Why boil adzuki beans for anko twice?

This anko recipe calls for boiling the adzuki beans twice, draining and re-filling the water in between. Why is this done? Is this necessary?

Best Answer

Please see the excerpt below from this site . All of the recipes I've seen for anko recommend changing the water but this is the only explanation I've found.

Amy Escobar MARCH 12, 2014, 3:13 PM

Hey Nami, do you know why the boiling water is emptied and then refilled? Cooking With Dog uses the same method and I don’t know the reason.

REPLY

Nami MARCH 14, 2014, 12:52 AM Hi Amy! Thank you for asking the question.

Traditional method usually includes a process of emptying water for 1-2 times. The reason is to remove impurities (we call it “aku” – English translation is “scum” – not sure if that’s the right word) from the azuki beans. They taste bitter and you don’t want to cook with them, so we get rid of it by changing the water. Some people do once, some do twice, but you don’t want to lose too much of azuki flavor, so I believe one time is good. Hope this helps.

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How long do you boil adzuki beans?

Rinse beans before cooking. Place 1 cup beans in a large pot with 4 cups water and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until tender, 45\u201360 minutes; drain well.

Is it necessary to soak adzuki beans?

Unlike other dried beans, there's no need to soak adzuki beans before you cook them. Even without soaking, they typically cook in less than 90 minutes on the stove! In fact, because they cook relatively quickly, I prefer the dried beans to canned ones.

How long should adzuki beans be soaked?

Soak the beans at least overnight or for 24 hours if possible. You can also boil the water immediately for a few minutes and then set the beans aside to soak for one to three hours.

How long soak adzuki red beans?

Allow the beans to soak in the water at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours. With most dried beans, it is recommended that you soak the beans before cooking them. Doing so softens the beans and also removes most of the water-soluble components responsible for digestive upset.

Azuki Bean Paste from scratch | Easy Anko Recipe | Tsubu-an

Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Images: mali maeder, Pavel Danilyuk, Pavel Danilyuk, Vanessa Loring