Sweet red bean Adzuki bean paste (Slatka pasta od crvenog azuki pasulja)

Anko paste or Hóngdòushā paste recipe. Filling for mooncakes, Japanese mochi or dorajaki.

This recipe guides you through the preparation of anko paste (sweet azuki bean paste), a traditional filling without which Asian sweets — such as Chinese mooncakes (mooncakes), Japanese mochi or dorajaki — are simply unimaginable.

Although the combination of beans and sugar often sounds unusual to people in ex YU area, azuki beans have a naturally mild, nutty and slightly sweet note. When cooked and crushed with sugar, it turns into a silky, rich and creamy paste that tastes like the finest chestnut puree.

The preparation is simple and requires only three basic ingredients, and the result is an authentic filling of perfect density, ready to be shaped and filled with your favorite treats.

Tags: vegan recipes, vegetarian recipes, lean recipe, no eggs, gluten free, lactose free, Chinese food.

Preparation time: 50 minutes.

Cooling time: 45-60 minutes.

Total preparation time: 1 hour 35 minutes - 1 hour 50 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 400 g of cooked azuki beans (red beans)
• 100 g of sugar
• A pinch of salt

Preparation:

1. Mix the cooked beans with a stick mixer or in a blender until you get a completely smooth mixture.

2. If it is too dry and the blender has difficulty working, add only 1 to 2 tablespoons of water.

3. Place the pureed mixture in a saucepan or deep pan.

4. Add sugar and a pinch of salt.

5. Cook on low (2 of 6) or medium-low (3 of 6), stirring constantly. The sugar will first dissolve and thin the mixture, and then the liquid will begin to evaporate.

6. Mix until the paste thickens enough to leave a clear mark on the bottom of the pan when you pass it with a spatula and until it becomes firm enough to form a non-slip ball.

7. Remove from the stove and let it cool completely*.

By cooling, the paste will further harden and be ready for shaping and filling mooncakes.

8. To fill the mooncakes, take approximately 20-25 g (0.7-0.8 oz) of paste per cookie and shape it into a ball before wrapping it with dough.

Note for cooling the paste

• Do not stir the paste while it cools.
• When you remove it from the stove, put it in a shallow dish or plate so that it cools down quickly. You can spread it slightly with a spatula and cover it with transparent foil so that the foil touches the very surface of the paste (so that the hard crust does not get caught while it dries in the air).
• Leave it to cool naturally at room temperature without stirring.
• After that, you can put it in the refrigerator for a short time if you want it to be even firmer for easier shaping of balls.

Interesting facts:

• The tradition of mooncakes is primarily linked to China.
• They are a central part of the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival (Full Moon Festival or Harvest Festival), where mooncakes celebrate family reunification and the observation of the Full Moon.
• However, the tradition has spread to other Asian countries.

China (origin):

• Traditionally, they are filled with sweet paste made from azuki beans - red beans, lotus seed paste or walnut paste, and a salty duck egg yolk symbolizing the full moon is often placed in the middle.

Japan:

• In Japan, there is a similar moon sighting holiday called Tsukimi, but instead of the classic Chinese dough mooncakes, the Japanese traditionally eat tsukimi dango (white round rice flour dumplings).
• However, under Chinese influence, a version of mooncakes called Geppai is also made in Japan today.

Anko pasta ili Hóngdòushā pasta recept. Punjenje za Meseceve kolacice.

Ovaj recept vas vodi kroz pripremu anko paste (slatke paste od azuki pasulja), tradicionalnog fila bez kog su azijski slatkiši — poput kineskih mesečevih (žetvenih) kolačića, japanskih močija ili dorajakija — prosto nezamislivi.

Iako kombinacija pasulja i šećera ljudima na našim prostorima često zvuči neobično, azuki pasulj ima prirodno blagu, orašastu i blago slatku notesu. Kada se skuva i ušpinuje sa šećerom, pretvara se u svilenkastu, bogatu i kremastu pastu koja ukusom podseća na najfiniji kesten pire.

Priprema je jednostavna i zahteva svega tri osnovna sastojka, a rezultat je autentičan fil savršene gustine, spreman za oblikovanje i punjenje vaših omiljenih poslastica.

Oznake: vegan recepti, vegetarijanski recepti, posni recepti, bez jaja, bez glutena, bez laktoze, kineska hrana.

Vreme pripreme: 50 minuta.

Vreme hladjenja: 45-60 minuta.

Ukupno vreme pripreme: 1 h 35 minuta - 1 h 50 minuta.

Sastojci:

• 400 g kuvanog azuki pasulja (crvenog pasulja)
• 100 g šećera
• Prstohvat soli

Priprema:

1. Kuvani pasulj izmiksajte štapnim mikserom ili u blenderu dok ne dobijete potpuno glatku smesu. 

2. Ako je previše suvo i blender teško radi, dodajte samo 1 do 2 kašike vode.

3. Stavite pasiranu smesu u šerpu ili dublji tiganj.

4. Dodajte šećer i prstohvat soli.

5. Kuvajte na niskoj temperaturi (2 od 6) ili srednje niskoj (3 od 6) uz neprekidno mešanje. Šećer će se prvo otopiti i razrediti smesu, a zatim će tečnost početi da isparava.

6. Mešajte dok se pasta ne zgusne toliko da ostavlja jasan trag dna šerpe kada prođete špatulom i dok ne postane dovoljno čvrsta da se od nje može oblikovati kuglica koja ne klizi.

7. Sklonite sa šporeta i ostavite da se potpuno ohladi*. 

Hlađenjem će pasta dodatno očvrsnuti i biti spremna za oblikovanje i punjenje žetvenih kolačića 

8. Za punjenje zetvenih kolacica uzimajte otprilike 20–25 g paste po kolacicu i oblikujte je u kuglicu pre nego sto je obmotate testom.

Napomena za hladjenje paste

• Pasta se ne mesa dok se hladi.
• Kada je sklonite sa sporeta, stavite je u plitku posudu ili tanjir da bi se brze ohladila. Mozete je blago rastanjiti spatulom i prekriti providnom folijom tako da folija dodiruje samu povrsinu paste (da se ne bi uhvatila tvrda korica dok se susi na vazduhu).
• Ostavite je da se prirodno ohladi na sobnoj temperaturi bez mesanja.
• Nakon toga je mozete kratko staviti u frizider ako zelite da bude jos cvrsca za lakse oblikovanje kuglica.

Zanimljivosti:

• Tradicija mesecevih kolaca (en. Mooncakes) primarno je vezana za Kinu.
• Oni su centralni deo kineskog Festivala sredine jeseni (Festival punog meseca ili Žetveni festival), gde se mesečevim kolačima slavi spajanje porodice i posmatranje punog meseca.
• Ipak, tradicija se proširila i na druge azijske zemlje.

Kina (poreklo): 

• Tradicionalno se pune slatkom pastom od azuki pasulja - crvenog pasulja, pastom od semena lotosa ili pastom od oraha, a u sredinu se često stavlja slano žumance od pačijeg jajeta koje simbolizuje pun mesec.

Japan: 

• U Japanu postoji sličan praznik posmatranja meseca pod nazivom Tsukimi, ali umesto klasičnih kineskih mesečevih kolacica od testa, Japanci tradicionalno jedu tsukimi dango (bele okrugle knedlice od pirinčanog brašna). 
• Međutim, pod kineskim uticajem, u Japanu se danas pravi i verzija mesečevih kolacica zvana Gepai (jap. Geppai).