Meatless Monday: Azuki Bean Soup
Cooking Tool of the Month – Pressure Cooker
Azuki Bean Soup is a very traditional macrobiotic recipe. You can find a version of this soup in almost every macrobiotic book. It happens to be one of my favorites, which is why I chose it for today’s pressure cooker recipe. It comes from Cooking For Health: Stress & Hypertension, a series of books by Aveline Kushi. This is an old school macrobiotic book I bought when I was in culinary school (it was on sale at Half Price for $2). It contains the theory of macrobiotics, some really great drawings of knife techniques and traditional macrobiotic recipes. I wouldn’t suggest this book to anyone (there are better macro books out there), but I had to make a recipe out of it for Cookbook Mania!
Last week I showed you how to use your pressure cooker and a delicious stew recipe. You can check out that video here. Surprisingly there wasn’t many comments on that post, which must mean I haven’t convinced you how badly you need a pressure cooker (yet). So my quest continues! Wait till you see how to make delicious seitan this week! The pressure cooker makes awesome bean soups. And since it’s winter I’m all about the soup.
Azuki beans are little red beans popular in Japan and China. It’s often used in pastries, desserts, and ice cream. You may think that is weird, but once you have an anpan (pronounced onpon) you’ll understand why these beans make the most delicious pastry filling. There was a restaurant in LA that carried vegan versions of these red bean donuts, which was where my love affair began.
Here’s the recipe from Aveline’s book with my changes. I added kabocha squash because it just tastes better that way. I didn’t have fresh ginger but would have preferred it. I used dried ginger instead. Mine was more like a stew than a soup, so feel free to add more water when you season at the end if you want it more soup-like. I leave it up to you how beany you want your soup. The kombu is a must have ingredient in your pantry when cooking dried beans. It helps aid in digestion and also adds flavor to the soup.
I served mine with sliced avocado and cilantro, which is a non-traditional way to eat a Japanese soup, but it was really good that way! If you visit Heather at Healthy Vegan Recipes she shares a video on my version of this soup found in Blissful Bites.
Azuki Bean Soup
Makes 2 to 3 hearty bowls
2 inch piece kombu
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced carrot
1 cup kabocha squash, cubed
1 teaspoon ground ginger (1/2 teaspoon fresh grated)
1/2-1 cup dried azuki beans, washed and drained
Filtered water
Tamari to taste
Sliced avocado, for garnish
Cilantro, for garnish
Directions:
Layer the kombu onion carrot then kabocha in the pressure cooker. Sprinkle beans on top with ginger and add in water to just cover vegetables (about 2-3 cups). Lock lid and bring to pressure over medium high flame. When pressure is reached lower flame and simmer for 25 minutes. Let it come down from pressure naturally then remove lid. Season with tamari (I start with 1 tablespoon) and simmer for a few more minutes. Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve immediately garnished with avocado and cilantro.
Have you tried azuki beans before? What soups have you been making lately?
Lovely soup! Using a pressure cooker for beans is the best method! I've never used azuki beans.. Will have to look for them! I usually soak my beans overnight or at least for 4 hours. It takes about an hour to cook them. Keep the recipes coming!
Thank you! You should be able to find azuki at any natural food store in the bulk bins and they are at Asian grocers as well.
Oh, when I saw "red bean" stuff on Japanese menus I was thinking red kidney beans (like in red beans and rice, cause I'm from Louisiana!) This makes more sense. 🙂
Haha yep those are azuki beans. Try them!
yum! this sounds right up my alley!
Enjoy!
i am pretty obsessed with my pressure cooker, but i find i use it mostly for preparing food ingredients… like i cook my beans with it but then use my slow cooker or regular pot for actually making the soup… perhaps i should branch out. i've had adzuki beans at restaurants, but never made them… project! 🙂
Oh I love using my pc for one pot meals and soups, especially when they involve beans. So quick! Split pea soup in 10 minutes!
This looks amazing! I have a question: is there any way to adjust this to cook in a pot? I want to make it but don't have a pressure cooker! Also, if I can't find kabocha squash is there a squash you find an especially good substitute? THANK YOU! xoxoxo
Cooking azuki beans from scratch can take 45 minutes. I would cook those separately and add them into the veggies when they are almost tender (which will take way less time, like 10 minutes). OR used canned azuki beans from Eden Foods. You can use any winter squash you would like, butternut or delicata would be great.
I really enjoy your cooking tool of the month series. Always informative with great recipes and tips. I’m a big fan of the pressure cooker because it can cut the cooking time of beans and grains immensely. I’ll have to try this adzuki bean recipe I just happen to have some on hand. 🙂
Thanks Sonny! I adore my pressure cooker. It’s my fave right after my Vitamix 😉
Made this today, with a few adjustments (veggie brith instead of water, added some spices before cooking). I did soak the beans to give a bit of extra help in digestion; also used butternut squash pieces instead of kabocha. Amazing soup!! Thanks for the recipe!
Glad you enjoyed it! Sounds like great additions!
I realize you created this recipe several years ago–it’s a joy to find it now. I have an Instant Pot at home, and I’d like to make this on the pressure cooker setting. As far as you can tell, is the setting for high pressure (25 minutes, unsoaked beans, the kabocha and all the fixings included) analogous to the instructions to simmer for 25 minutes after reaching full pressure on the stovetop pressure cooker? Will this make the squash mushy? Is mushy squash a texture I should be looking for? Thanks again for this recipe! I’m eager to try it.