Amanatto

What to get ready

• Red bean 1.8 lb
• Sugar 1.9 lb
• Decorative granulated sugar 7.1 oz
• Salt 0.3 oz
• Agar powder 0.3 oz
• Pekmez grape syrup ¼ cup

Method

1. 1 Soak red beans for 12 hours, then gently boil them for 50 minutes until they are soft but the skins don't crack.
2. 2 Make a thin sugar syrup and then soak the beans in it for 30 minutes on the stove.
3. 3 Increase the sugar concentration in four increments, adding more sugar and soaking for another 30 minutes each time.
4. 4 The secret is to increase the sugar gradually; adding all the sugar at once will cause the beans to shrink and wrinkle.
5. 5 Remove the beans from the pot and drain them on a rack for 3 hours until the surface of the beans is slightly dry.
6. 6 Roll each grain in sugar and then dry at 60 degrees for 40 minutes.

With an appliance

• Pressure cooker 2 hr 10 min

  Replace step 1: cook the soaked red beans under low pressure for 15 minutes, then release the pressure naturally for 10 minutes; this reduces cooking time by about 25 minutes compared to the usual 50 minutes of boiling, resulting in beans that are soft to the core with minimal cracking of the shell if left undisturbed immediately after opening. The four sugar-increasing steps in steps 2–4 are still done under pressure to prevent the beans from shrinking.