Sugar-Free Sweet Red Bean Paste 無糖紅豆餡

Red beans (the name is directly translated from the Chinese name - Hong Do 紅豆) are also called adzuki beans. In Asia, we use a lot of red beans in desserts, and traditionally, red bean paste is made with red beans, water, and sugar. Red beans are a very good source of protein, fiber, and potassium, and are low in calories, but when you add the sugar, it starts to become less healthy. I thought it would be great to make a healthier version of it, so I don't need to feel guilty eating it. You can use it for your bread, toast, pancakes, tang yuan, mochi, or other desserts. It's a great recipe and a good thing for you to have in your freezer!

Sugar-Free Sweet Red Bean Paste

2/3 C     dry red beans

one 1/2" piece kombu *I use kombu here because it makes the beans more digestable : )
 
4           fresh dates, pitted *If you don't have fresh dates, you can soak dried dates in warm water for 20 minutes. Drain well before use.
 

2 t         maple syrup

1 1/2 t    coconut oil

*T = tbsp, t = tsp, C = cup

1. Rinse and soak the red beans in a container with double amount of water covering, and let sit for at least 8 hrs.

2. Drain and place the red beans and kombu in a 2 qt pot with water covering about 3/4".

3. Bring it to a boil, then simmer for 1 minute. Turn the heat off and let it sit for 30 minutes. *I do this to save energy, but you can simply cook them until soft, then go to step 5.

4. After 30 minutes, bring it to a boil and let it simmer for about 35-45 minutes or until the red beans are fully cooked and very soft. 20 minutes after cooking, discard the kombu.

5. Pour out the liquid from the red beans and place 2 T of the cooked red beans in a small food processor with the dates. Process until the dates are blended. *Save the nutritious liquid. It's edible! Also, if you like your paste very fine, you can simply blend all the beans, but I like mine having a little bit of texture.

6. Transfer the processed red bean and date mixture back to the pot with maple syrup and mix with the rest of cooked red beans.

7. Turn on the heat again and keep stirring and cooking for about 2-3 minutes until most of the moisture is gone. *Don't worry if it seems a little bit wet. When it's cool, it'll set, so you don't want it to be too dry.

8. Turn off heat, Then add the coconut oil, and put the mixture in a container. Let cool, then cover and let it sit in the fridge for at least 2 hrs.

*The filling can be made in advance, and it also freezes well.

                                                                                               - Yvonne

紅豆是非常有營養又含卡路里量低的豆子，它含有相當高的蛋白質、纖維與許多種的礦物質，可以幫助造血，非常適合貧血的人食用。紅豆餡的做法有很多種，但是ㄧ般來說它含有的食材都是紅豆與糖。我覺得這麼營養的豆子，加了許多糖之後就變的不是那麼健康了，所以我在裡面加了中東椰棗與ㄧ點楓糖，不但健康，還使味道更香甜！可ㄧ次把量做多ㄧ點，然後放進冷凍庫儲藏，與土司，鬆餅、湯圓、麵包、優格或其它甜點ㄧ起食用都很適合！

無糖紅豆餡

 

紅豆           2/3 杯

昆布           1片 (約2.5 cm) *我加昆布的原因是它可以幫助消化

新鮮中東椰棗 4 顆…去籽 *若沒新鮮的，也可以使用乾的

楓糖漿         2 小匙

椰子油 或 其它的油 1 1/2 小匙

1. 將紅豆洗淨後泡水8小時。

2. 將泡紅豆的水瀝掉後與水和昆布放入鍋子裡面煮，水位只要蓋過紅豆約2 cm就好，不要太多。

3. 水滾開之後煮1分鐘，然後熄火並蓋上鍋蓋悶30分鐘。

4. 30分鐘後再將紅豆煮滾，然後以小火煮至軟爛。

5. 將多餘的紅豆水倒出，取2大匙紅豆放入小型的食物調理機與椰棗ㄧ起打爛。如果是使用乾的椰棗，先泡溫水20分鐘並瀝乾後再使用。*倒出的紅豆水有很多營養，不要倒掉，可加入飲料或加點楓糖飲用。

6. 將打爛的紅豆, 楓糖倒入鍋中與其餘的那些紅豆ㄧ起以中火翻炒幾分鐘至水份稍微收乾。加入油拌勻再放入容器中，稍微放涼後放置冰箱置少2個小時。

*紅豆餡可以事先做，放冰箱或冷藏保存都可以。放冰箱只能保存4-5天。 

                                                                                           - Yvonne 

© recipe and photos by My Chouchoux