Wait, wait, I know, I’ll make amanatto yeahhhhh, that’s the ticket. Only problem is, there are zero recipes online. None. Zip. Zero. Checked high, checked low, checked the .jp, for what it’s worth. Well, that sucked.

“All is not lost yet!”, I thought to myself. I will attempt to create a recipe for amanatto. Yes, I’ll fa-diddle in the kitchen so that I may appease my hankering for candied beans!!!

So I tinkered: I used a bit ‘o this, a touch of that, a ton of sugar, a lot of time. I finally had something after all the hard work. Next, I had to taste test it. I had to make sure that this was an authentic Japanese wagashi. I loved it, David, loved it, my friends loved it, but would the Japanese?

I took this to the Japanese Festival and offered it the Japanese members of the bon odori group after our first performance. They clucked over it and tasted it. Then they asked me where I had bought the amanatto. Moment of truth…I made it. Nani? Sugoi! Sugoi! Then I was forced right then and there to hand over the recipe.

Now, I’m going to share this rendition of a classic wagashi with you. I assure you, amanatto is a must try wagashi that even non-fans of Japanese food will love. Make this tasty treat for your Japanese friends and watch as they love you forever for making fresh, made from scratch amanatto! Here’s the recipe for how to make amanatto. It’s Nihonjin approved!

These are ingredients for amanatto okonomi, or assorted amanatto. You can use a single bean variety (amanatto) or all. You can try this recipe with as many different beans as you like. These are the beans I have personally used in my own okonomi.

Okonomi Amanatto

Recipe Update 4-3-08: Coating the finished amanatto in white sugar is optional only. It gives the finished beans a touch of class, but will also up the sweetness. The sugar coating step may be omitted, but the amanatto must still be dried some before storing. An oven set on 170 degrees for five minutes should dry out a cookie sheet filled evenly with amanatto. Follow the tips for avoiding troubles with humidity

• 1 cup sorted dried lima beans, *soaked overnight in plenty of water
• 1/2 cup sorted dried, azuki beans or 1/2 cup dried red beans, soaked overnight in plenty of water
• 1/2 cup sorted dried navy beans, soaked overnight in plenty of water
• 1/2 cup sorted dried black beans, soaked overnight in plenty of water
• 3 cups water
• 4 cups white granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt to taste (I like my syrup to be a tad salty), optional
• Additional white granulated sugar, optional

*Why soak? Soaking beans overnight cuts their cooking time almost in half for starters. And the soaking process also removes the complex sugars which make beans “the musical fruit”, i.e. it gets rid of the farty part.

Directions

1.) Mix the water and 4 cups of sugar, and salt, if using, together in a medium-large size sauce pan. Bring to a boil then set to simmer.

2.) Drain beans and rinse them in cold water. Cook beans separately, according to directions (make sure not to boil the beans too much or the skins will break and make for an ugly amanatto). If you have a pressure cooker, nows a good time to use it! Drain and rinse beans in cold water.

3.) Pick out any cooked beans that are too broken or too mushy. Pick out any loose bean skins.

4.) Gently add beans to simmering sugar mixture. Simmer gently uncovered for one hour 20 minutes or until beans become translucent (*Note: Only lima beans will become very translucent).

5.) In a separate bowl, pour some of the extra sugar, set aside. Heat oven to lowest temperature (mine is 170 degrees) and have some cookie sheets handy.

6.) Strain hot beans in a colander. Gently transfer hot beans in small batches to the bowl with sugar. Shake bowl gently to completely cover beans with sugar. Use a large slotted spoon to sift out covered beans. Repeat till all candied beans are covered.

7.) Place covered beans in a single layer on the cookie sheets. Put in preheated oven for 10 minutes or until outside is no longer very moist. *Note: This step may not be necessary in dry climates. My initial run of amanatto did not need this step. My second run was done when the humidity was high and I then needed this additional step. Also, do not overdry these or you’ll ruin the amanatto!

8.) Let beans cool completely on baking sheet, otherwise, when you store them you’ll have unwanted condensation which will ruin the amanatto. After completely cooled, store beans in an airtight container, in a cool dark place (no need to refrigerate). Amanatto will stay good for about a month, in a cool, dark, dry place.

Makes approximately five cups.

*Note: Humidity is the bane of amanatto and will make the amanatto tacky to the touch. To combat moisture:

• Dry the amanatto in a humidity free locale and not necessarily in an oven with a consisitent low temperature. One good way to do that is to heat the oven to its lowest setting, turn it off, put the amanatto in, and let it coast overnight. Repeat as necessary, but be very careful not to over dry the amanatto. Over drying your amanatto will make it crispy and nasty (I’ve been there).
• If you live in a humid climate, chances are very, very good there’s moisture in your sugar. Make sure your coating sugar has absolutely zero moisture; any moisture in the coating sugar will make the sugar clump on the beans and be difficult to dry. Some people advise microwaving sugar on the lowest setting for about one minute to remove any moisture.
• Candy and dry like sizes of beans with like, that way, there’s less of a chance of over drying the finished amanatto. If you use lima and mung beans for example, the mung beans will dry out much faster than the lima. Prepare beans which differ that much in size separately.
• Make sure the amanatto is at room temperature when storing; the slightest bit of heat will cause condensation in an airtight container.
• Get some food safe silica packs and place them in the container with the amanatto.

Making amanatto at home is a time consuming process, although thankfully, it’s fairly easy to make- the steps consisting mainly of boiling beans in various fluids. My advice to you then, which I myself took when I made amanatto the second time, is if you like amanatto, double or triple this recipe. I did and my amanatto still only lasted a little over two weeks. Make lots of this at a time since the time involved is relatively the same – give or take 10 minutes- if you make one batch or three.

A great thing about making amanatto at home is the money you’ll save. The amanatto I bought at Mitsuwa cost $3.50 for two and a half cups. That factors out to $1.40 a cup. After I bought the bags of beans and sugar – $0.72/ 2 lbs. lima; $1.00/ lb. black beans; $1.80/ lb. adzuki; $1.20/ lb. navy beans; $1.99/ 5 lbs. sugar – it cost me about $0.45 a cup for made from scratch amanatto. And, let’s face it, if you don’t live near an Asian market, your only chances of trying this stuff are practically non-existent unless you make it, buy it online, or go to Japan.

Amanatto is great as a stand alone snack, but it’s even better as an ingredient or additive! Try sprinkling amanatto on green tea ice cream or adding it to yogurt parfaits or ice cream sundaes. Make a fun Japanese snack mix with amanatto, plain kaki no tane, soy nuts, toasted pumpkin seeds, crunchy non-wasabi peas, and candied ginger! Add amanatto to muffins, cupcakes or to a spice cake instead of raisins. When making daifuku, toss some adzuki or black bean amanatto (lima beans would be too big) into the hot mochi for amanatto daifuku. Come Christmas, revamp that sorry fruit cake recipe with a Japanese twist by adding amanatto along with almonds, chestnuts, and candied ginger instead of the blasé stand-bys of candied cherries and pineapple, raisins, and walnuts. The culinary possibilities for this high protein fat-free treat are almost endless. Experiment with amanatto and expand your cooking horizons!

I liked amanatto since:

• It’s a delicious way to enjoy beans!
• Amanatto is a fat free treat that’s super high in fiber and protein.
• It’s a Japanese wagashi everyone can make!
• Amanatto is a versatile ingredient in creative cooking.

I have zero complaints about amanatto.

I love amanatto, and once you try making this at home, you and yours will too!

Difficulty: Easy | Time: 2-3.5 hours | Ingredient Availability: Easy

Azuki (sweet red) beans are a staple in Japanese wagashi. Their high sugar content makes them the perfect accompaniment for rice cakes, zenzai, daifuku, and a slew of other Japanese delicacies. White beans (lima?) are also used in Japanese baking. Specifically they’re used as a filling when making pan (bread buns) or other choice desserts.

The Japanese have been perfecting the art of wagashi for centuries and beans have played an important part in the art’s development. Azuki and white beans are simmered in sugar and then used whole or mashed. These beans have a thick, creamy texture when they’re mashed. This actually works really well as a dessert filling, believe it or not, albeit, an extraordinarily heavy one.

I found a most uniquely Japanese snack that cuts out the bread/ rice exterior and goes right to the good stuff: Amanattou Okonomi. Amanattou are beans (azuki, broad, green, etc.) that are boiled in a thick sugary syrup until they’re crystallized and tender. We’ve learned previously that okonomi means, “as you like”. In this instance, okonomi is “assortment”. Amanattou okonomi is “sugary bean assortment”.

Hamana is one of the companies who manufacture Amanattou okonomi. The packaging is simplistic and showcases the amanattou. The bag is resealable, without any English in sight, aside from the required label slapped on the back.

Included in this okonomi are huge, beige lima beans, smaller, darker broad and azuki beans, and, what looks like, green peas. All are completely coated in glistening sugar. These beans would look great in a plain black bowl for a fancy dinner party.

First bean to get sampled is a giant lima bean. The lima beans have a very dense, soft texture and are pretty heavy. I can hardly taste the bean. There is a unique light flavor, but it really doesn’t scream “BEAN!!!!” I mostly taste the sugar and I really dig the texture. These lima beans are good. I remember having this exact same bean stuffed in pan from East East and Mitsuwa.

The broad beans have a slightly rubbery texture, are heavy, and have a definite beany after taste. I like my broad beans fried, I decide after a third sampling. These are still unique, however and worth a try.

The peas taste like peas, but with sugar baked into and onto them. Don’t know how I feel about that. A third sampling makes me wonder why anybody would think peas are good as a dessert. The thick skin of the pea is a turnoff and detracts from the inside’s soft texture.

The azuki beans are sweet and dense and always a treat to eat. Their texture is soft but heavy. Azuki are such a complimentary bean; they enhance rather than overpower.

I’d have to say that my two fave beans from this assortment are the lima and azuki. The broad beans are good but the peas are too “off” for my taste. I think one would need to be in a “mood” to really enjoy the latter two.

The beans are meant as an assortment and they go down well when eaten in combination, even with the slight hitches with the broad beans and peas.

The former two are very snack worthy for the occasion that you really want a sweet treat that will fill you up with minimum consumption. And these will fill you up. I’ve eaten a handful and I feel full. One fourth of this big bag is only 154 calories but will scratch your sugar fiend itch. I should know; I’m one of the worst sugar fiends on record.

This is a traditional Japanese snack that could only be compared to sucking the frosting from one of those decorating tubes your mom used to use (you know what I’m talking about).

For all those out there thinking “Ewww, groady, beans for dessert!”, try a traditional daifuku or a amanattou pan before coming to the conclusion that beans are a foul choice for a sweet. Also, remember how Americans use vegetables in desserts: zucchini bread, sweet potato pie, and carrot cake, to name a few.

The Japanese know what they’re doing when they make dessert, give Amanattou a try; you’ll be getting your fix and a serving of veggies with every serving! Gotta love Japanese cuisine!

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Ranking Amanattou okonomi an overall