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Oshiruko
Sweet red bean soup
Oshiruko (お汁粉): hot sweet red bean soup with toasted mochi
On snowy days in northern and eastern Japan, and especially after kagami-biraki on 11 January, when the New Year offering of mochi is broken up, families warm up with a bowl of oshiruko: azuki beans simmered into a sweet, thick soup with a puffed, toasted rice cake bobbing in it. In Kansai a chunky version is called zenzai. Mochi is very sticky: cut it into small pieces for young children and older people, and make sure they chew well and eat sitting down. The common mistake is adding all the sugar at the start, which stops the beans softening; sweeten only once they are tender. Chef's tip: a pinch of salt at the end makes the sweetness taste rounder and the bean flavour deeper.
- Total time
- 95 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz dried azuki beans
- 5 cups waterplus extra
- 4 oz sugar
- 1 pinch salt
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rinse 5 ½ oz dried azuki beans, cover with water in a pan and bring to the boil. Boil 2 minutes, drain, and discard the water to remove bitterness.
5 minStep 2: Return to the pan with 5 cups water. Simmer gently, partly covered, for 60–75 minutes, until the beans crush easily between two fingers. Top up with water to keep them covered.
75 minStep 4: Toast 4 kirimochi (dried rice cake blocks) under a hot grill or in a toaster oven for 6–8 minutes, turning once, until puffed and golden.
8 minStep 5: Ladle the hot soup into bowls and add a toasted mochi to each. Cut the mochi small for children and older people.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 74 g
- Fat
- 1 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does oshiruko take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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