One of the things that makes cooking and baking so much fun is using new ingredients.
Putting together my monthly order at Pit en Pit I came across this bean I had not seen before.......always interesting!
Of course I simply had to add it to the order, never turn down a new ingredient.
Adzuki beans, also called aduki or azuki beans, are small, red, dry beans and due to their mild sweet flavor can be used in a huge variety of recipes.
As other beans they deliver plant protein, soluble fiber, iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium and folic acid.
Additionally, they are relatively easy to digest, so they should not give you gas as other beans do, check step 4 to help with preventig this issue!
When using fresh beans this is the way to prepare them:
Step 1 Place the dry beans in a strainer. Rinse them off.
Step 2 Place the adzuki beans in a large pot and pour in enough water to cover them well. The beans will expand while soaking, so add enough water for the beans to have a couple of inches of expansion room.
Step 3 Place the pot in the refrigerator.
Step 4 Soak the beans at least overnight, if not for 24 hours. You can also boil the water immediately for a few minutes and then set the beans aside to soak for one to three hours. If you boil the beans for two or three minutes and let them sit overnight, you’ll reduce the amount of sugars that cause gas problems.
Step 5 Drain the beans, and refill the pot with clean water. Again, use enough to cover the beans well, using three parts water to one part beans.
Step 6 Boil the water and beans and then lower the heat so that the beans and water simmer.
Step 7 Test how soft the beans are after 45 minutes
Step 8 Turn off the heat when the beans are done, drain off the water and add the beans to whatever dish you’re preparing
As said there are a number of ways to use these beans in a recipe, like mashed into a red bean paste for sweet dishes such as desserts or savoury dishes like tacos .
Also you can add the cooked bean, as is, to soups, salads and stews......so many choices and all good.
When I ordered my first supply I ordered a small supply , I wanted to see first if it was going to be a keeper.
Within a week I ordered a new supply, there are simply too many fun recipes to try out!
Here are the first two recipes I want to share with you:
Putting together my monthly order at Pit en Pit I came across this bean I had not seen before.......always interesting!
Of course I simply had to add it to the order, never turn down a new ingredient.
Adzuki beans, also called aduki or azuki beans, are small, red, dry beans and due to their mild sweet flavor can be used in a huge variety of recipes.
As other beans they deliver plant protein, soluble fiber, iron, magnesium, zinc, potassium and folic acid.
Additionally, they are relatively easy to digest, so they should not give you gas as other beans do, check step 4 to help with preventig this issue!
When using fresh beans this is the way to prepare them:
Step 1 Place the dry beans in a strainer. Rinse them off.
Step 2 Place the adzuki beans in a large pot and pour in enough water to cover them well. The beans will expand while soaking, so add enough water for the beans to have a couple of inches of expansion room.
Step 3 Place the pot in the refrigerator.
Step 4 Soak the beans at least overnight, if not for 24 hours. You can also boil the water immediately for a few minutes and then set the beans aside to soak for one to three hours. If you boil the beans for two or three minutes and let them sit overnight, you’ll reduce the amount of sugars that cause gas problems.
Step 5 Drain the beans, and refill the pot with clean water. Again, use enough to cover the beans well, using three parts water to one part beans.
Step 6 Boil the water and beans and then lower the heat so that the beans and water simmer.
Step 7 Test how soft the beans are after 45 minutes
Step 8 Turn off the heat when the beans are done, drain off the water and add the beans to whatever dish you’re preparing
As said there are a number of ways to use these beans in a recipe, like mashed into a red bean paste for sweet dishes such as desserts or savoury dishes like tacos .
Also you can add the cooked bean, as is, to soups, salads and stews......so many choices and all good.
When I ordered my first supply I ordered a small supply , I wanted to see first if it was going to be a keeper.
Within a week I ordered a new supply, there are simply too many fun recipes to try out!
Here are the first two recipes I want to share with you:
Red bean stew
Directions:
- Make the sauce by mixing all the ingredients in a blender until smooth
- Bake the vegetables with the spices in the ghee/oil until soft,mix with the sauce
- Right before serving add the beans.
- Great with a fresh salad!
You can make this stew as spicy as you like. Also cooking the beans until they are extra soft will make this stew a bit more soup like....not too bad either!
The next recipe is something a bit less spicy and a bit more sweet, cupcakes.
First let's make red bean paste;
step 1; Cook the adzuki beans as mentioned above, make sure the beans are nice and soft
step 2; using 1 1/2 cup of cooked beans, add 4 tbsp Ghee (or butter) .
step 3; Blend together, until mixed well. When using cold beans melt the ghee first.
step 4; When making sweet red bean paste add 1 banana and some vanilla then mix again, when making savoury red bean paste simply add garlic and onion powder if not on low fodmaps. Other options are any of your favorite chinese herbs and spices...a great combination!
Now for this cupcake recipe :
The next recipe is something a bit less spicy and a bit more sweet, cupcakes.
First let's make red bean paste;
step 1; Cook the adzuki beans as mentioned above, make sure the beans are nice and soft
step 2; using 1 1/2 cup of cooked beans, add 4 tbsp Ghee (or butter) .
step 3; Blend together, until mixed well. When using cold beans melt the ghee first.
step 4; When making sweet red bean paste add 1 banana and some vanilla then mix again, when making savoury red bean paste simply add garlic and onion powder if not on low fodmaps. Other options are any of your favorite chinese herbs and spices...a great combination!
Now for this cupcake recipe :
Beany cupcakes
Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup red bean paste
- 160 grams teff cakemix (or any other cakemix)
- 50 grams grated coconut
- 2 eggs
- 50 grams pure chocolate
- 20 grams ghee or butter
- 20cc rice cooking cream
- 2 bananas
- 1/2 tsp: baking powder, baking soda, xantan gum and psyllium fibre
- 3 tbsps rum
Directions:
- Mix the eggs and the coconut
- Melt the butter, add the cooking cream, rum and bananas
- Stir frequently until bananas have melted
- Leave to cool for a bit,then add to the eggmixture
- Mix the flour with the bp, bs, xg and pf
- Stir in the egg mixture until well combined
- Grease and fill the molds and bake at 180 degrees celsius for 30 minutes