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What is Sekihan?
Sekihan is a celebratory rice dish steeped in history. Its name, which literally means “red rice”, most likely comes from the fact that it was traditionally made with red rice, which was said to be introduced from China thousands of years ago, sometime during the Jomon period (13000-300 BCE).
Red is an important color in Japanese culture. It is believed to ward off evil spirits and bring happiness and good luck. For this reason, it was common to cook red rice and make offerings to the gods. These days, Sekihan is eaten during celebrations such as birthdays, graduations and special days.
Modern Sekihan is made by steaming glutinous rice and adzuki beans together which gives the rice a beautiful hint of red. In my recipe, I will be showing you how to make this traditional Japanese celebration dish the easy way, in a pot on the stove!


How I Developed This Recipe
Sekihan is traditionally steamed, so my goal here was to produce a recipe that is easy and accessible to make in the everyday kitchen.
After tweaking the water quantities and cooking time, I’ve developed a fool-proof stove-top cooking method that results in perfectly cooked mochi rice every time! This recipe also works in the rice cooker using your regular white rice setting.
This Sekihan is really simple and great, so I hope you give it a try!
Key Ingredients & Substitution Ideas

- Mochigome: Also known as glutinous rice, sweet rice or mochi rice. Traditional sekihan is made with mochigome (affiliate link) which has a subtly sweet flavor and soft yet sticky texture. You can still make the dish with regular Japanese white rice, but it needs soaking time and will be slightly lacking the natural sweetness and sticky texture of real sekihan.
- Adzuki Beans: Adzuki beans are not only vital for the dish but also for the cooking process. Boiling dried adzuki produces red-tinted cooking water which will be later used to cook the rice.
- Salt and Sugar: A small amount of sea salt and caster sugar (or granulated) add depth to the dish and bring out the flavor of the adzuki beans.
- Sake: It is believed that adding sake to the water when you cook rice will improve the natural sweetness, and help the grains become shiny and plump. I always recommend using drinking sake over cooking sake, refer to my Sake 101 article for more information. If you can’t use sake then it can be omitted.
- Toppings: Sekihan is typically topped with “gomashio” which is made by grinding black sesame seeds and mixing them with salt (and sometimes sugar). I like the look of the whole sesame seeds so I simply sprinkle them over the top with a pinch of coarse sea salt instead.

Visual Walkthrough & Tips
Here are my step-by-step instructions for how to make beautiful Sekihan red bean rice at home. For ingredient quantities and simplified instructions, scroll down for the Printable Recipe Card below.
This section aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the cooking steps and techniques with visuals. It also includes more in-depth tips and tricks and explains why I do what I do.
Start by washing the beans to remove any dust and debris. Adzuki beans do not require soaking before cooking, but doing so will shorten the cooking time so you can soak them for 1-3 hours if you have time.

Once washed, transfer them to a pot and cover with water by about 2cm.

Bring to a boil over a medium heat and let them gently bubble for about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
The first batch of water contains astringency, so after 15 minutes of cooking, drain the water.

Return to the beans to the pot and add 750ml of water (or enough to cover by 2cm). Place a lid on top, bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Gently boil for about 40-50 minutes.

We want to preserve as much of the cooking liquid as possible from the 2nd boil, so using a lid will help prevent evaporation.
Check the beans occasionally and cook until the soft, but not mushy. Keep in mind that the beans will be cooked again with the rice, so if they are overcooked, they will certainly break when mixed with the rice.
Make sure to top up the water if necessary and ensure the beans are always submerged to promote even cooking.

Once the beans are cooked, drain them using a sieve placed over a heatproof bowl to catch the cooking liquid. Measure out 350ml of the leftover cooking water into a heatproof jug.

While the liquid is still hot, add the sugar, salt and sake. Mixing them in while it’s hot will dissolve them easily.

Let the liquid cool completely before moving onto the next step.
It is vital that you cook the rice with cold liquid, not hot or warm. Cooking rice with hot water will cause it to evaporate too quickly and will actually leave you with undercooked rice that is mushy on the outside.
Measure out your mochi rice and pour it into a bowl. Fill the bowl with water, gently swish it around and then drain. Repeat this three times in total to wash the rice. The water won’t run clear, and that’s okay.

Mochi rice is very absorbant, so it doesn’t need to be soaked.
Once it’s washed, transfer it to the pot and add the chilled adzuki beans cooking water.

Give it a shake to flatten the rice, then sprinkle the cooked adzuki beans evenly around the top.

Mixing the rice and beans together can cause the rice to cook unevenly. To prevent this, do not mix them, just leave the beans on top for the duration of the cooking process.
Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it on the stove over medium heat. Using a medium heat allows the water to heat up slowly and gradually cook the rice, ensuring even cooking.

When it starts to bubble and boil, set a timer for 1 minute. After 1 minute, reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer for 7 minutes.
As the water heats up, it evaporates and creates steam in the pot. This steam is vital for even cooking so it’s crucial not to remove the lid until the rice is fully cooked.
Once the 7 minutes are up, bast with a high heat for 10 seconds before turning off the stove. Then, set a timer for 15 minutes and leave the rice to finish cooking in the residual heat from the steam.
Again, it is important not to open the lid before the steaming is complete, as this will release the steam and the rice won’t finish cooking. This steaming part is one of the crucial steps to perfectly cooked rice and cannot be skipped.
Once 15 minutes have passed, you can finally remove the lid.

Gently mix the rice, being careful not to crush the grains or beans.

Finally, divide the rice into serving bowls and sprinkle with black sesame seeds and coarse salt to taste.

Alternatively, you can also use this sekihan to make rice balls!
Enjoy!
Jump to Full Recipe MeasurementsHow to Store
Sekihan is best eaten immediately after cooking, however, some people do let it cool and serve it in celebratory bento boxes or as rice balls.
If you have leftovers, divide them into individual portions and wrap them with plastic wrap, then place them in a sealable container to protect them from freezer burn. They can be stored in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Avoid refrigeration, as this can make the rice hard and dry.

I hope you enjoy this Sekihan recipe! If you try it out, I’d really appreciate it if you could spare a moment to let me know what you thought by giving a review and star rating in the comments below. It’s also helpful to share any adjustments you made to the recipe with our other readers. Thank you!

Sekihan (Japanese Red Bean Rice)
Ingredients
- 40 g dry adzuki beans
- water for first boil
- 750 ml water for second boil
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp sugar
- ½ tbsp sake
- 300 g glutinous rice (mochigome) glutinous rice/sweet rice
- black sesame seeds
- sea salt
Instructions
- Start by washing 40 g dry adzuki beans and remove any broken beans, then pour them into a saucepan. Fill with water until the beans are covered by about 2cm and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Boil for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Take the pan off the heat, then drain and discard the cooking water. This step will remove any astringency.
- Return the beans to the pot and add 750 ml water. Place a lid on top and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 40-50 minutes or until soft enough to crush between your fingers. Check regularly and top up with more water if necessary.
- Be careful not to overcook the beans. Once they're tender, separate them and reserve 350ml of the cooking water. If there isn't enough, top up with cold water.
- Add 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp sugar and ½ tbsp sake to the water and mix until dissolved. Leave to cool completely, it must not be warm when we start cooking the rice.
- Pour 300 g glutinous rice (mochigome) into a bowl and fill with water. Gently wash and drain the water. Repeat 3 times.
- Transfer the rice to your cooking pot and add the cooled adzuki bean cooking water. Shake the pot to flatten the rice, then sprinkle the cooked adzuki beans over the top (do not mix).
- Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it on the stove. Heat on medium and bring to boil. Boil for 1 minute, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 7 minutes. Do not remove the lid at any point.
- Blast the heat on high for 10 seconds, then turn off the stove. Leave to steam with the lid on for 15 minutes. Steaming is a vital part of the recipe and cannot be skipped or rushed, so make sure not to remove the lid before it has finished steaming.
- Once it's finished steaming, remove the lid and gently mix with a rice paddle.
- Divide between serving bowls and sprinkle each portion with black sesame seeds and sea salt. Enjoy!
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