Yellow mung bean paste (sweet bean filling)

Sweet bean paste is an essential ingredient in many Asian treats, from pastries to buns. So today we’re going to show you how to make this delicious yellow mung bean filling from scratch. It’s easy!

Bean paste is like sweet puree from boiled beans, sugar, oil and salt. It’s not as fluffy as a mush, but more like it dense and flexible. It tastes sweet and nutty and has a wonderfully creamy texture.

Asian sweet bean fillings can be made with different types of beans. For example, red adzuki beans are a classic in Japan, while mung beans are very popular in China, the Philippines and Indonesia.

Sweet bean paste made from mung beans can come in two varieties, depending on what type of mung beans you start with.

It’s brownish if you use whole green mung beans or light yellow if you use it peeled mung beans.

Our recipe uses split mung beans to make one golden bean pastebut you can also make it with the greens if you like!

Yellow mung beans are mung beans that have had the outer green husk removed and the inner yellow flesh split. Tiny, light and tender mung beans are also known as yellow mongoose dal or moong Dal.

To prepare the paste you need to simmer the beans until soft, mash them and then Boil them in a pan until the bean pulp turns into a dense paste.

Adding oil to the bean paste helps make it creamy and cohesive, while sugar makes it sweet!

But if you want to reduce the added sugar and make the bean paste healthier, we’ve got you covered Option to use erythritol instead of sugar.

Erythritol is a natural and safe sweetener that we use all the time in our sugar-free recipes. It looks and tastes like sugar but has no calories, and you can mindlessly substitute it in a 1:1 ratio in almost any recipe. Try it!

Once ready, you can use this yellow bean paste as a filling for many wonderful Asian sweets. The standard ingredients yield two generous glassesso you’ve had enough!

You can try it immediately in our Filipino mung bean Hopia pastry or use it in the famous Chinese moon cakes. You can even use the paste to make high protein bean ice cream!

This flavorful and creamy bean filling also tastes great in steamed buns, baked buns and sesame puffs. With so many recipe ideas waiting for you, it’s time to get started!

Step 1

To prepare the paste, make sure you use dried yellow split mung beans, also known as mung beans mung dal or moong Dal.

They are made from peeled and halved whole green mung beans.

Rinse beans a few times until the water runs clear.

Then place them in a bowl, cover with water and let them soak for at least 4 hours or overnight.

Alternatively, you can soak them in hot water for 2 hours.

The split mung beans will expand and become tender enough that you can easily break them with your fingernails.

step 2

Drain and discard the soaking water.

Place the soaked yellow mung beans in a saucepan and cover with water.

Make sure the water is two fingers above the level of the beans, as they will expand during cooking.

Cover with a lid and bring the water to a boil.

Once cooked, simmer the beans over medium-low heat for about 30-35 minutes.

When you see foam coming to the surface, skim it off with a spoon.

The beans should be cooked through: soft, creamy, and easy to mash.

step 3

Now drain the cooking water through a fine mesh strainer or colander.

Try to squeeze out as much water as possible by squeezing the beans with a spatula or the back of a spoon.

Then puree the yellow mung beans in a food processor or hand blender until smooth.

step 4

Next, place the mashed mung beans in a large non-stick skillet.

Add the oil, salt and the sugar-free sweetener erythritol.

You can replace granulated erythritol with the same amount of powdered sugar.

Mix well with a spatula and turn the heat to medium-high.

step 5

Boil the yellow bean mash for 15-20 minutes to dry it.

Taste the mash and add more sugar or erythritol if you like it sweeter.

Be sure to stir the mixture constantly as it cooks to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.

At first, the bean puree is quite runny and fluffy, but as you cook it, it becomes drier, denser, and more cohesive, forming a dough-like paste.

Keep in mind that the yellow bean paste will harden as it cools.

To check if it’s done, take a spoonful of mung bean paste and let it cool quickly in the fridge: it should feel a bit like cookie dough – dry and thick enough that you can easily shape it into a ball.

step 6

Once the sweet mung bean paste is ready, transfer to a clean bowl or jar, cover with a lid or cling film and allow to cool completely.

If the paste feels too dry and grainy after cooling, you can stir in some oil to make it creamier.

Your homemade yellow mung bean paste is ready!

Use it as a delicious filling for Filipino munggo hopias, Chinese mooncakes, sesame balls or steamed buns.

tips

You can store the sweet mung bean paste in the fridge for 2-3 weeks or freeze it for 4 months.