Authentic Japanese Red Bean Soup recipe (Oshiruko/Zenzai) (2024)

Published January 6, 2021 / Last modified January 6, 2021 By Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles / 9 Comments

sweet red bean soup recipe with mochi

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Very often you will find sweet red bean (azuki) inside mochi but sometimes the roles are reversed to create this delicious red bean soup. The perfect combination of soft squishy mochi toasted and served inside this sweet soup makes the warmest and cosy comforting dish. It sounds simple but you will see why it’s one of the most popular winter desserts in Japan.

What Is Red Bean Soup (Oshiruko/Zenzai)?
Oshiruko vs Zenzai
Why You Will Love This Red Bean Soup
Ingredients Notes
How To Make Red Bean Soup?
What to Serve Red Bean Soup With?
More Azuki Bean Recipes
FAQ
Stay Connected

What Is Red Bean Soup (Oshiruko/Zenzai)?

Red bean soup is a Japanese dessert with soft and chewy mochi served with cooked and sweetened red bean (azuki bean) soup. They are also known as Oshiruko or Zenzai in Japanese. In essence, they are all same kind of sweets, however, Zenzai and Oshiruko differ depending on the region; Kansai and Kanto. I will explain the difference in the below paragraph.

Oshiruko vs Zenzai

Oshiruko is generally referred to red bean soup made from cooked azuki beans served with toasted mochi or shiratama dango. In Kanto region, Oshiruko is cooked and sweetened azuki beans with either toasted mochi or dango whereas in Kansai region, it is the soup made with cooked, strained and smooth sweet azuki beans.

Zenzai is mochi or shiratama dango served with sweet azuki bean paste “Anko” in Kanto region whereas in Kansai region it is toasted mochi or shiratama dango served with cooked and sweetened azuki bean soup and the azuki bean is not strained.

Why You Will Love This Red Bean Soup

Sweet comfort food of winter in Japan, which warms your body and soul.
Easy to make – either making from scratch or shortcut using pressure cooker or ready cooked azuki beans.
Can be served hot or cold.

Ingredients Notes

Azuki Red Beans – Azuki beans have been around in Japan since ancient times. It is even mentioned in Kojiki, Japan’s oldest historical record. Azuki bean is a member of the genus Vigna, the same as mung beans. Azuki bean is available from Japanese or Asian grocery stores or from online stores. Mochi – I have just shared a recipe on how to make it at home. You can also buy commercially made mochi individually packed from Japanese/Asian grocery stores or from an online store. Check out my Amazon shopfront if you need.

How To Make Red Bean Soup?

It is quite simple and easy. Wash the azuki beans in plenty of running water. Cook the azuki beans in plenty of water (see recipe below) Drain the water from the cooked azuki beans because it has an astringent taste. Put the azuki beans back into the pot and simmer them with plenty of water for about 1 hour or till the azuki beans are soft so that you can squish them with your fingertips. Then add sugar and salt to the soup. Toast mochi or make mitarashi dango separately and add into the soup.

Tips & Tricks

Remove astringent taste by draining the first cooking water
Add sugar and salt after beans are cooked. If you add sugar and salt before the beans are cooked, the beans will not be softened.
Adjust the sweetness to your liking between 80-100% of the weight of the beans. I like subtle sweetness so I usually add 80% sugar of azuki beans.

What to Serve Red Bean Soup With?

This dessert soup is best served with pickled daikon radish in my humble opinion. This sweet red bean soup was a staple treat after our cross-country runs. Many school kids run cross-country races just for this treat! I certainly did for this treat alone. And they always served it with pickled daikon. It offsets the sweetness of the oshiruko. Also, pickled daikon and carrot, Salted (shio) Konbu, and Umeboshi are great too.

More Azuki Bean Recipes

Cold Matcha Zenzai
Halloween Three Coloured Dango
How To Make Mochi (お餅) at Home
Strawberry Mochi (Ichigo Daif*cku) いちご大福
Daif*cku mochi
Anko Red Bean Paste

FAQ

Q: Can you freeze the red bean soup?

A: Yes you can. It will last for a few days in fridge, and you can divide into one portion size in ziplock bag and freeze. It will keep for a month.

Stay Connected

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Sweet red bean soup

sweet red bean soup recipe with mochi

Course: Dessert, Snack, Soup

Cuisine: Japanese

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 416kcal

Author: Shihoko | Chopstick Chronicles

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Ingredients

▢ 1 cup Dried azuki beans *1
▢ 5 cups water *2
▢ 3/4 cup sugar *3
▢ 1/2 tsp salt
▢ 8 mochi pieces *4
▢ 1 tsp roasted sesame seed Optional

Metric – US Customary

Instructions

Wash the azuki beans, drain the washing water.
Place the azuki beans in a pot and add plenty of water (not listed in the ingredients list) *5
Heat it over high heat and bring the water to boil.
Discard the cooking water by using a strainer. *6
Place back the azuki beans in a pot and add 3 cups of water out of the 5 cups listed.
Heat the pot over high heat and once it boils, reduce the heat to low to mid and simmer for an hour.
Check occasionally and add water if necessary. *7
After 1 hour check the azuki beans are cooked or not by squishing a bean with your finger tips.
If the azuki beans are soft and cooked, add sugar and salt and stir.
Simmer furthur till the soup reduces a little and becomes thicker.
Cook mochi by using the grill function of oven or microwave. If you use oven grill, cook for 6-7 minutes, if you use microwave, cook for 1-2 minutes. Watch it does not over cook and explode.
Stir the bean paste to mix well with water, bring to simmer and add mochi.
Serve two pieces of toasted mochi with sweet azuki bean soup together in a small soup bowl. Garnish with sesame seeds.

Notes

*1 Or 200g dry azuki beans

*2 You may need more or less.

*3 Or 160g sugar

*4 You can use store-bought mochi, or homemade. If you are going to make one, see my how to make mochi post.

*5 I add 2 cups of water.

*6 This step is for removing the astringent taste.

*7 I added 1 cup at a time twice and used all 5 cups.

*8 For shortcut, if you can access and use a packet of ready-cooked azuki beans, Put 1 cup (200g) cooked azuki beans, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1/2 tsp salt and 2 cups of water and bring to boil, turn the heat down to simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with toasted mochi or shiratama dango.

Nutrition

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