What is Bean Paste?
Bean paste, or bean sauce, varies in color, texture, and composition and is a popular ingredient in many dishes in Asian cuisines. Some common varieties of include miso, and red, yellow, brown, and black bean pastes.
Miso
Miso is a dense paste made from soybeans and a grain such as barley or rice, fermented with yeast mold. This mixture is combined with salt and water and aged for a period of months or even years.
There are perhaps hundreds of types of miso, classed into two basic categories: shiro miso and aka miso. Shiro, or white, miso is on the sweeter side, whereas aka, or red, miso tends to be stronger and saltier. Miso is added to soups, broth, sauces, marinades, and dressings as a flavoring.
Red
Red bean paste is made from boiled, mashed adzuki beans and is sweetened with sugar or honey. The paste may be smooth or may contain bits of mashed beans for texture. It is used in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cuisine, primarily for dessert items such as cakes, pancakes, moon cakes, glutinous rice balls, and sweet soups.
Yellow
Yellow bean paste is similar in texture to the red type. It is made from cooked, de-hulled mung beans, which are sweetened and mashed. This type of paste is commonly made into ice cream and other dessert items, such as a filling for moon cakes.
The term yellow bean paste is also sometimes used as a synonym for a salty yellow-brown soybean sauce that comes in a bottle and is used as a condiment.
Brown
Brown bean paste or sauce is made from fermented soy beans, water, salt, and flour. It can be thick or thin, smooth or chunky. It may be flavored with garlic, chilies, or other spices. It is generally used to flavor stir-fries, vegetables, and tofu dishes as well as pork, duck, and fish.
Black
Black bean paste or sauce is made from salty, fermented black beans. It is used as a condiment or cooking sauce and may be flavored with spicy chile paste or garlic.
Although bean paste and bean sauce products are available in cans and jars from Asian grocers and some large supermarkets, some cooks prefer to prepare their own. If you purchase your bean sauce in a can, be sure to transfer it to a jar once you open it. Stored in a jar, it will keep in the refrigerator indefinitely.
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![Mung beans, which are often used to make bean paste.]()
By: Elena SchweitzerMung beans, which are often used to make bean paste. -
![Adzuki beans, which are often used to make bean paste.]()
By: Elena SchweitzerAdzuki beans, which are often used to make bean paste. -
![Soybeans, which can be used to make bean paste.]()
By: teruminSoybeans, which can be used to make bean paste. -
![The salty miso derived from bean paste is sometimes added to Asian soups and sauces.]()
By: sugar0607The salty miso derived from bean paste is sometimes added to Asian soups and sauces. -
![A chicken stir-fry seasoned with pungent black bean paste.]()
By: Periwinkle StudioA chicken stir-fry seasoned with pungent black bean paste. -
![Sweet red bean paste can be made by boiling dried azuki beans in sugared water.]()
By: Andrey StarostinSweet red bean paste can be made by boiling dried azuki beans in sugared water.
Discussion Comments
Does anybody know where to buy red bean paste in Jacksonville? I was in Asia last year and got to try that great red bean soup, but I can't seem to find anything like it here. I'd love to make some, but don't know where I'd find the paste. Can anybody help me out?
Thanks!
Many Asian recipes also call for soy bean paste. It can be hard to find in regular grocery stores, but you should be able to find it on the international row, or in ethnic grocery stores.
If you really need to you can find it online too, but I prefer to buy mine in person, and smell it first if at all possible.
Worst comes to worst, you can make it at home -- just google recipes for soy bean paste and you're set.
As gross as it sounds, fermented black bean paste is really great for cooking. I especially like to use it to make stir-fried pork. My particular favorite is the spicy black bean paste, because you get the saltiness of the fermented black bean taste with the kick of the chilli. Best spicy pork you'll ever make!
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