Anpan (Japanese Red Bean Filled Buns)
Red bean paste is something that not everyone likes, but if you follow this recipe for Anpan, it might just become your favorite filling for anything. Just to say, if you do not like this paste at all, then you may just replace it with something else that you prefer more, like chocolate!
I give credit where credit is due:
Red Bean Paste : https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/238507/anko-sweet-red-bean-paste/
Ingredients
1 cup red beans
4 cups water
1 or 1 1/2 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
225g flour
25g cake flour
50g sugar
4g salt
3g yeast
1 egg
50ml almond or normal milk
50ml water
35g unsalted butter cut into pieces
1 egg for eggwash
Directions
First, you need to make the red bean paste filling. (Just skip this part if you will use an alternative). In a large pot with a lid, place beans and pour 2 cups of water over them. Cook/boil for about 5 minutes on medium high heat. Drain water, add another 2 cups of clean water. Then bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and cover with the lid. Cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours (or until you can squish the beans between your fingers) and add water if the beans are not covered throughout the cooking. Afterwards, drain the water, making sure that you don't spill any beans in the sink : ^). Well now, here I forgot to follow the instructions and just mixed the sugar with the beans with a hand blender. Instead, you should do as the recipe says and place the beans over medium high heat and blend the sugar with the beans until it forms a smooth/shiny paste (10ish minutes). Transfer to a container with a lid, or cover with plastic wrap, and place in fridge.
Alright, the hardest part.
Just a side note, for the cake flour, I used an alternative that was made of 1/4 cup flour - 1/2 tbsp flour + 1/2 tbsp cornstarch. Don't worry about the accuracy that much.
Anyhow, in a large bowl put the flour, cake flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Separately beat one egg and add it to the dry ingredients along with the room temperature milk and water. Start mixing the ingredients together with your fingers until a dough is formed. On a floured surface, mix the dough for about 5 sweat infused minutes (really work it!). Next, stretch the dough and place the butter in the middle. Stretch the dough over the butter (So that it is inside) and knead. A bench scraper would be very helpful right now. Mix until smooth and elastic and passes the "window pane" test, where the dough does not rip when a part of it is stretched into a window ish shape. Rise for 1-2 hours in a bowl covered with plastic wrap. Once the dough has doubled in size, fold once more and make your balls. Set the ready ones under a plastic wrap to prevent drying while you let them rise for 15 minutes. Then take one of your balls and knead it a few times before you flatten it into a disc, Scoop two tablespoons of your filling and close the dough around it while hiding the part where you pinched the ball shut underneath. Place finished buns under plastic wrap on a parchment lined pan. Repeat. Let all the buns rise again for 30 minutes in a warm place. Preheat your oven right before you begin on the buns again to 400f. In a separate bowl, mix egg and 2 tbsp water to make egg wash. Brush your buns with it and bake for 13-15 minutes or until they have a nice brown color and are fully cooked, please. Eat!!!
Miso Soup
Easy, simple, fast, and delicious.
Ingredients
2 teaspoons or one packet of dashi granules (Depending on brand you buy)
4 cups water
3 tbsp miso paste
1 package or 8 oz tofu diced (I used soft)
Sliced green onions
Wakame (dried seaweed)
Directions
In a pot, pour water and mix with dashi until dissolved. Bring to a boil on medium high heat. Reduce to medium. In a little separate bowl, put miso paste in, and add a ladle of water. Mix them together and then mix it into the water. Stir in tofu. green onions, and wakame. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and then server warm. Or cold, if you are that type of person.
Dorayaki
Now you can use the left over red bean paste.
Ingredients
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp honey
3/4 cup almond milk (or normal milk you cows)
Directions
In a bowl, combine flour and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs, sugar, honey, and milk until it is all combined. Put the dry ingredients into the wet and mix until the mixture is just combined and thick. Do not over mix. Heat a pan on medium high and oil it, wiping excess oil with a paper towel. Scoop a few dollops of mixture on the pan and cook until the bottom of the dorayaki is brown/cooked, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook for 1 more minute. On a plate lined with paper towel, place the dorayaki. Once you have finished with them all, scoop a generous amount of red bean paste in the middle of the doryaki and sandwich it. Wrap them in plastic wrap to keep from drying out.
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| Well now, don't say it is burnt, say it is pleasantly toasted. : ^) I am really bad with frying things, so I messed up many times on the cooking and heat of the pan until I could finally get it somewhat right. |
I made chocolate strawberries for my mom since she had a birthday recently. I just melted chocolate and dipped. Too bad they did not last very long...
