Mung beans are a staple legume in many Asian kitchens, where their delicate, buttery flavor lends richness to both savory and sweet treats. Like red beans, mung beans can be made into a lightly sweet paste to be stuffed inside a baked or steamed bun or dumpling. In fact, the two bean pastes are practically interchangeable. Whereas sweetened red bean paste is vaguely chocolate-like, sweetened mung bean paste resembles marzipan, both in texture and nuanced flavor. This is a Vietnamese version of the paste, with vanilla to round out the flavor and salt to inject a little oomph. Mung beans are sold at many Asian markets and health food stores. Look for the yellow ones that have been hulled and split. The green ones still have their tough skins.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 1 1/3 cups
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Rinse the mung beans, put them in a bowl, and add water to cover by 1 inch. Let soak for 2 hours, or up to 6 hours.
Step 2
Line a steamer tray with parchment paper. Drain the beans well in a mesh strainer and transfer to the prepared steamer tray. Spread the beans out evenly. Steam the beans (see page 17 for guidance) over boiling water for 8 to 15 minutes (the shorter time is for the metal steamer and the longer time is for a bamboo steamer), until the mung beans are tender. Remove the steamer tray and set aside to cool for 3 minutes.
Step 3
Transfer the warm beans to a food processor and add the sugar, salt, vanilla, and oil. Process for about 90 seconds, pausing at the beginning to scrape down the sides. At first the mixture will seem too loose, but keep the machine going and eventually the texture will firm up and smooth out. When the paste is medium-soft in texture, resembling marzipan, it is done. Transfer to a plastic container and cool at room temperature before using. The paste can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for a month.
