Warm Sweet Red-Bean Spoon Dessert with Toasted Kinako and a Pinch of Salt

Warm sweetened red-bean paste stirred glossy with mirin, then dusted with toasted kinako and a pinch of sea salt. It echoes Soba Steam After Curfew, when Edo firemen sought quiet alley sweets once the ward’s buckets hung still.

Serves 2

Every recipe here is free to read.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups canned sweetened red bean paste
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tbsp kinako soybean flour
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 1 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt
• 1 scallions

Instructions

1. 1Combine the sweetened red bean paste, water, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat.
2. 2Stir continuously for 8 minutes until the mixture becomes glossy and slightly thickened but still spoonable.
3. 3Toast the kinako and sesame seeds together in a dry skillet over low heat for 2 minutes until fragrant.
4. 4Spoon the warm red-bean dessert into small bowls, dust generously with the toasted kinako-sesame mixture, and finish with a tiny pinch of coarse sea salt.
5. 5Thinly slice the green part of the scallion and scatter a few rings on top for color and subtle contrast.