Sweet Red Bean Baozi

豆沙包

Sweet Red Bean Baozi — a Dessert Chinese recipe made with adzuki beans, ready in about 120 minutes. Step-by-step instructions with photos.

Ingredients

• adzuki beans
• granulated sugar
• neutral oil (e.g., grapeseed or canola)
• all-purpose flour
• active dry yeast

Instructions

1. Soak beans: Rinse adzuki beans, cover with 600 ml cold water. Soak 8 hours or overnight.
2. Cook beans: Drain, then simmer in fresh water (1:3 ratio) with 10 g sugar for 2 hours until very soft. Skim foam; add more hot water if needed to keep covered.
3. Strain and mash: Press cooked beans through fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth into bowl. Discard skins. Mash smooth with wooden spoon. (Paste is uniform, deep burgundy, and free of specks)
4. Cook bean paste: Transfer paste to nonstick pan. Add sugar and oil. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until thick, glossy, and pulls away from pan—about 15 minutes.
5. Cool and portion: Spread paste on parchment-lined tray. Cool completely (1 hour). Portion into 35 g balls. Cover with damp cloth.
6. Assemble and steam: Use same dough as other baozi. Wrap 35 g bean paste in 75 g dough. Pleat 18 times. Steam 10 minutes on high heat. Rest 3 minutes before serving.