Red Bean Paste (红豆沙)

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1 Packet (450 g) Red Beans
• 1350 g Water
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup Veggie or Olive oil

Preparation:

1. In a bowl, add water and soak red bean overnight.  The water should be about 1 inch above red bean.  This is optional if you are using the pressure cooker to cook the red bean.
2.  Transfer red beans to the pressure cooker.  Add 1350g of water which is about 3 times ratio of red bean.  If you soak the red beans overnight, they has already soaked the water overnight and its size is almost doubled.  Add the water should be 1-inch above the red bean in that case.  Cook them for 30 minutes.
3. Let cool and drain the water using the strainer while they are still warm.  Do not worry about draining all water completely.  Leaving them a bit will help for blending them at the next step.
4. Blend them in the blender for a couple of minutes until it's smooth.
   
Putting Everything Together:
1.  In a wok on medium high heat, add about 2 Tsp of oil.  Add the blended red beans.  Cook them for about 10 minutes by stirring constantly.  Depending on how runny your blended red bean is, the cooking time will vary.  The longer it takes the runnier it is.
2.  Gradually add the sugar. Start with 1/3 cup and salt. Taste it and add in the remaining sugar gradually.
3. During the cooking process, add in 1-2 Tsp of oil at a time as well.  Taste it and adjust the sweetness by adding more sugar if needed. Keep adding the remaining oil during the cooking process.
4. When the texture gets to the desired consistency, turn the heat off and transfer the red bean paste to the bowl and let cool.  Smooth the surface with the bottom of the stainless steel spoon.