Red bean rice, called patbap (팥밥) in Korean language, sekihan (赤飯) in Japanese, and hóngdòu fàn (红豆饭) in Chinese language, is an East Asian rice dish consisting of cooked rice cooked with adzuki bean.
East Asian varieties
China
Hóngdòu fàn (红豆饭) is a traditional Chinese dish found in some regions of
China. It is particularly common in
Jiangsu and eaten during the Winter Clothes Day. A legend from the Dafeng area of
Yancheng, Jiangsu says that people eat a bowl of
glutinous rice mixed with red beans on the Winter Clothes Day in Jiangsu to commemorate a shepherd boy who was slain by a
landlord.
[《图解民俗大全-精编美绘版》(1 May 2012)."关心先人的送寒衣"( P230—P231)[1] Accessed 20 December 2016] It is said that a long time ago, an adorable shepherd boy was born into a poor family. His parents could not support him, so he made a living by shepherding for a landlord.
[《节气时令吃什么》(1 November 2013)."十月初一——寒衣"( P187)[2] Accessed 20 December 2016] One day, his carelessness in tending to the sheep resulted in those sheep falling into a valley and dying. After hearing the news, the landlord was extremely angry. Consequently, he beat and scolded the shepherd boy. The shepherd boy begged for the landlord to stop the relentless beating but he did not.
When the shepherd boy believed that he would die from the beatings, he fought against the landlord, but the landlord picked up a knife next to him and killed the boy. The blood of the shepherd boy stained the glutinous rice on the ground red. Coincidentally, that day was 1 October.
In 2015, red bean rice was served to Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi at a state banquet with General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping in Xi'an, Shaanxi.
Japan
Sekihan (赤飯, , rice boiled together with red beans
[ Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary, ]) is a Japanese traditional dish. It is
sticky rice steamed with
, which give a reddish color to the rice, hence its name.
The rice of ancient times of Japan was red. Therefore, red rice was used in Shinto . Red rice has a strong taste of tannin, and its cultivation has been almost completely abandoned.
Sekihan is often served on special occasions throughout the year in Japan, for example, birthdays, weddings and some holidays, such as Shichi-Go-San.
Sekihan is so strongly connected with celebrations that the phrase "Let's have sekihan" has acquired the meaning "Let's celebrate". It is believed that sekihan is used for celebrations because of its red color, symbolizing happiness in Japan.
It is usually eaten immediately after cooking but it may also be eaten at room temperature, as in a celebratory bento (boxed lunch). Sekihan is traditionally eaten with gomashio (a mixture of lightly toasted sesame and salt).
There are also regional varieties of sekihan. Some versions call for sugar instead of salt to give a sweet flavor. Others use amanattō (sweetened bean confectionery) or sasage (Cowpea) instead of adzuki.
Korea
Patbap () is a
bap (cooked grain dish) made with non-
glutinous rice white rice Japonica rice and
.
has been mentioned in the documents such as
Joseon Mussangsinsik Yorijaebeop (), the early cookbook that compiled the information how to make the traditional dishes of
Joseon.
It is especially a traditional recipe of
Pyongan Province, where adzuki beans are grown in abundance.
In Korean culture, it is usually eaten in the winter months, but it is also prepared for holidays and birthdays.
For that reason it is sometimes referred to as "birthday rice".
Patbap is typically made in the same way as making huinbap (cooked white rice), with the additional step of mixing cooked whole adzuki beans with soaked white rice before boiling.
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Patbap (팥밥) – Adzuki beans are boiled with 6–7 parts water until cooked but intact.
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Budungpat-bap (부둥팥밥) – Budung-pat means fresh (rather than dried) beans.
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Geopipat-bap (거피팥밥) – Geopi-pat means husked beans.
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Jungdung-bap (중둥밥) – Whole adzuki beans are boiled in water and sieved, so that the water can be used to make reddish rice.
See also
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Kongbap – similar Korean dish made with soybeans
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Patjuk – red bean porridge
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Red bean cake – similar Japanese rice cake made with red beans
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Red beans and rice
External links
