Amanatto - The Bean Jelly

Amanattō [甘納豆] is a traditional Japanese sweet made from azuki beans or other grains. Amanatto is a Japanese dessert where the beans are cooked in water with sugar, and after being dried, they are coated with more sugar.

This recipe was developed around 1860, shortly after sugar became widely available throughout Japan. Before sugar, beans were and still are used to sweeten Japanese desserts. And now the combination of sugar with beans sweetens your mouth even more.

The Amanattō was developed by Hosoda Yasubei during the Bunkyu years (1861-1863) in the Edo period. He opened a wagashi in Tokyo, which he named after his childhood name: Eitaro. This shop is still in operation today.

Not only azuki, but soybeans and other beans can be used to make an Amanatto, thus creating your own flavor. The amanatto is more popular with the elderly over 60 years old, and it is often served with tea in nursing homes in Japan. Amanatto is also used to make other recipes like Sekihan.

The amanattō was originally called amananattō (甘名納糖) and the name was shortened to amanattō after World War II. The similarity of the name to the fermented soybean dish natto is merely a coincidence.

Amanatto Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 package of ready-to-use beans (preferably azuki)
• 1 cup (tea) of sugar
• 2 cups (tea) of water

Instructions:
Drain the water from the box of ready beans. Set aside.

Bring the mixture of water and sugar in a thick-bottomed pot. Boil until the sugar completely dissolves. Turn off the heat and add the drained beans. Store this immersion of the beans in syrup in a closed jar, overnight in the refrigerator.

Place in a clean, large plastic bag:
1+1/2 cups (tea) of sugar
1+1/2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon

Instructions:
Shake the mixture of sugar and cinnamon so that the two ingredients combine.

Drain the beans soaked in syrup and discard the sugar syrup.

Place the beans in the plastic bag, in the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Twist the end of the bag and shake so that all the beans are coated in sugar.

Pour this mixture into a coarse sieve, reserving the remaining sugar and cinnamon mixture.

Spread the sugared beans on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for about 30 minutes.

During this time, the beans will release water and the sugar will caramelize, forming a thin caramel.

After this time, drain the beans with a slotted spoon (or metal sieve) and toss the beans in the reserved sugar and cinnamon mixture, coating them completely. Let cool completely.

When cool, store in well-sealed jars.

Recipe source: chocolatria.com