{"id":42519,"title":"Mung Bean Paste","modified":"2025-07-03T09:18:44+02:00","plain":"Mung bean paste - what is it?\n\n\n\nPicture an ingredient that slips as easily into a savory dish as it does into a sweet one - a true culinary double agent. That is exactly what mung bean paste is, a quiet star of Asian cooking (let's shine the light on Vietnamese and Thai dishes, though you will spot it almost everywhere).\n\n\n\nMade from mung beans - those small green or yellow pearls - the beans are first cooked until tender, then blended into an irresistibly smooth paste.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBut that is not all. This paste is a true chameleon, ready to switch personalities whenever you ask.\n\n\n\nCraving something sweet? Stir in sugar or honey, even a touch of butter as in mung bean mooncakes.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPrefer something savory? No problem - a pinch of salt or a splash of soy sauce does the trick. Mung bean paste is a blank canvas, ready for any flavor you dream up.\n\n\n\nA texture you can tailor to every taste\n\n\n\nAnd here is the best part: you control the texture. Team \"smooth\"? Blend until silky and creamy. Want some bite? Leave a few bits intact for a richer mouthfeel.\n\n\n\nThai med kanoon desserts use a coarse version of mung bean paste\n\n\n\nReady to dive into the mung bean paste adventure? Whether you are a Michelin-star chef or a first-time cook, this paste promises happy surprises and delicious moments. Grab your pots and pans!\n\n\n\nSweet beans are strange, aren't they? \n\n\n\nWe already touched on this topic with my Japanese red bean paste, but I wanted to dig a little deeper.\n\n\n\nRed bean paste, also called anko\n\n\n\nLook at classic Western desserts and one thing jumps out: beans and legumes are almost nowhere to be found.\n\n\n\nThat may seem odd, especially when you learn how common they are in Asian sweets.\n\n\n\nIn Asian kitchens, beans are not reserved for savory fare.\n\n\n\nPrepared with care, they bring a gentle sweetness and creamy body to many desserts. It can feel unusual to a Western palate, yet it offers a whole new range of flavors and textures.\n\n\n\nThe appeal is not just taste. Beans add serious nutrition to treats as well.\n\n\n\nBanh cam are a Vietnamese classic filled with yellow bean paste\n\n\n\nBeans supply protein and many other key nutrients, so desserts made with them are both flavorful and balanced.\n\n\n\nTry this paste in Chinese coconut pearls or even mochi.\n\n\n\n\n\n\tMung Bean Paste\n\t\t\n\t\tLusciously smooth and lightly sweet, this versatile paste is a staple in countless Asian desserts and snacks.\t\n\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\n\t\t130 g split yellow mung beans (dal)30 g sugarwater\t\n\t\n\t\tRinse the beans 5\u20136 times, until the water runs clear.Cover the beans with cold water and soak overnight in the refrigerator.The next day, drain, transfer the beans to a saucepan, cover with fresh water, and bring to a boil.Simmer for 20\u201325 minutes, until the beans are tender.Drain, then blend the beans in a food processor until completely smooth.\t\n\t\n\t\tIf the paste is too thin, let it cool\u2014it will thicken as it rests. Still runny? Gently cook it in a pan for a few minutesnKeeps in the fridge for up to 4 days\nn\n\t\n\t\n\t\tCondimentAsiatiqueharicots jaune, Haricots mungo, p\u00e2te de haricotV\u00e9g\u00e9tarienne","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marcwiner.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}