How to Make Shiro An (白あん)/ White Bean Paste

Shiro An(白あん) is one of the important ingredients for Japanese sweets. However, it’s not easy to purchase in the regular grocery store especially here in the U.S. It takes time to make them but is made with very simple ingredients. You can keep them in a freezer for a couple of months, so it is always a good idea to make them ahead.

What is Shiro An?

Shiro an (白あん) is a sweet white Japanese bean paste, and one of the fundamental ingredients for Japanese confections. It’s used as a filling for mochi, bread, and a number of Japanese sweets.

Ingredients of Shiro An

White Beans– Shiro an is normally made out of white beans such as shiro ingenmame(白いんげん豆),  shirohana mame(白花豆) or Oofuku Mame(大福豆) in Japan.  However, we can not get the exact same beans in the U.S. so I used white kidney beans for this recipe. You can also use lima beans or navy beans.

Sugar– Use granulated sugar, caster sugar, or any type of white sugar. Do not use sugar that has color, such as brown sugar or coconut sugar. Because we are making “white” bean paste. The normal beans and sugar ratio is 1:1.

Salt – Adding a pinch of salt provides deepness in flavor. However, it’s totally optional. You can make it without salt.

Baking Soda – Helps to cook beans, but you can make the paste without baking soda.

Step by Step

1. Wash the beans and pre-cook the beans with plenty of water.
2. When the skin of beans get wrinkled, add the beans to the cold water. Then peel the skins.
3. Cook the beans with low heat until beans are completly cooked.
4. Strain the beans with fine mesh strainer.
5. Mix the water and striained beans in the bowl. Wait for 20 to 30 minuntes then skim the water. Repeat the process two to three times.
6. Squeeze the bean mixture with a cheesecloth or tenugui (Japanese towel) This mixture is called “nama an(生餡)”
7. Cook the bean mixture and sugar with a non-stick pan. Make sure sugar is fully melted sugar and evaporate the moisture from the bean mixture.
8. Once the bean paste becomes the desired firmness, transfer the paste to the big plate or sheet pan to cool down. (Do not leave the paste in the pot. )

Tenugui Towel 3 Type Set

6″ Fine Mesh Strainer

What Can I Make Using Shiro An?

Shiro an is more versatile than tsubu an (red bean paste with skin) or koshi an (red bean paste without skin) because it’s white and smooth. Shiro an is used as the filling for the sweets but also added to the dough for the sweets. For example, nerikiri, (one of the Japanese confectionaries) is made with dough containing Shiro an. I make flavored bean paste using shiro an a lot. Shiro an also can be used for western sweets such as pound cake or chocolate cake. Shiro an creates a moist and sweet cake and is healthier than adding butter or chocolate.

Shiro An / White Bean Paste

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 3 hours 3 hours

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

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Ingredients

• 2 cups (353g) of White Kidney Beans
• 1 ¾ to 2 cups (358g) of sugar
• ½ teaspoons (3g) of baking soda
• pinch of salt

Instructions

1. After washing kidney beans, add them into a large pot with 3 times the amount of water from the beans. Turn the heat on.
   
   
2. Once the water starts simmering, stair the baking soda in,  and turn the heat to low. Cook for five minutes, and cover with the lid and remove from the heat. Wait for 5 minutes to steam beans.
   
3. When the skin of the beans gets wrinkled, strain them and add them into cold water. Then peel the skins.
   
   
4. Add the beans into the large pot, pour cold water just enough to cover the beans. You will add the water while cooking the beans later. Cook the beans with low heat until beans are cooked. (smush easily by finger)
   
   
5. Strain the beans by using a fine strainer and a big bowl. You can add cold water when you straining the beans. The fine strainer can make smoother bean paste but you need a patience to strain.
   

6. You will have a strained bean mixture and water in the bowl. Now you skim the water. Then add clean water, stir them, then wait for 15 to 20 minutes until the bean mixture goes to the bottom. Then skim the water. Repeat this process two to three times.
   

7. Once the water becomes more clear than the first time, strain them by using a cheesecloth or tenugui (Japanese towel). Squeeze them hard. This mixture is called “namaan”.
   

8.  Put the namaan into a non-stick pan. (use copper pan traditionally) Add sugar and cook them in medium-low heat.
   

9. Constantly mix by spatula to not burn the bottom of the pan. Let the moisture evaporate from the mixture. Cook them until desired thickness. It becomes firmer after the paste cools down.
   

10. Add salt and remove it from the heat. Transfer the paste to the big plate or sheet pan to cool them down quickly.
    
11.  Transfer the paste to a clean container. Up to  4 to 5 days in the refrigerator or  2 to 3 months in the freezer.