Red Bean Paste ~ 红豆沙

Buns with red bean paste filling are so common in Chinese pastry. They can be streamed, baked, or fried, all turn out to be so tasty. One can found the red bean paste in any Asian grocery store. I like sweat stuff, but I found the store bought is usually too sweat for me. Here I tried to make my own and it turned out great! The process is pretty simple and one can easily adjust it to his/her own taste.

Ingredients:

455g raw red beans (half bag)

1/4 cup cooking oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions:

1. Wash red beans clean, add to Instant Pot (pressure cooker), add water to cover and about 1/2 inch more (it is fine to add more water, but not less, or your beans will be too hard); 
2. Start the Instant Pot with Bean/Chili setting, about 45 minutes;
3. Let the beans cool down, add to a blender, blend until smooth, add more water if it is too thick;
4. Set a non-stick pan on low heat, with a spatula, cook the blended red bean paste, let water evaporate; about 3 - 5 minutes;
5. Add cooking oil gradually, mix well after each addition;
6. Add brown sugar at last, mix well;
7. Transfer to the wire rack and let it cool completely;
8. Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I can just eat it as is, the aroma of the freshly cooked red beans is irresistible. :)

Now the delicious red bean paste is ready! Time to wrap them in your favorite buns, like this one below.