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White bean paste or ShiroAn is a delicate sweet paste that is used for Japanese desserts such as wagashi or Chinese pastries such as mooncake. Making it from scratch is a lengthy and tedious process. In this recipe, I ‘short-cut’ it into a 15-minute process, it only requires two main ingredients. And it tastes just as good!
White beans are known to be high in nutrition and comes with a low glycemic index, which is good especially for people who are concerned about blood sugar levels. They also contain high protein and fibre content, and are a rich source of essential minerals. In this low GI mooncake, I have used this paste to make these gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, refined sugar-free low GI Mooncakes, that not only taste great, but also a much healthier version than the traditional mooncake.
What is white bean paste or ShiroAn
Traditionally used in Japanese confections like wagashi, its Japanese name is 白あん or shiroan. Made from white beans such as lima beans, butter beans or cannellini beans, the flavour is light, subtle, and mild, subtle. The preparation involves soaking the beans for at least 8 hours or overnight, skinning the beans, and cooking the beans over a period of 3 hours, then processing them to create a smooth paste, and finally sweetened and cooked into a thick paste.
What are the differences between white bean paste (ShiroAn) and red bean paste (Anko)
The main differences between the two types of paste are:
- The key ingredient: one is made out of red beans or azuki beans, while the other is made out of white beans such as lima beans, cannellini beans or butter beans.
- Thus the colours are reflective of the ingredients used. One is off-white while the other is dark maroon.
- Flavour: shiroan has a mild and subtle taste, while red bean paste is much strong and earthy.
Watch how to make white bean paste (ShiroAn) on YouTube
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White Bean Paste (ShiroAn) 15-Minute Recipe
Detailed Step-by-Step Video
Ingredients
- ¼ cup stevia sweetener, can be substituted with normal castor sugar
- 2 cups canned cannellini beans, can be substituted with canned butter or lima beans, about 800g or 28oz
Instructions
- Drain the liquid from 2 cups canned cannellini beans. Wash the beans under running water.
- Transfer the beans into a food processor and grind the beans at high speed.
- Beans turn into a smooth and thick pureé.
- Transfer the beans into a non-stick pan, turn on medium heat. Add 1/4 cup stevia sweetener and mix well with a spatula.
- Keep stirring and frying until the paste turns thick and smooth.Takes about 10 to 12 minutes to reach an smooth consistency.
- Remove from heat and let the paste cool completely. Store the white bean paste in an air tight container and keep chilled in the fridge for 1 week, or frozen in the freezer for 2 weeks.
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