Adzuki beans (red beans)

팥 pat · 小豆 azuki · 红豆 hóngdòu

Flavor and role: Small red beans with gentle sweetness and nuttiness; in East Asia they are mostly simmered with sugar into bean paste.
Typical dishes and uses: Patjuk (red bean porridge), patbingsu, red bean paste for danpatppang and bungeoppang, Japanese ohagi and sekihan
Substitutes: Hard to replace. Store-bought red bean paste (chunky or smooth) is convenient.
Storage: Dried adzuki beans keep 1 year at room temperature. They need no soaking; discard the first boiling water (to remove astringency) and boil again. Bean paste freezes for 3 months.
Main countries: Japan · Korea · China
Used in this book: Dorayaki Matcha Basque Cheesecake with Sweet Red Bean Matcha Crème Brûlée with Sweet Red Bean Dorayaki with Homemade Tsubuan Tiramisu Dorayaki (Italian × Japanese)Mini Dorayaki Pancake Cereal Roasted Kabocha Hobakjuk with Ground Sweet Rice, Red Beans and Pine Nuts Matcha Kuih Dadar with Red Bean and Gula Melaka Coconut (Malaysian × Japanese)Matcha Martabak with Sweet Red Bean and Cream Cheese Buttermilk Dorayaki with Sweet Red Bean and Butter Japanese Matcha Tiramisu with Sweet Red Bean

Updated 2026-10-10