Chinese Red Bean Soup Dessert
Chinese Red Bean Soup Dessert
Tea Name:
Chinese Red Bean Soup Dessert, Chinese Red Bean Soup, Red Bean Dessert, Red Bean Soup
Traditional Chinese Name:
紅豆沙 (hǒng dòu shā)
This soup is sweet to taste and slightly cooling (because of the beans).
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This is a traditional Chinese dessert and a popular dish among the Chinese. It can be eaten any day of the year, but does have special meaning during Chinese New Year’s (because of the red, added with glutinous rice balls filled with sweet black sesame!).
This dessert can be served hot or cold and will vary in its content depending on the chef. The basic recipes really just calls for red beans, water and sugar, but many people will also add lotus seeds, black rice, glutinous rice balls and varying other ingredients to make it more rich and wholesome. Some people also will freeze the leftover dessert and make popsicles with them (Hong Kong actually carries this as a commercial dessert in super markets!).
What’s involved?
Prep time: 2 hours (for soaking beans)
Cook time: 40 mins
Total time: 2 hours 40 mins
Serves: 4 bowls
Ingredients
200 g of dried red/azuki beans
30 g of dried lily blubs
50 g of dried lotus seeds
80 g of rock sugar
1 slice of dried tangerine peel
2 L of water
Cooking Instructions
- Soak the red beans in warm water for about 2 hours prior to cooking (this will soften them more)
- Soak the tangerine peel for 20 minutes (or until soft). Using a butter knife, scrape off the dark outside skin until all the brown portions have washed off under running water (this will help reduce the bitterness of the soup)
- Boil your soup water
- When water boils, add everything except the glutinous rice balls
- Boil on high heat for 10 minutes
- Reduce to a medium boil while covered for 30 minutes (or until all the ingredients have softened to your liking)
- Add glutinous rice balls and boil for another 5 minutes
- Serve and enjoy!
Benefits
- Low in fat and a very tasty, healthy and protein rich sweet soup
- It serves as a good dessert base (you can add other ingredients to customize it)
- There is a good portion of fiber in the soup
- Excellent source of antioxidants, magnesium, iron, potassium and zinc
- This soup is slightly cooling, helps with circulation and if you want to warm it, can add a few dried dragon eyes (for taste and sweetness, so add less rock sugar)
- Red beans are amazing for dispelling dampness in the body and detoxifying, so this is great if you’re feeling sluggish, heavy, or bloated
