Difference betwen anko, koshi an, azuki?!

Question: Difference betwen anko, koshi an, azuki?

So, when I was in Japan 9 months ago, there was sometimes sweet red bean paste and it was called anko. My friend made some anko for me. The other day, I went to a Japanese restaurant in Olympia, and they had red bean flavoured mochi ice cream. They said that red bean was azuki. And at the asian market, I bought a package of what is called koshi an--red bean paste! So what is the difference? Are they different types of bean paste?

Answers:

Anko, koshi an and azuki are all the same name for the sweet red bean, but are prepared in slightly different ways.

Azuki 小豆
Azuki is the Japanese name for the sweet red bean. This is the common name for the bean no matter what form it is in, including the dry form.

Anko 餡子
Anko is the Japanese name for cooked azuki beans that have been boiled in water with added sugar and then mashed into a lumpy paste. This is commonly used as a filling, or made into soups such as oshiruko.

Koshi An　漉し餡
Koshi an is made in a similar manner to anko, but with no added sugar. Once cooked, it is strained to removed the husk of the bean to give a tasty smooth texture which is ideal for use in confectionary such as mochi or anpan bread.

Azuki, or sometimes Adzuki is used in English as a general term for anything that is made from these sweet red beans. In Japanese, the difference between anko and koshi an is essentially just the removal of the husk to make it smooth or not.

By the way, if you need to purchase some Yude Azuki (already cooked azuki), you can buy it in tins from here:
http://www.japancentre.com/items/2995

I hope this helps

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Difference betwen anko, koshi an, azuki?!

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