Japan
Shiruko (汁粉?), or oshiruko (お汁粉?) with the honorific "o" (お), is a traditional Japanese dessert. It is a sweet porridge of azuki beans boiled and crushed, served in a bowl with mochi. There are different styles of shiruko, such as shiruko with chestnuts, or with glutinous rice flour dumplings instead of mochi.
There are two types of shiruko based on difference of cooking way of azuki beans. Azuki beans could be turned into paste, crushed without keeping its original shape, or paste and roughly crushed beans are mixed. There is a similar dish, zenzai (善哉、ぜんざい?), which is made from condensed paste with heat and is less watery than shiruko, like making jam or marmalade. In Western Japan, Zenzai refers to a type of shiruko made from mixture of paste and crushed beans. In Okinawa Prefecture, the term "zenzai" commonly refers to this bean soup served over shaved ice with "mochi". Other toppings, such as sweetened condensed milk, are occasionally added for flavor.
It is loved by many Japanese, especially during the winter. The half-melted sticky mochi and the sweet, warm azuki bean porridge is thought by many to be an absolute delight. Shiruko is frequently served with a side dish of something sour or salty, such as umeboshi or shiokombu to refresh the palate as shiruko is so sweet that the taste may cloy after a while.
In some regions including Kagawa Prefecture, shiruko is also used for zōni, the special soup for New Year celebration.
Read more about this topic: Red Bean Soup
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