Separate the boiled red beans into two equal portions, about 1.5 cups each.Save the water used to boil the red beans. There should be about 3 cups of boiled, soft red beans. If after 40 minutes, there is still quite a lot of water, remove the lid and raise the heat to medium and cook for another 10 minutes. When the water boils (about 10 minutes), cover the lid and lower the heat to low and simmer for at least 40 minutes to soften the red beans.

Add about 3 cups of water to the sauce pan so the water level is at least 1 to 2 inches above the red beans (the amount of water does not need to be precise).

When the red beans are done soaking, rinse them a few times and put them in a medium sauce pan.

The water level should be at least 1 inch (2.5cm) above the red beans.

Soak the 1 cup of red beans in water overnight or for at least 8 hours (soaking makes the red beans easier to cook and also saves time and energy).

2 tablespoons + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.

Servings: makes about 3 cups combined red bean paste Ingredients: Preparation Time: overnight or 8 hours soaking time The sweetness becomes more noticeable after cooling. You can also reduce or increase the amount of sugar that the recipe calls for. Once the red beans become soft from cooking, it only takes minutes to make the final product. Soaking the beans makes it much easier to cook and also saves cooking time and energy. This recipe does have a long preparation time because the red beans need to be soaked ahead of time. For those that have tried it before, you know that the taste is much better than the appearance! My husband says red bean paste does not look very photogenic, so I apologize in advance. I will cover a few desserts using red bean paste in the coming weeks. Today’s recipe covers both coarse and fine red bean paste, which you can choose from depending on the occasion and personally preference.

Although you can buy fine red bean paste from Asian grocery stores, the coarse kind is not that easy to find. Homemade red bean paste is actually super easy to make. Red bean paste is used extensively in Asian desserts. Red Bean Paste (Two Ways) (红豆沙 Hong Dou Sha) Preparation: 8 hours | Cook: 1 hours 4 ingredients dessert

Bean paste