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Lü dou tang (chilled mung bean soup)
绿豆汤 · the cooling summer sweet soup of mung beans and rock sugar, drunk cold across China
When the heat settles on Guangzhou, Wuhan or Shanghai in July, families keep a jug of mung bean soup in the fridge, and school canteens and workplaces hand it out by the bowl; traditional medicine calls mung beans 'cooling', a reason to drink it on the hottest days. It is just mung beans simmered with rock sugar until some burst and the liquid turns pale green or soft red, eaten chilled. The common mistake is cooking it in an iron or aluminium pan or leaving it uncovered too long, which turns the soup dark brown-red; a stainless steel pot with the lid on keeps it greener. Chef's tip: for a clear green soup, take a few ladles of the liquid after 10 minutes of boiling, before the beans split, and drink that as a lighter tea.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 5 ½ oz dried green mung beans
- 7 ½ cups water
- 2 ⅞ oz rock sugaror white sugar; to taste
- 1 piece dried kelp (kombu) strip (optional)the Guangdong way, about 10 cm
- ½ oz dried lily bulbs (optional)soaked 10 minutes
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rinse 5 ½ oz dried green mung beans and pick out any stones or shrivelled beans. You can soak them for 1 hour to shorten the cooking, but it isn't essential.
Step 2: Put the beans and 7 ½ cups water in a stainless steel or enamel pan, add 1 piece dried kelp (kombu) strip if using and bring to the boil over a high heat. Skim off the foam.
8 minStep 3: Cover, turn to low and simmer for 40 minutes, until most beans have split open and are soft enough to crush against the side of the pan. Add ½ oz dried lily bulbs for the last 15 minutes if using.
40 minStep 4: Stir in 2 ⅞ oz rock sugar and simmer 5 minutes more until dissolved. Taste: it should be lightly sweet, not syrupy. Fish out the kelp.
5 minStep 5: Cool, then chill for at least 2 hours. Serve very cold in bowls, beans and all. It keeps for 3 days in the fridge.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 130 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 27 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lü dou tang (chilled mung bean soup) take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 55 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of rock sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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