Since the discovery of Canned Azuki Beans at a local supermarket, my ‘Tsubu-an’ making has become very easy. Sweet Azuki Paste is available from Asian Grocery stores but they are quite pricey. Canned Azuki Beans are cheap. From 1 can, you can make about 1 cupful of Sweet Azuki Paste quickly and easily. Makes About …
‘Sekihan’ is steamed short grain glutinous rice cooked with Azuki (Red Beans). It is traditionally prepared to celebrate special occasions in Japan, because of its red colour which is symbolic of happiness. On the other day, I realised that I knew one vegetable that could make absolutely everything RED. That is Beetroot, which is not …
On the other day, I cooked Barley with Azuki (Red Bean), trying to create Barley version of ‘Sekihan’ Azuki Rice. I didn’t like the result because it was unexpectedly SWEET even though I added only Salt. Then I remembered this Japanese dessert soup. It’s a variation of Zenzai (Sweet Azuki Soup). This dessert soup is …
You have some leftover Sweet Azuki Paste? If you have 1 sheet Butter Puff Pastry, you can make this yummy Asian dessert now. I added ground Black Sesame Seeds to the Sweet Azuki Paste for extra flavour, which is very nice, but it is optional as most people don’t stock Black Sesame Seeds. Peanut Butter …
Cold jelly sweets are very popular during the hot and humid summer in Japan. I like any kind of jelly sweets, but my favourite is Azuki Kanten Jelly ‘Mizu-Yōkan’. A variety of Azuki jelly sweets are available from shops over there, but, here in Melbourne, I have to make them if I want to eat …
I have a super easy ‘Azuki Ice Cream’ recipe and it can be made with two ingredients, Tsubu-an (Sweet Azuki Paste) and whipped Cream. Because some people find it too rich, I have made a lighter version. Makes 4 Servings Ingredients 1/2 cup Milk1 to 2 tablespoons Sugar *OR Condensed Milk2 teaspoons Corn Starch Flour1/2 …
If you have been to Kyoto, Japan, you might have tasted this famous sweet. To make this sweet, Japanese rice flours ‘Shiratamako’ and ‘Joshinko’ are commonly used, but they are very difficult to find where I live. I use commonly available Glutenous Rice Flour and Rice Flour. You can make this sweet using Glutinous Rice …
‘Azuki’ are small red beans and most commonly used to make sweets in Japan. However, they can be used for savoury dishes as well. I often cook them with Rice. Because Azuki are small and cook fairly quickly, they don’t need to be soaked over night, and it’s easy to use for many dishes. Makes …
‘Sekihan’, steamed short grain Glutinous Rice cooked with Azuki (Red Beans), is sometimes cooked with Chestnuts as well. But Chestnuts are not commonly available where I live. I looked for a substitute for Chestnuts and I tried some different nuts. Now I can tell you that the best substitute is Cashew Nuts. This ‘Auzki & …
For those who love sweet Azuki (Red Bean) paste, which is a very popular ingredient for many sweets, I introduce a traditional Japanese sweet, ‘Zenzai’. In the region I grew up, ‘Zenzai’ is a sweet Azuki soup, often served with toasted Mochi (Rice Cake). Its smooth version made with ‘Koshi-an’ is called ‘Shiruko’, and I …
‘Mochi’ is Japanese rice cake made of short-grain glutinous rice. It is similar to ‘Dango’ but the texture is a lot more rubbery and gooey. It is not easy to make ‘Mochi’ at home from scratch, but this ‘Tofu Mochi’ is absolutely easy. It looks like ‘Mochi’ and texture is the same, and it is …
‘Oyaki’ is a sort of dumpling similar to ‘Gyoza’ made from wheat flour (or buckwheat flour) dough wrapped around a stuffing that is most commonly vegetables, then cooked on a pan. This time, I made Sweet ‘Oyaki’. The filling for Sweet ‘Oyaki’ can be mashed Pumpkin or Sweet Potato, dried fruit and nuts, or sweetened …