Tuesday, September 26

Dora-yaki with Azuki-an

Japanese baked sweet bean "gongs" - little fluffy pancake-sandwiches filled with a sweet azuki-beanpaste - are a japanese classic. Sometimes a chestnut is placed in the heart of the the azuki-filling, more modern versions of dora yaki can be made with different kinds of custard inside. Anyway - they are delicious and go very well with green tea.

makes 8 sandwiches

ingredients for the pancakes:
3 eggs 150 g sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
50 ml water
200 g flour, sifted
a little butter to grease the pan

for the red bean paste (makes around 450 g):
150 g red azuki-beans
230 g sugar
10 g mizuame syrup
pinch salt

Make red bean paste:
1. Soak azuki beans in a huge pot with water for 5 hours, changing the water from time to time. Heat until the water boils, add one cup of cold water and heat again, until boiling for a second time. Drain the beans and replace into the pot with fresh water and cook until beans are tender. Add water if neccessary (the beans should remain well covered with water all the time). Drain.

2. Place the beans back into the pot, mix in the sugar and cook over low heat, stir carefully. Add syrup and let it melt into the paste. Finally stir in a pinch of salt. Remove from heat and let cool.

Alternatively you can buy a can of sweet red bean paste in an asia-store (one can contains around 500 g) and use 400 g of it for the gongs.

Make the pancakes:
1. Whisk eggs and sugar until creamy white andf fluffy. Mix baking soda with 1 tsp of water and stirr into the egg mixture. Stir in 25 ml water.

2. Add flour, the remaining 25 ml water and mix the batter well. If the batter appears too sticky (it should be liquid and sticky at the same time), add 1 or 2 teaspoons of water and mix again.

3. Heat a slightly greased non-stick pan over medium heat and pour in one Tbsp of the batter forming a round of about 6-7 cm diameter. Cook until the bottom is golden brown and the top surface is slightly dry and bubbles a bit. Turn over the pancake carefully and let cook the other side until dry and browned. Place onto a clean plate and go on cooking pancakes with the remaining batter in the same way. Grease the pan again if neccessary.

4. Spread 25 g bean paste on one pancake, cover it with a second one and press carefully. Make snadwiches with the rest of the pancakes in the same way.

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