Anko is a sweet red bean paste that's used to hold together pastries, cakes, and other desserts that come from Japan. Store cooled anko in a covered container in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- red beans: 1 cup (dried)
- ½ cups white sugar: 1 piece
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Gather all ingredients. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Place beans in a saucepan and cover with 2 cups water; bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Drain beans and transfer to a clean saucepan. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Cover with 2 to 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, adding more water as needed, until beans are soft and can be crushed between your fingers, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Drain beans and return to the saucepan. Add sugar and set over medium-high heat. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar melts and beans form a loose, shiny paste, about 10 minutes. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
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Immediately transfer paste to a container to cool. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios
