Maple Cinnamon Anko

The red bean paste I made last time was good, but I thought it needed more depth. This time I changed the recipe a bit and it like it even better

Ingredients
1 lb bag dried azuki beans
3 cups water
1 tsp salt
4.5 tbsp maple syrup
1.5 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cocoa powder


Cooking

Soak the dried azuki beans in water for 2-3 hours. After 3 hours, the water would be a little bit red. Discard the water and soak the azuki beans over night 8-12 hours. After 8 hours, you should be able to smell the azuki bean aroma.

Bring 5 cups of water to a boil. Once it's boiling, add the azuki beans and cook for 5 minutes. Discard the water and drain the beans. Put the beans back in the pot with 3 cups of water, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt and cocoa powder. Bring it to a boil and then simmer for 2 hours. Check it after 1 hour and add a bit more water if needed.

When the beans are soft and squish easily between your fingers, they are ready. Let the beans cool for 30 minutes and then mash them. If you want a fine red bean paste, use a food processor. I like it with a bit of texture, so I mash it with a potato masher.