Sweetened Red Bean Soup

Sweetened soups are a stable with the chinese and it is served as a dessert. This is one of the classic which is just red beans sweetened with sugar but addition of dried longan, sago pearl, pak hup or thick coconut milk is quite common. The method of cooking over a chacoal stove until the beans are soft is the traditional way which will take hours, but a ceramic soup spoon in the soup helps the beans break up faster. Nowadays, the slow cooker or the pressure cooker does a good and fast job.The red beans from Tianjin, China is recommended.



Ingredients:

225 gm red beans
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1.35 L water
15 gm dried tangerine peel
1/2 cup sugaraccording to taste)
a handful of pak hup

Method:

Soak the tangerine peel, when soft, remove the pith.

Soak pak hup
.
Wash and soak red beans in cold water with the bicarbonate of soda for 2 hours. Drain.

Bring enough water to cover the red beans to a boil, let red beans boil for 5 mins. Drain.

In the pressure cooker, put the red beans, water and tangerine peel, cook for 1/2 hour. When pressure is released, remove lid and bring back to the boil.

Add the pak hup and cook until it is soft.

Add sugar and cook until sugar dissolves.

Serve hot or cold


Serves