Put Chai Ko (Hong Kong Red Bean Bowl Pudding)

Instructions

1. Soak the dried adzuki beans in plenty of cold water for 2 hours, then drain. Simmer them in the 600 ml water, partly covered, until tender but still whole, 40 to 50 minutes, adding the granulated sugar for the last 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.
2. Whisk the rice flour, wheat starch and cold water in a heatproof bowl into a smooth slurry.
3. Dissolve the Chinese brown slab sugar in the boiling water over low heat, stirring, about 3 minutes. Pour the hot syrup into the slurry in a thin stream, whisking constantly.
4. Pour the batter into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it thickens slightly to the consistency of heavy cream, 1 to 2 minutes; this keeps the beans suspended instead of sinking. Take it off the heat at once.
5. Bring water in a steamer to a rolling boil. Brush the bowls with the vegetable oil and heat them in the steamer for 2 minutes.
6. Put about 1 tablespoon of red beans in each hot bowl, stir the batter and fill each bowl almost to the top.
7. Cover and steam over high heat for 20 to 25 minutes, until the puddings are set, glossy and translucent and a skewer comes out clean.
8. Lift out the bowls and let the puddings cool for at least 1 hour so they firm up. Run a thin knife around each one, lift out with two bamboo skewers and serve.