How to Cook Sekihan, Traditional Japanese Red Steamed Rice with Azuki Beans

     Today, I cooked sekihan (赤飯), traditional Japanese red steamed rice with azuki beans, for my first time, and it turned out good! It had delicious azuki aroma. :) 

      When I was a child, my grandmother sometimes cooked sekihan in honor of some occasion such as our family members' birthdays and New Year's Days. :) Last week, when my husband and I went to our local Japanese supermarket, I found this pack of red beans, azuki, so I finally decided to make sekihan for my first time. Actually, it was easy than I thought. :) Today, I'm going to share how to cook sekihan with you.

Japanese Red Beans, Azuki

Ingredients (8 Servings)
4 Go of Sweet Rice
2 oz of Japanese Red Beans, Azuki
30 fl oz of Water
Nip of Baking Soda
Nip of Salt
Black Sesame Seeds (Optional)

Japanese Red Beans, Azuki

1. Rinse sweet rice. Then put it in the bowl of your rice cooker.

2. Rinse red beans. Pour water into a sauce pan and bring it to a boil. Add baking soda and red beans in it. Simmer it for 30 minutes.

3. Take out the beans. (You will also use red bean water for the next step.)

Put a damp paper towel over beans to prevent water evaporation.

4. Chill the red bean water.

5. Add red bean water to the sweet rice water level in the bowl of the rice cooker. (It might be around 24 fl oz). 

6. Select "Sweet Rice" and start cooking.

7. When rice is cooked, finally add the boiled red beans. Then, toss steamed rice and red beans.

8. Serve in a bowl. Sprinkle salt and black sesame seeds according to your taste.

9. Enjoy!

       These are my entries you might like.

■How to Cook Okowa, Japanese Sticky Rice

■How to Make Whole Tomato Rice with Using A Rice Cooker 

■Top 10 Most Popular Japanese Foods

■My Top 15 Must Eat Foods in Japan - My Favorite Japanese Foods

■How to Make Tamago Kake Gohan - Raw Egg on Rice

■Top 10 Products You Should Buy at Japanese Supermarkets (for Beginners!)

■8 Interesting Japanese Kitchen Gadgets!

■My Top 10 Favorite Japanese Snacks

■My Top 10 Favorite Japanese Sweets

■How to Cook Easy Teriyaki Chicken

■How to Make Japanese Deep Fried Chicken, Kara-Age

■How to Cook Japanese Curry

■Top 5 Most Popular Japanese Curry Sauce Mix

■How to Cook Miso Soup

■How to Make Tamagoyaki, Japanese Omelette

■Top 10 Products You Should Buy at Daiso 


    My entries related to Japan can be seen here.

    My entries related to cooking can be seen here.

    My entries related to my favorite recipes can be seen here.

    My entries related to foods my husband cooked can be seen here.

    My entries related to Japanese instant ramen can be seen here.

    My entries related to Japanese noodles can be seen here.

    My entries related to Japan Haul can be seen here.
 
    My entries related to Best Japanese Beauty Products can be seen here.