Shiro-an

Shiro-an (白餡, “white paste”) follows the same production logic as regular anko, straining the cooked beans smooth or leaving them chunky, but starts from white beans such as lima or cannellini beans rather than azuki. The result has a milder, more neutral flavor than azuki-based anko and a pale ivory color that takes food coloring cleanly. That’s why wagashi makers commonly use shiro-an as the base for hand-shaped, hand-colored seasonal nerikiri sweets, where a base that won’t compete with added color or azuki’s own reddish-brown tone matters more than the filling’s own flavor.