Title: Selecting Ingredients--Red Bean Paste (Sweetened) (Ck)
Categories: Info Chinese Check
Yield: 1 Servings

Red bean paste is very thick, with a bland but sweet taste. In small amounts it is used to add color (it is the color of kidney beans), body, and a sweet flavor to some dumplings and marinades, and in larger amounts it is used as a filling in Chinese desserts. Some say that the sweetened paste is used in China only for desserts, never in dumplings or main dishes. The paste is available in cans in Asian groceries. Once opened, it will keep well if refrigerated in a tightly covered jar. It can also be frozen. Because red bean paste freezes solidly, freeze it in ice cube trays so you can defrost a small amount at a time.

Red bean paste, which is essentially a thick bean puree, is made from dried Chinese red beans which are available in packages in Asian groceries. You can make your own red bean paste by cooking the red beans until tender in enough water to cover. Puree the beans in a food processor or a blender with enough liquid to process them. You should end up with a thick, very smooth paste. To sweeten red bean paste, blend in half a cup of sugar for each uncooked cup of red beans. The sugar is not added until after the beans are cooked and pureed.

From: Chinese Kosher Cooking Betty S. Goldberg Jonathan David Publishers, Inc., 1989

Entered by: Lawrence Kellie

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