Azuki-gayu (小豆粥, red bean porridge)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Donabe (Japanese clay pot), or a heavy medium pot
• •Zaru (bamboo draining basket), or a fine-mesh strainer
• •Shamoji (rice paddle), or a wooden spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Wash the rice

   Put the rice in a bowl, cover it with cool water, and swish gently with your hand. Pour off the cloudy water and repeat until the water is almost clear, then soak the rice in fresh water for 30 minutes. Drain it well. Washing clears away loose surface starch, and soaking lets the grains swell evenly before they meet the pot.

   Almost clear is enough. Scrubbing hard breaks the grains, and broken grains make a heavy porridge before you've even started cooking.
2. 2

   Parboil the azuki

   Rinse the azuki and pick out any split or dull beans. Put them in a pot with 3 cups water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes, then drain and rinse the pot. This first boiling, yudekoboshi, throws away the rough edge from the skins. It is not waste. It is the shortest path to a clean bowl.

   The first water may look red, but it tastes flat and a little harsh. Keep the second cooking liquid, not this one.
3. 3

   Cook the beans

   Return the drained azuki to the pot with 4 cups fresh water. Bring to a simmer, then cook gently for 25 to 35 minutes, adding a little water if the beans are no longer covered. Stop when a bean yields under your fingers but the skin still holds. Do not add salt or sugar yet, because either one makes the skins slower to soften.

   For azuki-gayu, you want beans that are tender but still whole. If they collapse now, they will disappear into the rice later.
4. 4

   Measure the liquid

   Set a strainer over a bowl and drain the beans, saving every drop of the red cooking liquid. Add fresh water to that liquid to make 5 cups total. This is the color and scent of the porridge. The rice should cook in it, not in plain water with beans tossed in afterward.

   For a thicker breakfast bowl, use 4 1/2 cups total liquid. For a softer holiday porridge, use the full 5 cups.
5. 5

   Simmer the porridge

   Combine the drained rice, cooked azuki, and measured red liquid in a donabe or heavy pot. Bring it just to a simmer over medium heat, stir once from the bottom so nothing catches, then lower the heat and set the lid slightly ajar. Cook for 30 to 35 minutes without stirring, until the grains have swollen and opened and the porridge is soft but not pasty.

   Stirring releases starch and breaks the beans. If you worry about sticking, lift the pot and give it one gentle tilt instead of scraping at it.
6. 6

   Rest and season

   Turn off the heat, cover the pot fully, and let the porridge rest for 10 minutes. Resting finishes the grains without rough boiling. Season with the sea salt and taste. If you want a sweet version, stir sugar into individual bowls, or fold it gently into the pot after the rice is fully cooked. Sugar added earlier slows the beans and dulls their shape.

   Even a sweet bowl needs a pinch of salt. Without it, azuki tastes flatter than it should, which is a small betrayal for such a patient bean.
7. 7

   Serve quietly

   Ladle the porridge into warm bowls, filling each one modestly. Scatter a small pinch of goma shio over the surface if you like, or leave it plain. Serve warm. If it thickens as it waits, loosen it with a spoonful of hot water and stir only enough to bring it back together.

Chef Tips

• •Choose azuki that look whole, glossy, and even in color. Very old beans cook at different speeds, and no method will make a tired bean tender at the same time as its neighbor.
• •Don't add dashi because you think every Japanese pot needs it. For azuki-gayu, water is the right stock. The beans are meant to scent the rice cleanly.
• •The first boil is the first secret. Throw away that first red water, then guard the second. One removes harshness; the other carries the dish.
• •Leave the pot alone once the rice is simmering. Kayu looks like it wants attention, but fussing only turns the grains gluey and breaks the azuki.

Advance Preparation

• •The azuki can be parboiled and cooked one day ahead. Keep the beans in their red cooking liquid in the refrigerator, then measure the liquid when you make the porridge.
• •The rice can be washed and soaked up to 2 hours ahead. Drain it before cooking so the liquid ratio stays honest.
• •Leftover azuki-gayu keeps one day refrigerated. Reheat gently with a little hot water, because the rice keeps drinking even after the pot is off the stove.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 450g)