Beans for dessert? Absolutely! In fact, red beans are especially common as a dessert ingredient in many cuisines.
This dessert in particular cooks the red beans thoroughly, intentionally bursting them to get their hearty, sandy texture out to help thicken the soup, hence the name 紅豆沙 which means Red Bean Sand.
Check out a quick story summary of our recipe!
Main Ingredients
Seasoning
For this recipe, we're using two types of sugar: rock sugar and brown sugar.
Rock sugar (Amazon) is a mild sugar that comes in a crystal chunk. It's widely used in Cantonese dessert soups like this, as well as braised dishes and sometimes to sweeten tea.
Another type of rock sugar that's common in Cantonese cooking is 片糖, slab sugar (Amazon), and if you have that instead, definitely use it for this soup! It's the same as rock sugar but with a stronger molasses flavor.
Brown sugar is probably much more familiar to you. The color comes from having molasses sprayed over white sugar, so there's just a bit more caramel-y depth to its sweetness compared to typical white granulated sugar.
If you don't have these sugars, or you can't have these, you can definitely use granulated sugar or other sweeteners!
These ingredients are both tasty and meaningful. Lotus seeds are associated with the newlywed blessing of having a child soon. Dried lily bulbs are associated with enjoying 100 years of happiness. Sounds great!
Their pale color also serves as a striking contrast in a bowl of red bean soup, and the ingredients add texture as well. If you can find them, definitely add them to this soup. If you can't, it's fine to omit them.
Rinse the red beans (14 oz) with clean water and pour out the water. You'll likely see some dust and debris. Rinse again with clean water and pour out the water from the second rinse. Then, soak them in clean water, enough to submerge the red beans, for at least an hour, up to overnight.
Don't soak them more than a day, though, or they may sprout.
Wash the lotus seeds (2 oz) and dried lily bulbs (2 oz) as well, and soak them the same way, in clean water, enough to submerge the ingredients, for at least an hour.
In a large pot, add water (4 cup), salt (0.50 tsp), the soaked beans, and the dried mandarin peel (1 piece). Turn the heat all the way up to bring the water to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down. Simmer on the lowest heat for half an hour.
After simmering for half an hour, add the soaked lotus seeds and dried lily bulbs. Then continue to simmer, still at the lowest heat, for another hour.
After an hour and a half, the beans should be soft and tender. You can test them by scooping a bean out and squeezing it. If it's tender, your fingers should easily crush it.
For an even softer texture, you can simmer it for even longer. On the other hand, if you prefer firmer beans, cut the simmering time and only cook the beans to your preferred firmness.
Once you're happy with the texture of the beans, it's time to sweeten the soup. Add rock sugar (2 oz) and brown sugar (6 oz). Stir to make sure the sugars dissolve. Large pieces of rock sugar may take a while.
If you'd like to thicken the soup, there are two ways to do so. First, you can take a ladle and press down on the beans. The crushed beans will thicken the soup and make it "sandy", as the name refers to.
The other method is our reliable cornstarch slurry. Mix up a 1:2 ratio of cornstarch to water, fulling dissolving the powder to avoid clumping. Slowly pour the slurry in while stirring, and it will thicken up the soup.
If the soup is too thick, simply dilute with more water.
Give it a taste. You can add more sugar if it's not sweet enough. Once you're happy with it, transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy!
Store any leftovers in the refrigerator. Reheat to enjoy again, or try it cold!
Main Ingredients
Seasoning
Wash the red beans (14 oz) with clean water, pour out the water, and repeat once more. After the second rinse, soak them in clean water, enough to submerge the red beans, for at least an hour, up to overnight.
Wash the lotus seeds (2 oz) and dried lily bulbs (2 oz) and soak for at least an hour.
In a large pot, add water (4 cup), salt (0.50 tsp), the soaked beans, and the dried mandarin peel (1 piece). Turn the heat all the way up to bring the water to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down. Simmer on the lowest heat for half an hour.
After simmering for half an hour, add the soaked lotus seeds and dried lily bulbs. Then continue to simmer, still at the lowest heat, for another hour, or until the beans are cooked to your preferred firmness.
Once you're happy with the texture of the beans, sweeten the soup by adding rock sugar (2 oz) and brown sugar (6 oz). Stir to dissolve.
Thicken the soup by crushing the beans with a ladle. If you'd like to further thicken the soup, mix a 1:2 ratio of cornstarch to water, and slowly pour the cornstarch slurry into the soup while constantly stirring.
Give it a taste. You can add more sugar if it's not sweet enough. Once you're happy with it, transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy!
We have many, many happy memories of enjoying this dish growing up.
Now, hopefully, you can create your own memories with this dish with your loved ones.
Also, I cordially invite you to eat with us and learn more about the dish, Chinese culture, and my family.
Cheers, and thanks for cooking with us!
Feel free to comment below if you have any questions about the recipe.
