As strange as it may sound to those of us living in the west, beans are used to make sweets; azuki beans are used here. They’re a reddish auburn colour and have been growing in the Himalayas since about 1000 BC; in the East Asian countries they’re  commonly used to make sweets but, interestingly, they’re also used in Somalia to make a sweet supper dish called cambuulo. In the east, they’re used in sweets and blended until smooth with beaten butter; it’s an easy recipe and can be made at home – there is no reason why you couldn’t try and make it yourself.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Azuki beans
• 200 grams sugar
• 3 tablespoons peanut oil (lard is used a lot in Yunnan, but the oil is just fine)
• ¼ teaspoon salt

Method

• Cover the beans in water and soak overnight.
• Drain, put in fresh water and cover the beans by about 2 centimeters.
• Bring to the boil, simmer until they are soft – about 40 minutes or even less.
• Take of the heat, allow to cool and place everything in a food processor and process until it is very smooth – it will take a while.
• Put back into the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring all the time to get rid of the liquid for about 20 minutes or so.
• Stir in the sugar and the salt and cook for another 7 minutes after which you remove from the heat.
• Stir in the peanut oil and put back in the food processor to mix very well and make sure of a smooth texture.
• Put in a container and keep in the fridge for about a week.