Sweet Mung Bean Soup (Lu Dou Tang)
The summer tong sui every Chinese family makes: soft green mung beans simmered with rock sugar, served warm or ice-cold.
Ingredients
- 200 g dried whole mung beans
- 1.8 l Water
- 100 g rock sugar, to taste
- 1 piece Dried tangerine peel (chenpi) (optional)
- 2 pandan leaves, knotted (optional)
Method
- Rinse the mung beans and soak them in plenty of water for 1 hour. Drain.
- Put the beans in a pot with the 1.8 litres water and the tangerine peel or pandan, if using. Bring to the boil, then cover and simmer gently for 45–50 min, stirring now and then, until the beans have burst and are completely soft.
- Add the rock sugar and stir until dissolved, about 5 min. Taste and add more if you like it sweeter.
- Remove the peel or pandan. Serve warm, or cool and chill it for an icy summer dessert.
Tips
- Cantonese cooks often add a strip of kelp or a sprig of herb (chau cho) for an old-fashioned flavour.
- The soup thickens as it cools; loosen it with a splash of water.
Sources
Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:
Open Sweet Mung Bean Soup (Lu Dou Tang) in Nouns Cooking