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Delicious and easy Anko recipe (red bean paste) prepared in a pressure cooker in a few easy steps. Use it as filling in your favorite Japanese sweets and desserts!
In Japan, there are all kinds of sweets and snacks everywhere, from convenience stores to busy stations and to even below department stores. You can find an assortment of Japanese and Western cookies, cakes, snacks, and desserts.
Speaking of Japanese sweets, the most popular filling in them is Anko or Sweet Red Bean Paste. I would describe its popularity similar to chocolate for Western desserts.
What type of Japanese desserts have red bean paste as filling? Mochi of course! The sweet red bean paste is inside of all types of mochi as you see in Daifuku, Strawberry Mochi, Kashiwa Mochi, Sakura Mochi. Also in the flour cake batter, like in Dorayaki and Taiyaki.
Other Japanese sweet that uses Anko as the main ingredient includes Yokan, Red Bean Ice Cream, and Zenzai or Oshiruko (Red Bean Soup), just to name a few.
Now making it is very easy, but cooking it in the traditional stove-top method requires your time and undivided attention. The amount of water in the pot has to be just right above the azuki beans while cooking, so you need to stay in the kitchen to keep an eye on it (this is a well-known “proper” method).
I’ve loved Anko all my life and I’m quite obsessed with it. But even such a fanatic myself, I’ve only made it at home on special occasions and relied on overly-sweet premade ones from Japanese grocery stores to save time.
But not anymore with my Instant Pot! So today I will show you my favorite way to make homemade Anko with the pressure cooker.
Making Anko in Pressure Cooker
So, the first step to making Anko easier is to speed up the process. Unfortunately, this will require a pressure cooker. I know, a pressure cooker is not a gadget that everyone has in the kitchen and I didn’t own one myself until last year. If you don’t own a pressure cooker, you can still make delicious homemade Anko on the stovetop (recipe here). Many of my readers really love this stovetop recipe!
Why use a Pressure Cooker then? It’s simple; 1) it cooks fast, 2) does a great job, and 3) saves you a lot of time.
What pressure cooker do I use? I’ve been using this 7-in-1 Instant Pot Multi-Functional Cooker and I shared how much I love this gadget in this post, this post, and this post. It’s a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice maker/porridge maker, steamer, sauté/browning, yogurt maker, and warmer in one machine. I mostly use the pressure cooker functions and unlike old-fashion pressure cookers, there is no hissing sound and it’s not scary at all to use and operate!
Besides cooking beans, it is a total lifesaver when you want to cook meat in less than 30 minutes. Even though it’s a short time, the tender meat falls off the bones! I usually switch on before heading to kids’ activities and when we come home, the dinner is ready! I don’t even have to be in the kitchen!
3 Simple Ingredients to Make Anko
What do you need for this recipe? It’s very simple, all you need is azuki beans, sugar, and salt. You can find azuki beans in Japanese grocery stores, Asian grocery stores, health food stores, or Amazon.
The amount of sugar that goes into this recipe is a lot (but it’s usually for the filling, and the rest of sweet is not sweet – like mochi). But I’d say it is less sweeter than the store-bought Anko. Although it’s not too sweet, I would not consider it as a healthy food because of how much sugar it contains. So please adjust the amount of sugar to your liking, based on the type of sweets you’re making.
Why do we put salt? Instead of adding more sugar, a pinch of salt can actually enhance the sweetness even more without making it salty.
Chunky or Fine Red Bean Paste
If you’re familiar with Japanese sweets, red bean paste generally comes in two types of texture: chunky and fine. The chunky red bean paste is called Tsubuan (粒あん) and the red bean paste with a fine smooth texture is Koshian (こしあん).
Koshian is used more often as filling but it’s really up to your preference. Traditionally, to make the smooth silky fine texture, cooked and sweetened azuki bean mixture is pressed into fine mesh sieve to separate the bean skins.
To save time, I use a food processor or blender to skip the tedious process (my mom may not agree with me…). It might not be as silky and smooth, but I think it’s pretty good for the amount of time I spend in the kitchen to make Koshian.
Making Anko in a pressure cooker is super easy and simple and cut down on cooking time. The best part though is that homemade Anko tastes SO GOOOOOD!
How to Make White Bean Paste (Shiroan)
White Bean Paste or Shiroan is commonly used as a filling for wagashi (Japanese confectionery) such as mochi and manju.
The paste has a milder bean taste, so it makes a great alternative to red bean paste!
Japanese Ingredient Substitution: If you want to look for substitutes for Japanese condiments and ingredients, click here.
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Delicious and easy Anko (red bean paste) recipe prepared in a pressure cooker with a few easy steps. Use it as a filling in your favorite Japanese sweets and desserts!
- 300 g azuki beans (1 ½ cup; if you're using a bag of 250 g, see Notes)
- 1200 ml water (5 cups; see Notes)
- 240-300 g sugar (1 ¼ cup - 1½ cup; see Notes)
- pinch kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)
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Gather all the ingredients.
- Put the 300 g (1 ½ cup) azuki beans in a strainer and place it inside a large bowl. Rinse the azuki beans in running water until water is clear. Discard any pieces that are floating. Drain water.
- Transfer the beans to the Instant Pot and add 1200 ml (5 cups) of water to your pressure cooker.
- Cover and lock the lid of your pressure cooker. If you’re using an Instant Pot, turn it on and press the “Bean/Chili” button. Press the “minus” button to decrease the cooking time from the default 35-minute cooking time to 25 minutes.
- Before you walk away, make sure the steam release handle points at “sealing” and not “venting”.
- If you’re using a stove-top pressure cooker, cook on high heat until high pressure is reached. Then reduce the heat to low to maintain the pressure for about 20 minutes.
- When it’s done cooking, the Instant Pot will switch automatically to “Keep Warm” mode. Let the pressure slowly release by itself for 15-20 minutes. If you are using a stove-top pressure cooker, remove the pot from the heat, and let the pressure release naturally. Before opening the lid, turn the steam release handle to vent and release any leftover pressure.
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Scoop the foam on the surface and discard (if you prefer the more refined taste). Pick one bean and mash it with your fingers. If it is mashed easily, it's done.
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Then drain the azuki beans through a fine sieve. If you're making Oshiruko (Zenzai) or red bean soup, don't drain and continue the next step with the cooking liquid remaining in the pot.
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Put the azuki beans back in the Instant Pot and add the sugar. Press the “Saute” button and select "Low" option.
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Let the sugar dissolved completely, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. Choose the following options: 1) Fine texture, 2) coarse texture, and 3) red bean soup.
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Continue cooking until you can draw a line in the azuki bean mixture with the wooden spatula and see the bottom of the pot for 1 second (see Note). Then turn off the Instant Pot and take out the inner bowl from the Instant Pot and let the mixture cool for 5-10 minutes (See Notes). The mixture will thicken more as it cools down.
- Transfer the warm azuki beans into the food processor or blender. I use a 14 cup food processor so the mixture will all fit at once; otherwise blend in 2-3 smaller batches. If you prefer “proper” method, use a very fine mesh strainer and press the mixture with the wooden spoon. The azuki bean skins will be separated and you will get more refined koshian.
- Run the food processor or blender until the mixture becomes smooth texture. If it’s too soft, don’t worry. It will dehydrate and become even more thicken till the paste is completely cooled.
- Transfer to an airtight container. When it’s cooled and thickened more, it’s ready to use. If you don’t use it right away, cover and store in the fridge for 1 week and in the freezer for up to 2 months.
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I recommend dividing into 100 grams of anko paste in individual plastic wraps and put them in a big freezer bag for storage.
- Continue cooking until you draw a line in the azuki bean mixture with the wooden spatula and see the bottom of the pot for 2 second. Then turn off the Instant Pot and transfer the mixture to a baking sheet (or flat rimmed plate) to let it cool.
- When it’s cooled and thickened more, it’s ready to use. If you don’t use it right away, transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 1 week and in the freezer for up to a month. I also recommend diving into 100 grams of anko paste in each plastic wrap and put it in a big freezer bag.
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If you like the soup without chunky beans, you can mash them with a potato masher or a hand blender. I mash the beans but keep some unmashed for a texture. Serve hot over a toasted mochi in the bowl (See here).
The ratio of azuki beans to water is 1:4 (300 grams azuki beans = 1200 grams/ml water). If you're using a bag of 250 g azuki beans, use 1000 ml water to cook and add 200-250 g sugar.
To make Tsubuan (chunky), you will need about 80% of sugar compared to Koshian (300 grams azuki beans : 240 grams sugar).
To make Koshian (fine), you will need the same weight of sugar and azuki beans (300 grams azuki beans : 300 grams sugar). You will stop cooking the azuki beans earlier than when you cook for Tsubuan (coaster red bean paste), this is because you will need some liquid in order to properly mix the azuki beans with the food processor.
If you put hot liquid in the food processor or blender, as it purees, the liquid may start coming out the edges of the food processor or the built up steam can actually blow the lid off the blender. To prevent this from happening, it’s best to let the liquid cool for a few minutes before pureeing, fill the food processor or blender up only half way, work in batches and hold a towel over the lid when pureeing.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
Thank you for this great recipe! Last week I saw ‘An’ by Naomi Kawase, have you seen it? I warmly recommend this movie, not just because of the beans och the japanese culinary art in it, it’s really a beautiful movie.
I’m wondering now if cooking the anko would work with a (pressure) rice cooker, which cook mode would I have to use?
Hi Genus! Thanks for introducing this movie “An”!
(for those who want to know: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_Red_Bean_Paste)
I didn’t know about this director or the movie. It’s interesting! I’ll have to put it in my Netflix que!
Does your pressure rice cooker works like pressure cooker? I’m not familiar with that rice cooker (sounds cool!), so I can’t tell… you basically need pressure cooker function. 🙂
I don´t know if I can write here on your blogg what brand of rice cooker it is but it uses pressure to cook the rice for sure, and it has different cook modes, for rice it would be glutinous, turbo, brown, sushi, porridge, mixed, nutritious, then it also has multigrain, cake, dough fermentation, and it also has a multicook mode – this one I guess would be the pressure cooker mode?
Maybe I just have to try this with your recipe and see what it comes out…
You’re free to mention the product name here. 🙂 Instant Pot has rice cooking function too, but I always use my Zojirushi rice cooker (which has sushi, porridge, mixed mode). Sounds like your rice cooker is very fancy! Yeah if it works as a pressure cooker, I’d say why not? But please check the manual just in case. It might say “do not put beans”…. haha. 😀
Ok, if you don’t mind, it’s a rice cooker Cuckoo, yes it’s very fancy and I use it a lot not only for cooking the rice, because of all the other modes that work as good as rice cooking (just rice comes out perfect and I really enjoy trying japanese rice varietes!)
And yes, I’m sure it works using pressure.
I guess I will give it a try and make anko following your recipe!
Thank you Nami, best regards!
Thanks for sharing the brand name Genus! I’m sure other readers appreciate your input on this product as much as I do! Thank you Genus! Hope you enjoy!
Thank you for sharing this. I always love anko but it’s too time consuming to make. Finally i can used my pressure cooker for something I like. It’s quite different from Instant Pot, but I can always try to adjust it.
Thank you Zareena! It’s a great way to use a pressure cooker to cut down on cooking time! 🙂
Do you plan to make kuromame in the Instant Pot? That would save a lot of time as well.
I already have Kuromame recipe on the blog, but you’re right, I should totally make it with the Instant Pot!
This is how I’ve been anko for some time now – I took your stovetop recipe and make it in the pressure cooker instead (as it requires much less effort) and it turns out wonderful! I do advise that you soak the beans overnight and wash them before pressure cooking, if you have the time. This cuts down on time needed to cook even further. Otherwise, perfect! I use this anko for taiyaki and dorayaki, thank you Nami!
Hi Sneha! That’s awesome! I always wanted to get a (stovetop) pressure cooker, but now I finally have an electric one and it’s even better! So happy with the pressure cooker. You’re right about “less effort”. It’s so easy now to make anko! I do soak on the regular method, but I read in online sites that it’s almost same as soaking or non-soaking, so to make it “extreme quick and easy recipe”, I omitted the extra step. I think 25 minute of pressure cooking will do, but if it’s for 15 mins, maybe soaking overnight will help soften the skin. 🙂 Thank you for your tip!!
I was looking into purchasing an Instant Pot & noticed this recall alert online that affects the bluetooth model only:
“Instant Pot SMART-60 recall (purchased before June 1, 2015. IP-DUO, IP-LUX models Not affected)”.
Just wanted to alert everyone out there if you have the SMART model of the instant pot! I am still going to purchase one so I can try the recipes for An and for other things!
Hi Annie! Oohhh thanks for the tip! I really appreciate it! I know a lot of people are looking into this so thank you very much!
Thanks for all your terrific recipes, love them!
Thank you for reading my blog Jacquie! 🙂
I was wondering if a slow cooker could be used to make this instead? Also, if you can only find canned azuki beans, would the process be the same, just shortened?
Hi Dina! Sure, I think you can! Is the canned azuki beans just soaked in water? Are they cooked? I’ve never seen canned azuki beans that are not cooked before, so I wanted to double check…
http://www.amazon.com/Eden-Organic-Aduki-Beans-15-Ounce/dp/B000HDMUOE
These are the ones I have a can of. It doesn’t say if they’re cooked, but they likely are.
Since it’s been soaked, I think you need to cut down on the time – try with 10 mins? Hope it’ll work. Let me know if you try! 🙂
Hello, Nami-san. What I’d like to ask is that, for the Koshian recipe, will it be fine if I lower the amount of sugar from 100% to, like, 60-70%? I have a sweet tooth, but tell myself ought to consume less sugar for better health 🙂 Thanks in advance for responding to my question!
Hi Britney! I totally understand – anko is sweet, especially the premade ones we buy from the store. However, sugar plays very important role in anko making, so don’t reduce too much. The right amount of sugar will keep the anko from hardening, so try from 70%? Let me know how it goes if you try lower sugar amount. 🙂
I have this exact pressure cooker, and I love anko, so I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Hope you enjoy making homemade anko! SO delicious! 🙂
Hi Nami! Is it possible to use a slow cooker to make red bean paste? If so, how? (I have the Crock Pot brand) Thanks!
Hi Asl! I don’t own a crock pot, but yes you can make it with a slow cooker. Check on the bean setting for your crockpot, and once it’s done, make sure the doneness of the beans by pressing the beans between your fingers. If it’s nicely smushed, you’re ready for Step 7. Does the slow cooker has “saute” mode? If not, you will need to cook further in a pot over stove.
The slow cooker has only “Low” and “High” options. It’s ok, I’ll do my best. Anyways, thanks for your advice!
Hi,
I haven’t got a pressure cooker but I have a simple rice cooker instead. But It only has two functions: cook and keep warm. So I was wondering if I could use this to use this cooking method with or if I need to use the stoove top method instead.
Thank you.
Hi Christi! Rice cooker and pressure cooker don’t operate the same, so you can’t replace one another. It requires a longer time to cook azuki beans and rice cooker may not work for cooking azuki beans (can rice cooker can cook for hours?). I recommend my stovetop recipe. 🙂
Hi Nami
Thanks for all your wonderful recipes! My Son really loves Anko and i am hoping to make it at home with less or alternatives to sugar…I was wondering if you’ve tried replacing sugar with any other alternatives like maple syrup or honey? 🙂 thanks
Hi Marilyn! The right amount of sugar in wagashi (Japanese confectionary) is sort of important so don’t reduce too much. The right amount of sugar will keep the anko from hardening, 🙂
If anyone tried this recipe with maple syrup or honey, let us know. 🙂
Hi Nami,
Thanks for the recipe. I have a question though. This method of cooking I assumed you wouldn’t have to soak the beans overnight? B/c I soaked my beans already…..:( so if I use the IP how minutes do you suggest?
Thanks again.
Hi Quyen! No, no soaking involved. I think you can still do the same minutes, or reduce only a few min shorter. 🙂
Thanks for sharing,I was wondering how to store Red Bean Paste?can I put into freezer,and how long can I keep them fresh?Thanks.
Hi JM! I apologize for the late response. I usually keep most of it in the freezer and some in fridge which I’ll finish using in a week. 🙂
Thanks a lot!How long can I put into in freezer ?
Use it within2months. 🙂
Hi, I would really like to try this recipe. I have the beans and I even have the Instant pot! 🙂 I hate when people ask questions like Can I replace this with this…? but it’s my turn this time. I try to avoid sugar. I know sugar is traditional but is there a recipe using let’s say honey?
Hi Zaneta! Haha I know what you mean. Some ingredients can’t be substituted because it plays an important role. And this recipe also falls in that category. Sugar in this recipe is important. Keep the anko smooth and tender instead of rock hard, and it acts as preservative. We often use Mizuame (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mizuame) but that’s really hard to find outside Japan. So…I’d say you’ll need sugar to make this recipe. You can reduce only slightly, but it can’t be a lot due to above reason. Hope this helps!
Aha, that’s what it was that I saw in the movie Sweet bean. I could not figure it out, thanks for clearing the mystery.
Thank you for your response!
Hi Zaneta! Yep, that’s exactly it! I loved that movie… 🙂
Why does the fine anko look so light in color? I think on another anko blog post it looked much darker.
Hi Amy! I used a short-cut method to make koshian (fine anko). Traditionally, you have to use a sieve to remove the skin. Maybe the another blog might use a proper method?
A few things to point out. When the anko cools down completely, the color will be slightly darker than what you see above (I didn’t take the picture).
Usually, after removing from the sieve, you cook the mashed beans and add sugar. During that time, color will get darker. We call this process “neru 練る”. In my short cut recipe, I added sugar, pureed, and finished the process. Adding sugar will turn the color of anko.
What else… in general, koshian’s color is lighter, but I agree mine can be lighter than store bought one too. The images of my koshian is edited so it’s not 100% true color, but definitely lighter than tsubuan (coarse).
Hope this helps!
Gotcha. I’m sure the cooking with sugar part adds some caramelisation. Also, do you ever try making this with brown sugar? I usually use Mexican raw cane syrup (those brown cones called panela/pilloncillo).
Hi Amy! No, but I bet they are much healthier. 🙂
Luckily I recently got a pressure cooker to review. Also, I found that our local Whole Foods has the azuki beans, so I won’t have to wait until we make a run to Mitsuwa Marketplace (about 75 minutes drive one way). I love red bean paste. I make taiyaki, although my pan is getting pretty old and the batter is starting to stick. I’ll have to try making my own red bean paste for my taiyaki. I’m sure it’ll be better than the prepackaged stuff.
Hi Linda! Oh yes, packaged one is MUCH sweeter although it’s convenient. Hope you enjoy making your own taiyaki with homemade red bean paste! 🙂
Do you have one that doesnt require a pressure cooker?
Hi Lori! Yes it’s here: https://www.justonecookbook.com/how_to/how-to-make-anko-red-bean-paste/
Thanks for the great recipe! I’ve made it once before and liked it. Just one question–do you keep the cooking time on the Instant Pot the same with different portions? How does cooking time scale with the amount of red beans?
I believe it takes more time to get to pressure (as well as natural release) when there is more liquid in the pot. The cooking time you specify should be the same. 🙂 The cooking time will not be double but increase by little.
Do you need to soak the beans overnight for the pressure cooking method?
Hi Jason! I’ve tried it both, and for pressure cooker recipe, I decided to skip that method (to save even time) and it turned out great without soaking. 🙂
So, is there a reason you don’t pre boil these?
Hi Amy! This pressure cooker recipe lacks the delicate process, it’s more like “short cut” version to make it more accessible for people who don’t have time to make it traditional way. 🙂
Hi Nami,
I am looking for a recipe for shiro-an. Do you have any plans to post one or do you have any recommendations for a tried and true recipe? There are so many out there but your pressure cooker anko is perfect so I’ll take your word over others. Thank you!
Hi Rumi! I have never tried making shiro an recipe. Sorry I can’t recommend any recipe. What are you making with shiro an? So far I haven’t made anything that requires shiro an (and I would choose anko over shiro an if there were choices). 🙂 Maybe one day I’ll test recipes and definitely add to my recipe collection. Thank you for your request!
My Mom used to make square まんじゅう on the teppan when we were kids. We didn’t like anko when we were small (we ate the outside “crust” and left the anko) so she used to do half and half: Anko for her, shiro an for us kids. I was thinking of making them but find myself spoiled with your speedy anko recipe. 🙂
Ah I see! I’m going to work on まんじゅう recipe too…but thinking of anko inside (that’s what I like). Shiro an is not my favorite thing (how funny we are opposite!). 🙂 For Shiro An, I need Shiro Ingen 白いんげん (white beans)… wonder what’s equivalent in the US…
I’ve “matured” enough to enjoy anko but I thought I’d try recreating this treat for the rest of the family firmly in the dislike camp. Lol.
I’ll ask my Mom what type of beans she used to use and let you know if you’re interested. 🙂
Haha! My kids didn’t like anko until they started to watch Doraemon and they wanted to eat Dorayaki (that they didn’t like before because of Anko). 🙂
Sure! No hurry, and if it’s not troublesome, yes I’d love to know. 🙂
Hi Nami. Mom says she uses Lima beans (regular or jumbo) or great northern beans for her shiroan.
Hi Rumi! Thank you so much for letting me know. Lima beans or great northern beans (never heard of it till now). Please thank your mom for me! xoxo
Hi! I’ve been meaning to make homemade red bean paste since like a year ago. Azuki beans aren’t very easy to find here, but now since i’ve got it on hand, no need to wait further more to make this sweet dessert filling ????. My question is, can i make it with slow cooker instead of pressure cooker? Do i still have to soak the beans for hours to get rid of the pesticides/impurities? Thanks in advance ????
Hi Laksmi! Yeah I’d soak. It doesn’t hurt, and I heard you can cook in a slow cooker but I’ve never tried it before….
Hi Nami, I resisted buying an instant pot for a year since I already had 2 slow cookers. I finally took the plunge and bought one and now I can’t imagine cooking without one. I have made the red bean paste several times with the instant pot and the beans are so soft. I have made beef stew, beef short ribs. All beans work well. I tried quinoa and it came out mushy so it is trial and error sometimes. The instant pot is well worth it. Thanks for your recipe.
Hi Darlene! Hahaha! You sound like me. I refused to buy a slow cooker or pressure cooker for the same reason! When I was offered an Instant Pot by the company (for free), I was still reluctant too because this is a giant tool to store (and I want to hide everything in my cabinets). I agree, I can’t live without one now too!
Thank you for your kind feedback on IP! So happy you tried so many recipes, including anko too. So easy to make homemade anko now. 🙂
I just made Anko for the first time, using this process! But, because I’m off white sugar, I used raw honey (3/4 c + 1/2 tsp baking soda is the exact substitution I used). It’s fantastic! Can’t wait to whip up some sesame balls and squeeze it in! Thank you!
Hi Abby! I’m happy to hear your anko came out well and thanks so much for sharing non-sugar option! Hope you enjoy homemade anko! 🙂
What would the recipe for azuki beans for zenzai (using the Instant Pot?)
Hi Elaine! I don’t have the recipe for zenzai using an instant pot. But from making anko with instant pot, zenzai is just one step further. Hope this is a good guide to make zenzai: https://www.justonecookbook.com/zenzai-red-bean-soup/
Third time trying out this recipe. Really love it! Thank you.
To save even more time, I usually don’t transfer the beans to a food processor – I simply use a hand blender to refine the mixture in the pressure cooker itself.
Hi Sonia! So happy you liked this recipe! Yeah immersion blender is perfect! One less thing to clean. 🙂 Thank you for your kind feedback. xo
Thanks for the Instant Pot anko recipe, it’s just what I was looking for! I’ve never made anko, but have been eating it in an-pan my whole life and am delighted to learn I can make some up and try my hand at a dorayaki.
I got inspired watching “An” (English title “Sweet Bean”), which is a lovely little film if you haven’t seen it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4298958/
There’s another ingredient shown in the making of the anko in the film, which isn’t named, and I’ve not seen in any recipes. It’s a clear, gelatinous stuff that Tokue, the anko master in the film, scoops into the combined bean/sugar mix partway through.
Any idea what that might have been? Now I’m just curious to learn more, and whether there’s a traditional ingredient that’s been left out along the way. Since the central conceit of An is that this old woman has mastered the best anko ever, and much care and detail go into showing her teach Sentaro how to prepare it, it doesn’t seem like something they would have just made up.
Ah, hadn’t seen all the other comments, I see I’m not the first to mention An. I’ll look through them to see if my question has been covered.
Hi Allen! I’ve watched An and that was a great movie (and cried a lot). The ingredient you’re talking about is called Mizuame 水飴 – it’s basically candy. In a Japanese grocery store, you can purchase in a jar (about 1.5 cups). I didn’t want to use it because most people can’t get it and it’s not something we make from scratch at home (too much work/time consuming)… but if you can find it, do use it instead of sugar. It is said that mizuame adds shine to the anko. Some people say you can do it with regular sugar, too.
Hope I answered your question. 🙂
Namiko san, reading the anko recipes and reminded again of how much Japanese culture you share with your readers, even in the explanation of a recipe! With all your daily responsibilities all of us are grateful to you and your kazoku for the knowledge you share. We feel fortunate to have you as our Sensei. By the way, my wish was granted and I won a copy of the decorative sushi book, so hoonto ni doomo arigatoo gozaimashita.
mike
toyoshimafamilysushi
Hi Mike and Steven! Oh you won the book! Congratulations!!! Sorry I didn’t realize it was you (and I recognize your name from our previous conversation). I’m so happy for you! I remember you are also a sushi chef or have a restaurant?? So happy to hear that. And thank you for your sweet words. I’m the fortunate one as I get to cook with so many people in the world! Thank you for your incredible support! Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Okay…I’ve studied how to make tsubuan. Now, I would like a recipe for ohagi/bota mochi. I have fond memories of my mom’s homemade bota mochi (Hiroshima raised) during Spring Ohigan. Any suggestions?
Hi Elaine! It’s been on my list for a while… I’m not a big fan of Ohagi which is why I’ve been postponing to make it… 😀 But I’ll share it someday soon!
Thank you for the recipe, Nami. Just made this and it was very easy and delicious. I used 1/2 sugar by weight to beans and found it sweet enough for me but other than that followed the recipe to the letter. Thank you again!!!
Hi Alex! Thank you so much for your feedback, and I’m glad 1/2 sugar
worked for you. Thank you!
Made my first Anko yesterday. I love Tsubu-an. Thanks for the detailed receipe.
Hi Jenny! Hope yours came out well. Thank you so much for your kind feedback. 🙂
Excellent, I made Koshian style and used 1 3/4 C dry bean, 5 1/4 C Water in pressure cooker. Drained off most water and hand pressed thru sieve with potato masher. Then cooked bean paste on stovetop with 1 C sugar and pinch of pink salt.
Hi Mrs. Chiu! Wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing your tip! 🙂
Hi Nami!
I wanted to let you know I made Koshian Red Bean paste using your recipe for the Instant Pot and it turned out fantastic! I had tried an earlier recipe by using the microwave and my beans got burnt unfortunately. But this was fantastic and it didn’t take too long. I just wanted to say thank you for sharing it 🙂
Hi Savindi! I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the koshian recipe and thank you so much for your kind feedback! xo
Hi there! I also use the pressure cooker, but I rarely do the fine one. I did it recently to make yanggaeng, the Korean version of yokan.
I actually do a hybrid between blending and sieving… I don’t want to lose all the good fibre in the skins, so I puree in the pot with a stick mixer… then I sieve it with more water to get the largest and toughest pieces of skin out. This gives you a ‘speckled’ result in the jelly which I think is quite attractive. And it’s plenty easy to strain it into a cloth, afterward – it’s smooth enough.
I usually use the chunky anko, for daifuku mochi, or pretty much anything else.
Hi Gloria! Ohhh! I didn’t know Korean has a desert similar to Yokan! Thank you for sharing your tip with us! I love the chunky kind of red bean paste so I rarely made koshian. One day I’ll try to make more “proper” method (but time consuming)… but I am all for shortcut for my own… so thanks for your tip! 😀
Oh Nami! I FINALLY made the IP Tsubushi-an and it came out perfectly! After buying Yude An in the store (for ujikintoki) I decided it’s time to make my own and I’m glad I did! Your step by step recipe is the best and I’ll definitely be making it again! And I did see the movie “An” when it was on Netflix and thoroughly enjoyed it, too.
Hi Donna! Wonderful! I’m so happy to hear you liked making anko in IP! It’s easy and anko comes out pretty well. I cried so much when I watched An… it was such a great movie!
Is it possible to only use honey (or maple syrup or date sugar) to make the red bean paste and Dorayaki?
Thanks.
Hi Diana! I’ve never done it. Honey is easily burnt, so I’m not sure if it is a good sweetener to cook the beans. And for Dorayaki, the eggs mixture need to become fluffy and I think granulated sugar is important. You “can” probably use it but I’m not sure if the outcome is good. If you end up trying let me know how it goes! 🙂
Do you have a recipe for Lima bean paste?
Hi Jolene! I do, and it’s been on my list for a long time… I’ll try to work on shooting soon. Thank you for your request!
Hello, I found you not too long ago and just fell in love with your recipes and videos! I love anko, def making this with my Instant Pot. Do you think I can freeze the anko, and if so how would you recommend doing so? Thank you in advance!
Hi Yumi! Welcome to JOC! 🙂 Yes, I always freeze anko. You can either put in an airtight container and freeze (if you plan to use it at once – otherwise you end up defrosting entire batch), or you can divide into small portions. In winter when I enjoy zenzai (oshiruko), I usually keep small pack just enough for one bowl of zenzai so I can defrost and enjoy my red bean soup. 🙂
Made both versions today, after halving the recipe. On my first try, the beans didn’t cook well during the 20 minutes timeframe, but that was due to me not realising the pressure cooker hadn’t reached full pressure yet. On the second attempt I paid better attention to this matter, and 20 minutes was indeed a nice amount of time for cooking the beans. They came out nice and soft. I left the pressure cooker closed for another 10 minutes to release its pressure and cool down a bit, and after draining proceeded to make koshian. This turned out delicious. Once I had cleaned my utensils I took what I had learned and made the tsubuan as well. The tsubuan is a tad less sweet than the koshian, but I feel like I like it better that way.
For both I’ve noticed that the final amount obtained is – when starting with 150 grams of adzuki beans – nearing the 500 grams (466 grams to be exact), despite the extra water evaporation expected with the tsubuan. The taste of both versions is very similar to what I’ve tasted in the stores, and I can’t wait to bake with them. For now, however, they are lying nicely portioned in the freezer. I have very much enjoyed my afternoon getting to know the behaviour of the beans.
The only thing I am now wondering is the following: can you use the water in which the beans have been cooked for other meals, or is it better to not do so – despite the proper rinsing under running water before the cooking process?
Hi Arthemise! Thank you so much for your detailed feedback! First of all, I’m really happy that you enjoyed making both Tsubuan and Koshian! I will be anko heaven! 🙂 Yes, you can drink the cooking water or use it for cooking rice or using for other cooking if you want to. It has some nutrients in there. 🙂
I don’t have a pressure cooker so how can I cook this do I just follow the same recipe in the stove pot? If I don’t like it too sweet what is the amount of sugar for less sweet?
Hi El, yes you can do that and the recipe is here: https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-anko-red-bean-paste/
You can adjust the amount of sugar. 🙂
Making this tonight! I have to make several dozen cookies for an event this weekend and using red bean paste in the place of jam in traditional thumbprint cookies was a big hit last year. I like the idea of controlling the amount of sugar and the texture to get just what I want. Thank you for the pressure cooker method!
Hi Tammy! I’m so sorry for my late response. Hope the event was successful with your delicious cookies! 🙂
I do not have IP with a bean button. I have LUX. How to do?
Hi Jo! Please use high pressure for 25 minutes. 🙂
Hi Nami! I love this recipe just made it and it turned out great! I was just wondering if I want to do double the amount 500g of azuki beans do I have to cook it in the pressure cooker for longer?
Hi Yui! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe! It takes more time to pressurize (before the actual cooking starts) but the cooking time should be the same. Let me know how it goes!
I’m so glad that you have created an anko recipe for the pressure cooker–I bought an Instant Pot this spring and have been experimenting with it. I will be making dorayaki as a substitute for the imagawayaki that I so look forward to at our San Jose Obon festival which, of course, has been moved to a virtual platform this year. Have beans, will make anko!
Hi J! I’m sorry to hear the Obon festival was canceled. 🙁 Hope you enjoy making anko and dorayaki at home!
I just made this with my instant pot and I thank you for the recipe! One thing I do want to add is that mine had way too much liquid after cooking so I will probably use abit less water next time.
Hi Monica! Thank you for trying this recipe! Did you drain the cooking liquid for your anko (red bean paste) before adding sugar? Or… were you making the red bean soup?
Nami,
I sent you an e-mail about the azuki beans being over a year old still being hard after boiling in the pressure cooker on high pressure. I simmered the beans another 40 minutes. After doing so, they were still a little crunchy yet, so I added some water and used my emultion blender and blended the beans until a thick paste developed. I poured the paste into my fine mesh sieve and used bamboo shamoji to pressure the anko through. The paste was smooth so I added the sugar and simmered it for 25 minutes to reduce the leftover water and than added the salt. After simmering another 20 minutes, I developed anko that was not dry, but it held it shape. It has become more manageable after refrigerating for 8 hours.
I wanted to follow-up and let you know how I remedied the issue. Now it is time to get the mochiko out and start making manju.
Take care.
Tim Inouye, California, USA
Hi Tim! Thank you so much for your feedback. I have responded to your email on this, but hopefully, newer Azuki beans will solve this particular issue. Good luck with making manju/daifuku! 🙂
The tsubu-an turned out amazing!
The recipe is really simple and easy to follow
Hi Koyo! I’m so glad to hear that yours came out well. Thank you so much for your kind feedback. 🙂
Thank you, this is totally appreciated. I’m nowhere near a Japanese market and mochi and daifuku costs a fortune to ship, not to mention it may spoil during transit. This new year I’m going to use my instapot and kitchen aid to make mochi! I wonder if you have tried making mochi with Zojirushi 2lb bread machines that are sold in USA –you know they dont’ come with the handy mochi function that are in Japanese versions…..
Hi Lili,
Thank you very much for your kind feedback!
We hope you enjoy homemade mochi with Anko, making Ozoni, etc.!
As for questions about Zojirushi bread machines, the one has a function to make mochi is work well and makes tasty Mochi, but we have never tried them without the function before.