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Tsubuan

tsubuan

Chunky sweet azuki bean paste made by lightly mashing cooked beans, skins included, rather than straining them smooth.

Tsubuan (粒餡, “grain paste”) is anko made without straining out the bean skins. The azuki beans are simmered gently enough to hold their shape, then lightly mashed or left mostly whole, producing a chunkier texture with visible bean structure. Many wagashi makers describe tsubuan as having a more direct bean flavor than koshian, since nothing gets filtered out in production. Kansai-style sakuramochi is a well-known example of a sweet typically filled with tsubuan rather than koshian.