Japanese cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Zenzai (Sweet Red Bean Soup)

A thick soup of tender-cooked azuki beans with grilled mochi that soften in the hot broth.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 250g azuki beans (dried)
• 1.5L water
• 150g sugar
• 30g brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 8 pieces mochi (kirimochi)

Instructions

1. Pick over the azuki beans, wash thoroughly and soak overnight in plenty of cold water; drain the next day.
2. Cover the beans with fresh water, bring to a boil once, drain off the cooking water completely and cover again with 1.5L water – this removes the bitterness.
3. Simmer covered over gentle heat for 60–70 minutes, until the beans mash easily between two fingers; top up with hot water if needed.
4. Stir in the sugar and brown sugar in two batches and simmer uncovered for another 15 minutes, until the soup flows off the spoon like thin jam.
5. Mash a third of the beans against the side of the pot and season with the salt – it noticeably heightens the sweetness and rounds out the soup.
6. Toast the mochi in the oven or a grill pan for 5–6 minutes, until they puff up and form golden bubbles, place in deep bowls and pour the hot bean soup over them.