Japanese Food Tips

Many Japanese sweets use anko (sweetened bean paste), especially anko made from red beans, which is by far the most common. It seems that there are many Japanese people who eat anko sweets on a daily basis. Anko is quite sweet when eaten by itself, so it is usually wrapped in dough, placed on dumplings, or served with shaved ice. Major Japanese sweets made with anko include manju, yokan, daifuku mochi, anmitsu, oshiruko, zenzai, sakura mochi, ohagi, kusa mochi, dorayaki, and Uji-kintoki shaved ice. Anko takes a lot of time and effort, so it is unlikely to be made at home. The most popular anko is made from red beans, sugar and water, and there are two main types: koshi-an (smooth sweetened bean paste) and tsubu-an (mashed sweetened bean paste). Koshi-an is made by kneading cooked adzuki beans, removing the outer skins, and adding sugar. Tsubu-an is made by mashing cooked adzuki beans and kneading them with sugar, without removing the skins. Other than anko made from adzuki beans, there is white bean paste made from white kidney beans, and green bean paste made from soybeans. If you are interested in anko, why not seek out the many stores in Japan that have products made with it?