Red Bean Paste

This paste is the most common way red beans are used in China. The beans are soaked, boiled, mashed, and cooked with sugar and lard into a red, sweet paste, which is used as a filling for dumplings, pastries, and buns. It comes in cans, and like lotus seed paste, several brands of equal quality are available. Once the can is opened, refrigerate the unused paste in a tightly covered container for up to 6 weeks.