redbean (16)
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Steamed red-bean peach-shaped buns: A sign of longevity, these peach-shaped buns are typically gifted to the elderly in Chinese culture. I found this particular brand of pre-made, frozen buns in a Chinatown grocery store in Boston. Though a serving size is a single bun, I eat two for breakfast to feel satiated. The buns are surprisingly good steamed in a rice cooker; the amount of steamed white bread feels substantial, and the red bean filling is sweet, but not overpoweringly so. The air-brushed peach accents are impressive, e... (read more) 4.0/5.0

redbean chinese peach pastry bread recommended dessert 4.0 steamed red-bean peach-shaped buns
2017 05 20 13.16.04

Blockheads Black sesame shaved ice with red bean, rice cakes, almond jelly, and condensed milk: Finally got to try this LA-based Taiwanese shaved ice chain. The black sesame ice cream had decent flavor but the texture was not as fluffy as I knew it could be given my recent experience at Powder in San Francisco. At Blockheads, they make their rice cakes in house, which are essentially tang yuan (the mochi-like glutinous rice dumplings that often accompany red bean soup). I expected their almond jelly to be almond jello, but it was more like the harder gelatin cubes often used in Asia... (read more) 3.0/5.0

dessert icecream asian losangeles shaved ice rice cakes almond jelly condensed milk 3.0 redbean blacksesame blockheads
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Breadtop matcha red bean bun: Breadtop is an Asian bakery chain in Australia. There is one close to the hotel I'm staying at in Brisbane, and it offers staples like sausage buns and sesame balls but also modern takes, like this matcha red bean bun. Unfortunately, the bun was unsuccessfully; the dough had very little matcha flavor, and the red bean filling was overly sweet and uninspired. The dusting of icing sugar made it messy to eat, without much added flavor. 2.0/5.0

breadtop bakery bread matcha redbean asian australian 2.0 red bean bun
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Choripdong korean red bean buns: Large, frozen buns filled with a substantial amount of red bean. The exterior has a surprising savory flavor, which tastes strange in combination with the sweet filling. 2.0/5.0

korean redbean buns bread frozen choripdong hmart red bean 2.0
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Golden Gate Bakery Sesame Ball: A dim sum classic, fried glutinous rice balls filled with red bean and tossed in toasted sesame seeds are a rare treat often worth the calories. Instead of choosing the default eggtart at San Francisco Chinatown’s Golden Gate Bakery, I selected their take on the sesame ball, seemingly transmogrified to twice its normal size. Barely fitting in my palm, the ball still had the same thin glutinous rice shell you expect but with double the amount of red bean paste inside. As the red bean paste is... (read more) 2.0/5.0

redbean glutinous chinese sanfrancisco goldengatebakery sesame ball 2.0
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Master Wang's Bakery Mochi: Brought back from Taipei, this brand of mochi treats comes in a variety box with individually-wrapped peanut, sesame, and red bean mochi. Since mochi is my favorite dessert, I can be an especially tough critic when it comes to this Japanese specialty, and it's not often I'm introduced to a new take. But after trying this brand, I've learned about a completely different texture of mochi that's slick rather than firm. While it's coated with a layer of starch like most packaged mochi is, biting... (read more) 4.0/5.0

recommended taiwanese redbean sesame peanut masterwangsbakery mochi 4.0