar that is really dark. I saw some people caramelize the sugar first before adding the cooked red beans and continue cooking the red bean paste until it turns really dark. I haven’t tried this myself though. Another thought it could be that it’s a black bean paste ?

Reply
tiffany January 23, 2013 - 3:26 pm

thanks for this, I am making mochi, with red bean paste and i was disappointed that it was a bit runny. this helped a lot.

Reply
What To Cook Today January 23, 2013 - 9:21 pm

Hi Tiffany, I’m glad the red bean paste worked out for you 🙂 It’s my favorite too 🙂 and I love mochi

Reply
torviewtoronto September 21, 2010 - 11:46 am

never used this lovely picture

Reply
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4.84 from 12 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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