Ingredients
- 1 cup (220 g/7 oz) azuki beans
- 2/3 cup (145 g/5 oz) caster (superfine) sugar
- pinch of salt
- 4 squares of mochi
Method
1. Rinse the beans, then place in a large saucepan of water and bring to the boil. Drain, then return the beans to the pan with 1 litre (32 fl oz) fresh water. Bring to the boil again, cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 2 hours, or until the beans are tender and almost all the water has been absorbed. Check the beans occasionally as you may need to add a little more water.
2. Add the sugar and 1.5 litres (48 fl oz) water and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and cook for about 40 minutes, or until the beans are soft but not mushy. You should have a thin but chunky ‘soup’; if you prefer, you can make the soup thicker by mashing some of the beans with a fork or make it thinner by adding a little extra water. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and set aside.
3. Preheat the grill (broiler) to high. Line a baking tray with foil and place the mochi on top. Cook, turning frequently, for 10 minutes, or until mottled golden and puffed up to about twice their size. Place a rice cake in the base of four small, deep serving bowls and ladle the soup over the top. Traditionally the chewy mochi is eaten with chopsticks, then the soup is drunk directly from the bowl.
