Sweet Red Bean Soup (红豆汤)
User Reviews
5
Sweet Red Bean Soup (红豆汤)
Description
Sweet Red Bean Soup (红豆汤) combines adzuki beans with aromatic orange zest and sweet brown sugar into a warming, mildly sweet soup. The beans are soaked overnight to soften them before simmering for over an hour until tender. Optional tapioca pearls add a delicate chewiness. After cooking, part of the mixture is blended to create a smooth base while leaving some beans whole, giving a pleasing texture contrast. The orange zest imparts a subtle citrus fragrance that lifts the earthiness of the beans.
The slow simmering on low heat with a lid ensures the beans break down well without disintegrating completely. The soup is seasoned with a pinch of salt to balance the sweetness and enhance the bean flavor. This dessert soup can be served warm or chilled and makes a satisfying, light sweet course or a comforting snack for any time of day.
Adjust sweetness using alternative sweeteners as preferred, such as honey or rock sugar. Using canned beans is a convenient shortcut, but cooking dried beans overnight soaking and simmering delivers richer flavor and texture. Freeze rehydrated beans before cooking to shorten the simmer time, or use a pressure cooker for faster preparation. Soften dried tangerine peels by soaking before mincing if using instead of fresh zest.
Ingredients
- 1 cup adzuki beans aka red beans (see note 1)
- 5 cup water
- orange or dried tangerine peels (see note 2, zest of half
- 3 tablespoon tapioca pearls optional, small, aka sago
- 5 tablespoon dark brown sugar or other sweeteners (see note 3)
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
Soak
- Soak adzuki beans in plenty of water overnight until they double in size (they’re still firm to the touch). Drain off the water.
- *Optionally, freeze rehydrated beans to shorten the cooking time in the next step (the water inside the beans will expand while freezing forcing the beans to break).
Cook
- Put the rehydrated beans and orange zest into a pot/saucepan. Add water (5 times the volume of the dried beans).
- Bring to a full boil then turn the heat to the lowest. Cover with a lid and leave to simmer for 1½ hours (for 1 hour if the beans have been frozen) until the beans can be easily mashed with fingertips.
- *Alternatively, use an instant pot (or a stove-top pressure cooker) to speed up the process. Cook for 25 mins on high pressure. Then leave to release the pressure naturally.
Blend
- Use an immersion blender or a regular blender to emulsify the beans and the cooking liquid. Stop when most of the beans turn into a runny paste while the rest remains lumpy.
*Optional step
- Add tapioca pearls to the soup. Pour in 1 more cup (240ml) of hot water as the pearls will absorb quite a bit of liquid while cooking.
- Leave to simmer over the lowest heat for about 12 minutes until the pearls become transparent. During this process, remember to stir from time to time and add more water if necessary to prevent burning at the bottom of the pot.
Sweeten
- Gradually add brown sugar, along with a pinch of salt, to the soup. Taste to adjust the sweetness. Serve immediately, or leave to cool and enjoy at room temperature.
Store
- Keep leftover red bean soup in an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days or 3 months in the freezer.
Reheat
- Reheat cold/defrosted red bean soup over low heat until piping hot. You may need to add a little water to thin it if it appears to be very thick.
Notes
- Using canned adzuki beans is a convenient shortcut; heat beans with their liquid to boiling, then blend as directed, adjusting water if needed.
- Soften dried tangerine peels by soaking before finely mincing to add aroma to the soup.
- Alternative sweeteners such as white sugar, rock sugar, honey, syrup, or sweetened condensed milk can be used; adjust to taste.
- Freezing soaked beans before cooking helps reduce cooking time by breaking down bean skins.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 103 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 1serving | |
| Calories | 103kcal | 5% |
| Carbohydrates | 23g | 8% |
| Protein | 3g | 6% |
| Fat | 0.04g | 0% |
| Saturated Fat | 0.01g | 0% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.01g | 0% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0.003g | 0% |
| Sodium | 12mg | 1% |
| Potassium | 217mg | 5% |
| Fiber | 3g | 12% |
| Sugar | 10g | 20% |
| Vitamin A | 2IU | 0% |
| Vitamin C | 0.2mg | 0% |
| Calcium | 19mg | 2% |
| Iron | 1mg | 6% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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