What is the Chinese name for sweet red bean paste used in dim sum desserts?

The Chinese name for sweet red bean paste used in dim sum desserts is Hong dou sha.

Hong dou sha (紅豆沙) literally means “red bean sand” or “red bean paste.” It is made primarily from adzuki beans, which are boiled, mashed or ground, and sweetened with sugar. Depending on the recipe, the paste may be smooth or retain small pieces of bean and husk.

In Chinese cuisine, the paste appears in steamed buns, sesame balls, mooncakes, glutinous rice dumplings, and other sweets. It can also be loosened with water to make a sweet red bean dessert soup. Chinese recipes may also use the broader term dou sha, meaning bean paste, while hong dou sha specifically identifies the red-bean version.

A common mix-up is anko, the Japanese term for a similar adzuki-bean paste. Tangyuan are filled glutinous rice balls, doufu means tofu, and neither is the name of the paste itself.