Red Bean Paste

1.Wash the red beans by rinsing them a couple of times in a bowl. Pick out any debris or beans that look black or undesirable. Drain the beans and place them in the pot insert of your Instant Pot along with the water.
2.Place the lid on the Instant Pot, put it into the lock position, and make sure the vent is switched to "sealing". Select the normal "Pressure Cook" setting and change the time to "25 minutes" on high pressure.
3.Once the Instant Pot has completed the 25 minutes of cooking time, let it naturally release for 10 minutes. Then, carefully switch the vent to "venting." Once the all of the steam has been released, open the Instant Pot lid. At this point, the beans should be able to be easily mashed between your fingers. Carefully, remove the Instant Pot insert and drain the beans into a fine mesh strainer. Let the beans drain naturally. Keep the liquid and set aside.
4.Once the beans are drained, transfer the beans to a blender. Blend the beans until smooth, or as smooth as possible. If the bean paste seems too thick and is difficult to blend, add about ¼ to ½ cup of the reserved bean liquid to the paste and blend until smooth.
5.Transfer the blended bean paste to a large, nonstick pan and add the sugar and the salt. Cook the bean paste mixture over medium high heat until the bean paste starts to look thick, then reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook the bean paste until a line drawn through the paste doesn't disappear. Make sure to continuously stir the mixture and scrape down the sides of the pan to prevent scorching and clumps of bean paste becoming overly dry. The process will take about 5 to 10 minutes.
6.Remove the red bean paste from the heat once it's reached the right consistency. Transfer the paste to a heatproof container and cover the paste with a plastic wrap, making sure the plastic is touching the paste. Let the bean paste cool at room temperature or in the fridge. Once cooled, use the bean paste immediately, or keep it refrigerated and store it in an airtight container.