My wifeโs family despises Red Bean Soup because they grew up eating it all the time. My family didnโt really eat it that often so I always look forward to getting it after a meal. For my recipe, I like adding black glutinous rice, tapioca pearls, and coconut milk. It's creamy, easy to make, and not too sweet.
Can't get enough of Chinese desserts? Try my Mung Bean Soup and Hong Kong French Toast next!
๐ซ About This Recipe
Red Bean Soup is a classic Chinese sweet soup served at the end of Chinese meals. In its simplest form, it involves simmering red beans for several hours and then sweetening the soup with Chinese brown candy (peen tong).
My recipe is a combination of my grandmother's recipe and inspiration from some of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Vancouver, BC.
My grandma's recipe was very standard - red beans, water, and sugar - just like what you'd find at most Chinese restaurants. But after eating at a few different restaurants, I learned you can add many different ingredients to make it even better. My favorites are coconut milk, tapioca pearls, and black rice.
Since I've made it this way, I can't go back! Coconut milk adds so much creaminess, and rice and tapioca pearls give the soup an exciting texture that the original version lacks. If you're getting bored of red bean soup, maybe it's time to add some new ingredients.
๐ง Ingredients
I don't like my red bean soup to be too rich. If you prefer it on the richer side, use full-fat coconut milk; otherwise, use low-fat coconut milk! Evaporated milk also works if you don't like the taste of coconut.
- Dried red beans: Also called adzuki beans, they're available at most Asian grocery stores. Make sure you get the small beans (around ยผ-inch rounds) rather than the elongated beans (kidney beans), which are used more for Western cuisine like chili.
- Black glutinous rice: Also called black sticky rice. My grandmother never used it in her recipe, but I LOVE the texture it adds. It's not exactly sticky when cooked in this soup, but it has a nice chew. Sometimes, black glutinous rice is just labeled as black rice, so if you see that, get it.
- Tapioca pearls: I recommend using the smaller variety of tapioca pearls, they cook faster and more consistently. I always have trouble undercooking or overcooking the larger pearls.
- Coconut milk: I prefer low-fat coconut milk as full fat makes it too heavy for an end-of-dinner dessert.
- Brown sugar: Traditionally, Chinese brown candy is used, but it's not easy to find unless you live near an Asian grocery store. Regular brown sugar works fine, and you can add as much as you want.
- Dried tangerine peel: This is optional, but it adds a subtle citrus and bitter note to the soup. I usually leave it in for the entire cooking process, but if you don't want the flavor to be too strong, you can remove it earlier.
๐ช Instructions
STEP 1: Rinse the dried adzuki beans under cold water to remove any dirt or dust. Then, soak them in water for at least 8 hours. There should be at least 1 inch of water above the beans.
STEP 2: Drain the beans and place them in a large pot. Rinse the black glutinous rice and add it to the pot. Add 13 cups of water, salt, and dried tangerine peel. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 1.5 hours. Stir every 15 minutes to redistribute the ingredients and prevent burning.
STEP 3: Add the brown sugar and tapioca pearls. Gently stir to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat to medium until it begins to boil, then reduce to low and cook for 20 minutes. The tapioca pearls should be translucent.
STEP 4: Stir in the coconut milk and simmer for another 5 minutes. At this point, it's ready to serve! If you want a thinner texture, you can add a bit more water.
๐ Tip From My Grandmother
When my grandmother was growing up, she didn't have coconut milk available, so she mashed the beans to make the soup creamy. After simmering the beans, she would strain them and then use the back of a ladle to mash them into small pieces. This released the beans' starches, which naturally thickened the soup.
Nowadays, you can use a food processor or immersion blender to do the same thing, but my grandma still prefers her ladle method since she thinks it tastes better.
Make sure you don't mash all the beans as you still want some fully intact for the extra texture.
๐ Recipe
Red Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried adzuki beans
- ยฝ cup black glutinous rice
- 13 cups water
- ยฝ teaspoon coarse kosher salt (use half the amount if youโre using table salt)
- 1 dried tangerine peel
- ยพ cup brown sugar
- ยฝ cup tapioca pearls
- 400 ml canned coconut milk (light coconut milk preferred)
Instructions
- Rinse the dried adzuki beans under cold water. Then, soak them in water for at least 8 hours. There should be at least 1 inch of water above the beans.
- Drain the beans and place them in a large pot. Rinse the black glutinous rice and add it to the pot. Add 13 cups of water, salt, and dried tangerine peel. Bring to a boil, then reduce to low heat and let it simmer for 1.5 hours. Stir it every 15 minutes to redistribute the ingredients and prevent burning.
- Add theย brown sugarย andย tapioca pearls. Gently stir to dissolve the sugar. Increase the heat to medium until it begins to boil, then reduce to low and cook for 20 minutes. The tapioca pearls should be translucent.
- Stir in theย coconut milkย and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve immediately.
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