Red Bean Soup


This is a very easy and common Asian dessert - nothing extraordinary but first time adding dried orange (tangerine) peel when I came across it at Noobcook.  This normally cook by my mom and she cook it without the dried orange peel sometimes even omitting the lotus seeds / ginko nuts.

Personally, I prefer adding ginko nuts to lotus seeds.  This can be a very refreshing dessert whether served chilled or warm in this hot weather.






Recipe adapted from Wiffy

Ingredients

  • 100 grams red beans (may also use Japanese azuki beans) soaked overnight, rinsed and drained
  • 2 pandan (screw pine) leaves dried ends cut, tied in a knot
  • 1.7 litres water
  • 70 grams rock sugar to taste
  • 10 grams (about 3 pieces) dried orange (tangerine) peel
  • 80 grams canned or vacuum-packed lotus seeds or ginkgo nuts optional
  • 50 grams (1/3 cup) small sago (small tapioca pearls)

Instructions

  1. Bring a small pot of water to boil. Add sago and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off the stove, cover the pot with lid and let the sago continue to cook on its own for another 10 minutes, until all the sago turns translucent. Run the cooked sago through a fine sieve and running water to remove excess starch. Set aside.
  2. In a bigger soup pot, add red beans, 1.7 litres water, dried orange peel and pandan leaves. Bring to a boil.
  3. Add lotus seeds/gingko nuts and reduce heat to a simmer, partially covered, for about 50 minutes (or until the beans are soft), stirring the sides and bottom of the pot occasionally. Top up with hot water at any time if necessary.
  4. Stir in rock sugar (to taste) until the sugar is dissolved. Discard orange peel slices and pandan leaves. Add the cooked sago prepared in step 1 to the red bean soup. Serve warmed or chilled.
I am submitting this post to Aspiring Bakers #20 Asian Dessert Buffet! (June 2012) hosted by Moon of Food Playground.

Comments

  1. It looks great, Chris. Would love to have a cold bowl of it right away!

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  2. when i add dried orange tangerine peel, my kids dont like it, hehehe..usually i like to cook red bean together with black glutinous rice..

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    1. I have not tried with glutinous rice ... next time.

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  3. I love red bean soup. This is the dessert I look for whenever I visit a dessert shop. Yummy! But it takes a long time to boil till the beans are soft. I like it with orange peel too.

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    1. Not so bad if you soak the red beans overnight. Try doing that when you are free.

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  4. adding lotus seeds are something new for me! like sonia, i like it with black glutinous rice. and with the hot weather now, boy am i craving this now!

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    1. Mmmm... I would love to try with glutinous rice for comparison.

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  5. Chris, I love this with the tangerine peel.....nice smell!

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  6. i like adding the tangerine peel too, it gives a nice aroma to the soup.

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  7. This is a new way of cooking red beans soup to me. Love that you add dried orange peel. I'm sure that gives added flavour to the soup. My mom used top add a little glutinous rice to the beans when cooking. I actually quite like it cos it just makes the soup more creamy. My friends here add tiny tang yuen to it when the beans are cooked. Very delicious too.

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  8. Just had red bean jello, a couple of days ago, this looks good!

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