Ummm, What's That? Red Bean Paste and Cheesecake Dumplings

    Hi, everyone! Welcome to our first Ummm, What's That? !  Ummm, What's That is a column where I try interesting foods and tell you what it is, what it tastes like, and how to use it! Today we have some red bean paste. I found this at an Asian market and have loved using it! I also want to give a shout out to Liesel because she was one of the first to try this recipe and she likes this blog!

What is it?

Red bean paste is a paste made from adzuki beans. The paste is used in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean cuisine. Here's a link to find out more. My favorite way to eat them that I haven't made is in baozi, a steamed bun filled with the paste and mochi, a glutinous rice ball filled with red bean paste.  😋

What does it taste like?

Red bean paste tastes surprisingly sweet. I don't even put sugar in the desserts I use it in!🍪😋

How do you use it?

I really like bean paste on toast with cream cheese. It makes a delicious breakfast! If I still want red bean for lunch, I whip up a peanut butter and red bean sandwich. I sub the red bean for jelly, cause I like red bean better.

  I also like to use them in a dessert called Red Bean Cheesecake Dumplings. This is a great treat that even the pickiest of eaters! I mentioned this in my post on 5 tips to great sushi (link here). Here it is!

Ingredients!

• 1 pack of wontons
• 1/2 a package of cream cheese
• About the same amount of red bean paste as cream cheese
• Small bowl of water
• Half an egg or a quail egg
• 1 cap of vanilla extract
• Dumpling Mold (optional)
• Cinnamon Sugar for coating (optional)

Directions!

 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease large baking sheet.


 2. Place wonton wrapper on dumpling mold. Add water to one edge of wonton.

  3. Mix red bean, cream cheese, vanilla, and egg in a medium bowl. Add small spoon full to wonton.

   4.  Close dumpling mold or press with fork on edges to make sure the filling doesn't leak.

  5. Bake for about 10 minutes then take out of oven and flip over and cook for 5 more minutes.

  6. Coat with sugar and enjoy!

  So now you know a little more about red bean paste! If you have a favorite recipe including this interesting ingredient, please talk about it in the comment section below. 😄😆😸