Nerikiri Wagashi with Red Bean Filling, Sweetened with Monk Fruit
Sweets and drinksChilled DessertsJapanBeans soaked overnight, each kind simmered 6 hours
Nerikiri wagashi with red bean filling asks for real patience: the beans soak overnight, then each kind simmers for 6 hours. The difficult part is cooking the bean paste to exactly the right dryness for shaping.
White beans boiled for 4 minutes and dropped into ice water slip out of their skins in seconds. The strained bean paste is cooked in a nonstick pan, pressed and turned constantly until the mass is dry and smooth. The red bean filling is cooked dry, rolled into balls and wrapped in the white bean dough.
This batch weighs about 3.8kg, at roughly 72 calories per 100g.
Method
Soak 500g of white beans and 250g of red beans in plenty of water overnight. Boil the white beans for about 4 minutes, drop them into a bowl of ice water and slip the skins off by hand.
Simmer the peeled white beans for about 6 hours, and simmer the red beans in a separate pot for about 6 hours as well. Top up with water so the level stays 2 to 3cm above the beans.
Pour the white bean liquid through a sieve, pressing the beans through with a spoon and discarding the skins. Let the liquid settle, pour off the clear water on top, then pour the cloudy liquid below into a nut milk bag and squeeze out the white bean starch. Do the same with the red beans.
Make the dough: put 250ml of water and 180g of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend in a nonstick pan, stir and bring to a boil, then add the squeezed white bean paste and cook it dry, pressing and turning constantly.
Dissolve 20g of Japanese glutinous rice flour in 150ml of water and pass it through a sieve, cook this mixture in a nonstick pan, then add the white bean paste and work it into a smooth mass. Take it out and let it cool.
Make the filling: bring 250ml of water and 180g of kOBE Monk Fruit Blend to a boil in a nonstick pan, add the squeezed red bean paste, stir well and cook until dry. Roll it into balls.
Divide the white bean dough, press each piece flat, set a red bean ball in the middle, seal it closed and shape it into flowers or leaves as desired.
Tips
Where white beans are hard to find, split mung beans stand in well.
Japanese glutinous rice flour is worth seeking out, since local versions often carry a sharp note that dulls the clean flavor of these cakes.
The squeezed bean starch keeps in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Cook the paste until it is dry, smooth and no longer clinging to the pan, and it will shape easily.
Divide the bean paste into small portions before coloring, because coloring the whole mass at once gives a patchy, uneven result.
Shape the cakes with slightly damp hands and work quickly, since the paste dries and cracks when it sits out in the air.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.