Really easy Japanese Red Bean Ice Cream Recipe to make at home - Adzuki bean ice cream

Really easy Japanese Red Bean Ice Cream Recipe to make at home - Adzuki bean ice cream recipe

I reckon Adzuki Red bean is one of the most popular flavours in so many Japanese sweets and desserts.  Its importance in lollies and sweets is just like our love for chocolate in Western desserts.  Even though I have been in Japan for a few years now I miss the red bean taste in so many desserts, reminds me so much of holidays there in Japan.

To be truthful, there is variety of beans to make Anko but if you say Anko in Japan, most of people will imagine red bean paste because red bean paste is most commonly used in a wide range of confectionery.

A lot of factory-made red bean ice creams are just your normal mass-produced ice creams made with cheap ingredients and thickeners, with a tiny blob of the red-bean paste (also called Anko https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_bean_paste) mixed into it.

But this Red Bean ice cream recipe has a good amount of the adzuki bean paste so that you really get both its flavour and the extra creaminess from its starch. You can add a little vanilla if you want but that is completely optional; I like the full on red bean flavour but some may think the vanilla enhances it.

If you want to go all artisan ice cream with this one, serve it in scoops sprinkled with a little matcha powder (brightly coloured green tea powder).

Ingredients

• 100 g Adzuki red beans

• 100 ml Water

• 250 ml Coconut milk

• 250 ml Thickened cream

• 5 g Corn flour

• 200 g caster sugar

• pinch salt

Servings would be at least 4-6 people.

Directions

1.     Soak the beans overnight in plenty of cool water.
2.     The next morning, drain off the water, rinse the beans and drain again.
3.     Place the beans together with the water in a pot.
4.     Bring to boil, and then turn down the heat.
5.     Cover and simmer slowly for approximately 1.5 hours until the red bean mixture is reduced to just 2 cups.
6.     Add sugar and stir while bringing mixture to boil. Reduce heat to a simmer again.
7.     Mash the beans against the side of the pot with a spatula or spoon until the texture of the red bean soup is thick and lumpy. Kind of a red bean (adzuki/anko) jam.
8.     In a bowl, add salt and corn flour to coconut milk and cream and stir thoroughly until there are no more lumps.
9.     Add the coconut milk/cream solution gradually into the red beans, stirring until well-mixed. Remove from heat.
10.     When the mixture has cooled down, give it a thorough whisk, then pour into ice cream molds and freeze for 6 hours or until firm.

note - This ice cream is best served when just frozen. If its been in the freezer too long it becomes too hard, let it soften slightly in the fridge or at room temperature for a little before consuming.

Adzuki red bean paste (anko) jam for ice cream