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Recipe Highlights
Zenzai (Candy Crimson Bean Soup with Mochi) brings again so many cozy childhood recollections for me. The marginally candy azuki beans and toasted, chewy mochi warmed me from the within out. With fashionable shortcuts, it’s faster and simpler than ever to make at residence.
- Easy and versatile. Make it from scratch with dried azuki beans on the stovetop or in an On the spot Pot, or use ready-made purple bean paste (anko) for a time-saving shortcut.
- Good wintertime consolation. Served sizzling, it gently warms each physique and soul.
- A nostalgic Japanese favourite. I crave it and luxuriate in making all of it 12 months spherical, particularly in my cooler local weather.
In case you love conventional Japanese sweets, attempt my Dorayaki, Daifuku, and Shiratama Dango recipes subsequent!
What’s Zenzai?
Zenzai (ぜんざい) is a conventional Japanese dessert soup made with azuki beans. It’s served sizzling and normally topped with toasted mochi. This beloved winter deal with is loved throughout Japanese New Yr and 12 months spherical. It’s additionally a favourite method to eat mochi on January eleventh for the normal Kagami Biraki (鏡開き) ceremony in Japan.
Some areas or households might name this dish Oshiruko (お汁粉).
Elements for Zenzai (Candy Crimson Bean Soup)
- dried azuki beans or candy purple bean paste (anko) – As my mother is from Osaka, my household makes use of chunky-style anko (tsubuan) for Kansai-style zenzai.
- water
- sugar – skip for store-bought anko
- salt
- kiri mochi (rice cake)
Discover the printable recipe with measurements under.
The way to Make Zenzai (Candy Crimson Bean Soup)
- Prepare dinner the beans. Wash the dried azuki and cook dinner in water till tender, utilizing pot on the range (left photograph) or a stress cooker (proper photograph). You’ll be able to soar to step 3 for retailer purchased.
- Sweeten. Add sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir gently till dissolved.
- Modify the thickness. Add a little bit water to skinny the soup or simmer briefly to cut back, if wanted.
- Toast the mochi and serve. Reduce kirimochi in half or quarters and toast till puffed and flippantly browned. Ladle the new purple bean soup into bowls and high with toasted mochi.
Nami’s Recipe Suggestions
These easy ideas will enable you make Zenzai each time.
- Select your technique. A stress cooker saves time, however the stovetop technique works simply as properly. See my recipe under for each strategies!
- Prepare dinner the azuki beans till tender, not mushy. They need to be tender sufficient to softly crush between your fingers, whereas nonetheless holding their form.
- Add sugar solely after the beans are absolutely cooked. Including sugar too early can toughen the skins and decelerate cooking.
- Maintain the sweetness barely delicate. Zenzai tastes sweeter because it cools, so intention for a delicate sweetness on the finish of the cooking course of.
- Add a small pinch of salt. Only a tiny quantity helps stability and deepen the sweetness.
- Put together the mochi individually. Grill or toast the mochi and add it simply earlier than serving. This retains the soup clear and provides a pleasant toasty aroma.
Variations and Customizations
Seeking to change issues up? Strive these simple and attractive concepts!
- Substitute shiratama dango. Some areas serve zenzai with tender rice flour dumplings as a substitute of mochi.
- Make the azuki beans clean. Mash and pressure the cooked beans or use wonderful purple bean paste (koshian) for a clean texture.
- Use contemporary or boiled mochi. It is a nice choice round Japanese New Yr, when households historically make freshly pounded rice truffles.
- Chill it. Get pleasure from it chilly as hiyashi zenzai within the summertime.
- Add sweetened chestnuts. For extra candy and earthy taste, attempt kuri kanroni (chestnuts in heavy syrup).
What to Serve with Zenzai (Candy Crimson Bean Soup)
This candy porridge is finest saved easy. Right here’s how I prefer to serve it for a snack or dessert:
- With sizzling tea – Japanese inexperienced tea superbly counterbalances this candy porridge.
- With shio kombu – A small facet of seasoned and dried skinny kelp strips makes a tasty sweet-salty pairing.
Storage and Reheating Suggestions
To retailer: Switch the soup to an hermetic container and retailer within the fridge for as much as 4 days and within the freezer for as much as a month. Put together the mochi proper earlier than you serve the zenzai.
To reheat: Heat gently on the stovetop, and skinny with a little bit water if wanted.
FAQs
What’s the distinction between zenzai and oshiruko?
It depends upon the area. In Kansai (Osaka space), zenzai is chunky soup with entire beans, whereas Oshiruko is clean. In Kanto (Tokyo space), zenzai is dry mochi served with chunky purple bean paste whereas oshiruko is any purple bean soup. Oshiruko is commonly served with tender rice flour dumplings made with shiratamako.
How do you make zenzai with mochi?
Simmer cooked azuki beans with sugar, then serve sizzling with mochi toasted till puffed and crisp, or boil the mochi. The distinction between candy beans and chewy mochi makes zenzai so satisfying.
Can I make zenzai with canned or store-bought purple beans?
Sure! You’ll be able to simply use canned or packaged candy purple bean paste (tsubuan or koshian) for zenzai. Merely skinny and heat the beans with a little bit water. It’s a handy shortcut that I exploit typically!
I’d love to listen to how yours turned out! 💛 Please depart a star score and remark under to share your expertise. Your suggestions not solely helps Simply One Cookbook but additionally helps different residence cooks uncover recipes they’ll belief.
Stop your display from going darkish
Selfmade: For Dried Azuki Beans (4–6 servings)
Shortcut: For Ready Crimson Bean Paste (1 serving)
Selfmade Model Utilizing Dried Azuki Beans (for 4–6 bowls)
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Collect all of the substances. Nami’s Tip: With the prime quality of azuki beans as of late, it’s typically pointless to briefly boil the beans and drain (known as yudekoboshi) earlier than cooking in contemporary water.
Possibility 1: Strain Cooker Technique
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Rinse 1 cup azuki beans fastidiously till the water runs clear. Discard any floating (broken) beans. Drain and switch the beans to a stress cooker (I exploit an On the spot Pot).
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Add 4 cups water. Cowl and lock the lid. Be certain that the steam launch deal with factors at Sealing and never Venting. Flip in your stress cooker. For an On the spot Pot, choose Guide or Strain Prepare dinner mode, select Excessive stress, and set the cooking time to quarter-hour (or 10 minutes for barely firmer beans).For a stovetop stress cooker, cook dinner on excessive warmth till it reaches excessive stress. Then, scale back the warmth to low and keep the stress for quarter-hour.
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When it’s carried out cooking, the On the spot Pot will change routinely to the Maintain Heat mode. (For a stovetop stress cooker, take away the pot from the warmth.) Let the stress launch naturally for half-hour. Then, flip the steam launch deal with to Venting to launch any remaining stress. Rigorously open the lid.Nami’s Tip: Prepare dinner till tender, not mushy. The beans needs to be tender sufficient to softly crush between your fingers, whereas nonetheless holding their form.
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Add ¾–1 cup sugar into the pot. Then, add a small 1 pinch Diamond Crystal kosher salt to stability and deepen the sweetness.Nami’s Tip: Add sugar solely after the beans are absolutely cooked. Including it too early can toughen the pores and skin and decelerate the cooking course of. Purpose for a delicate sweetness at this stage, as Zenzai tastes sweeter because it cools.
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Prepare dinner on low warmth (utilizing the Sauté perform) for about 5 minutes, stirring often, till the sugar is absolutely dissolved and the soup deepens barely in coloration. Maintain it heat when you put together the mochi (skip forward for directions).
Possibility 2: Stovetop Technique
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Rinse 1 cup azuki beans fastidiously till the water is obvious. Discard any floating (broken) beans, then drain.
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Put the beans and 4 cups water in a pot.
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Convey to a boil over medium-high warmth. As soon as boiling, put an otoshibuta (drop lid) on high of the beans and switch down the warmth to medium low. Simmer with out the pot lid till the beans are tender (however not mushy), about 1–1½ hours.Nami’s Tip: The otoshibuta will preserve the beans from dancing round. You should utilize aluminum foil to make your personal otoshibuta.
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Some liquid will evaporate, so add water to maintain the beans submerged, as wanted. Verify after 1 hour. If a bean mashes simply between your fingers whereas nonetheless holding its form, it is carried out. In any other case, cook dinner for an additional quarter-hour and test once more. Add ¾–1 cup sugar and 1 pinch Diamond Crystal kosher salt (small pinch, to style) and cook dinner over low warmth, stirring often, till the sugar dissolves fully. Maintain it heat when you put together the mochi (skip forward for directions).Nami’s Tip: Add sugar solely after the beans are absolutely cooked. Including it too early can toughen the skins and decelerate cooking. Purpose for a delicate sweetness at this stage, as Zenzai tastes sweeter because it cools. Additionally, use only a small pinch of salt to stability and deepen the sweetness.
Shortcut Model Utilizing Ready Crimson Bean Paste (for 1 bowl)
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To a small saucepan, add ½ cup candy purple bean paste (anko) that‘s both retailer purchased or do-it-yourself. Add ½ cup water. Convey it to a boil. Add 1 pinch Diamond Crystal kosher salt to style and blend properly. To regulate the consistency, add water to skinny the soup or simmer longer to cut back and thicken it. Maintain it heat when you put together the mochi (see the following step).Nami’s Tip: I used tsubuan (chunky paste) right here, however you should utilize koshian (wonderful paste) when you favor.
To Put together the Mochi
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To make bite-size kirimochi items, lower 4 items Japanese rice cake (kiri mochi) into halves or quarters. Put them on a wire rack set in a baking sheet, then place in a toaster oven or common oven. Toast the dried mochi till overvalued and properly brown, about 10–12 minutes. You can even toast it in a dry frying pan. Nami’s Tip: For contemporary do-it-yourself mochi or shiratama dango, add it to the soup to heat it up. For frozen mochi, boil it in a pot of water till tender, then add it to the zenzai.
Seeking to change issues up? Strive these simple and attractive concepts!
- Substitute shiratama dango. Some areas serve zenzai with tender rice flour dumplings as a substitute of mochi.
- Make the azuki beans clean. Mash and pressure the cooked beans or use wonderful purple bean paste (koshian) for a clean texture.
- Use contemporary or boiled mochi. It is a nice choice round Japanese New Yr, when households historically make freshly pounded rice truffles.
- Chill it. Get pleasure from it chilly as hiyashi zenzai within the summertime.
- Add sweetened chestnuts. For extra candy and earthy taste, attempt kuri kanroni (chestnuts in heavy syrup).
Energy: 438kcal, Carbohydrates: 100g, Protein: 12g, Fats: 1g, Saturated Fats: 1g, Sodium: 40mg, Potassium: 623mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 68g, Vitamin A: 8IU, Calcium: 66mg, Iron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?
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Editor’s Be aware: This publish was initially revealed on Mar 12, 2012. It was up to date with new pictures and extra stress cooking technique on January 10, 2020 and republished with extra useful data on January 5, 2026.
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