Zenzai (Sweet Red Bean Soup) – Lightly Sweetened

Name: Zenzai (Sweet Red Bean Soup) – Lightly Sweetened
Yield: Makes an easy-to-handle amount
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 10.5 oz adzuki beans (300g); 1 1/4 cups sugar (about 8.8 oz or 250g; use light brown sugar if available); 1/4 teaspoon natural salt; 8 small pieces mochi (rice cakes)

けゆあ @keyua

This is a refined zenzai with a delicate sweetness that soaks into each adzuki bean.
Recipe background: My child suddenly said they wanted to eat zenzai, so I made this.

けゆあ @keyua

This is a refined zenzai with a delicate sweetness that soaks into each adzuki bean.
Recipe background: My child suddenly said they wanted to eat zenzai, so I made this.

Saved

Ingredients

Makes an easy-to-handle amount

10.5 ozadzuki beans (300g)
1 1/4 cupssugar (about 8.8 oz or 250g; use light brown sugar if available)
1/4 teaspoonnatural salt
8small pieces mochi (rice cakes)

Saved

Steps

1

Remove the bitterness from the adzuki beans: Place the beans (no need to soak) and enough water to just cover them in a pot. Bring to a boil, then drain the water. Repeat this process 1–2 more times.
2

Soften the adzuki beans: Add about three times as much water as beans. Simmer over low heat until the beans are tender.
3

Sweeten the beans: Once the beans are soft, adjust the amount of cooking liquid to your preference. Add the sugar in 2–3 batches, simmering over low heat for a while after each addition.
4

If possible, let the soup sit overnight. Before serving, adjust the flavor with salt. Top with toasted mochi and enjoy!
5

For the 2009 version, I used coarse sugar (granulated sugar). It gave a clean, light sweetness. I added it all at once and let it dissolve over low heat without stirring.