Have you tried?
I remember eating this when I was a kid back in my homeland country, Malaysia. Now that I think about it, I think I've been having this red bean buns all my life. I even remember my late mother telling me excitedly how she watched her sister making these buns to sell.
My mother was the one who distributed the buns to several gas station kiosks in our home town. She got so happy that every time when she went to the kiosks they always told her to bring more buns since they ran out so fast.
Such memories.
The recipe for the buns is the recipe that I always use for all my sweet buns, with a slight difference.
For the filling, I'm taking a short cut in using red beans from the jar, already cooked. Less hassle. Some recipes use oil to make the red bean paste shiny but I see there's no need for that. Some also add flour to thicken the red bean paste.
I see there's no need in that also as the paste will thicken eventually as you cook it. One thing though, just be careful because as the paste thickens, it tends to spit.
Do try this recipe. Another delicious Asian sweet treat for you. Enjoy!
More Bun Recipes
- Apple stuffed buns
- Soft & fluffy milk buns
- Nutella babka buns
- Sweet potato donuts
- Swedish cardamom pistachio buns
Video
📖 Recipe
Caterpillar Red Bean Buns
Ingredients
The Red Bean Paste
- 14 oz cooked red beans (400 gr)
- ½ cup water (125 ml)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar (150 gr)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
The Buns
- ⅔ cup warm milk (160 ml)
- 2 tablespoon honey (36 gr)
- 2 ¼ teaspoon dry yeast (7 gr)
- 2 ½ cup bread flour (325 gr)
- 2 tablespoon granulated sugar (25 gr)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 egg , room temperature
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter (30 gr), melted
Others
- 1 egg , for egg wash
- splash of milk , for egg wash
- some black sesame seeds
- some melted unsalted butter
Instructions
The Red Bean Paste
- In a food processor, blend the red bean and water into a fine mixture. Pour into a pot and add in sugar and salt. Cook on medium heat until the mixture thickens, around 25 minutes. Reduce the heat as it thickens to avoid the bubbling mixture splash out on you, be careful.
- Transfer to a plate and cover with cling film. Set aside and let it cool completely before using.
- Once cooled, divide the paste evenly into 8 portions.
The Buns
- Add in honey into warm milk and stir until honey is dissolved. Then sprinkle the dry yeast and mix. Leave for it to get foamy, around 3-5 minutes.
- In a standing mixer, add in all of the buns ingredients including previously prepared yeast mixture. Mix to incorporate and then knead for 10 minutes. Transfer dough to an oiled bowl and coat the dough with some oil to avoid crust forming on it.
- Cover the bowl tightly with cling film. Leave for the dough to rise until double its size in a warm and draft free place.
- Once doubled its size, transfer it to a floured working surface. Lightly knead it into a log and then cut it into 8 equal pieces. Form each piece into a ball.
Assembling
- Take 1 ball and roll it into a 3.5 inch (9 cm) circle, more or less. Then place 1 portion of the red bean paste in the middle. Pinch the seams and form it into a ball.
- Now roll it into an oval of 4x7 inch (10x18 cm), more or less. Using a sharp knife, make a few straight line cuts on the top dough only, taking care not to cut until the dough at the bottom.
- Flip it and start rolling into a caterpillar shape and bend a bit the 2 ends inwards. Place it on a baking tray sprinkled with some flour. Do the same with the rest of the balls.
- Brush the buns with some egg wash (beat 1 egg with a splash of milk) and then sprinkle some sesame seeds on top.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 340ºF (170ºC) for 15 minutes or until golden brown and fully cooked. Remove from the oven and immediately brush them with some melted butter. Cool completely on a rack.Enjoy!
Natalie Belding says
I love to make breads and when came across your video in youtube I thought I need to make these cute looking buns! LOL! They were amazing! And also I haven't tried red bean paste before. Now that I have I love it. Thank you so much Bea! <3
Bea says
Hey I'm excited to know that you've tried the red bean paste. It's not weird to have red beans associated with sweet, right? Haha! Thank you so much Natalie!