Adzuki Beans

Ingredient

What it is

Small, oval, deep reddish-brown beans with a thin white seam (the hilum). Sometimes spelled azuki or aduki.

How it's made

Dried; soaked and simmered, then most famously cooked with sugar and mashed into anko (sweet red bean paste).

Flavor profile

Sweet, nutty, with a mild, almost chestnutty flavor and a fine, smooth texture that purées exceptionally well — which is why they're the dessert bean of East Asia.

Culinary uses

The sweet red bean of Japanese, Chinese, and Korean confectionery. Cooked with sugar into anko (smooth koshian or chunky tsubuan), they fill mochi, dorayaki, taiyaki, manju, and anpan, top shaved ice (kakigōri, patbingsu), and flavor red bean soup (shiruko) and ice cream. The Japanese New Year and celebratory dish sekihan (red rice) is made with adzuki, which tint the rice festive red. Savory uses exist but the sweet ones dominate.

Regional variations

Japan: anko in countless wagashi sweets, plus sekihan. China: red bean paste buns and soups; the bean is also tied to certain festivals. Korea: patjuk (red bean porridge) eaten at the winter solstice.

Cultural & historical context

Adzuki have been cultivated in East Asia for thousands of years. The red color carries auspicious and protective symbolism, which is why red bean dishes appear at New Year, birthdays, and solstice — food and folk belief intertwined.

Reference notes

Tags: legume, adzuki/red bean, Dried, Whole, Vegetarian, Vegan, dessert-use
Related ingredients: sugar, mochi/glutinous rice, matcha, sesame
Related cuisines: Japanese, Chinese, Korean
Suggested links: Cuisinopedia → Anko (paste), Mochi, Sekihan, Patjuk (dishes)

Cuisines

Chinese Japanese Korean