← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 200 g Dried adzuki (red) beans
• 2 l water, plus more for soaking
• 1 piece Dried tangerine peel (chenpi) (optional)
• 80 g rock sugar or caster sugar, to taste
• pinch of salt
• 4 tbsp coconut milk, to drizzle (optional)

Method

1. Rinse the beans and soak them in plenty of cold water for 4 hours or overnight. Drain.
2. Soak the tangerine peel in warm water for 10 min, then scrape off the white pith with a spoon.
3. Put the beans, peel and 2 litres of water in a large pot and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, for 1 hour 30 min, stirring now and then, until the beans burst and the soup turns thick and creamy. Mash some beans against the side of the pot if you like it thicker.
4. Add the sugar and salt and simmer for 10 min more, until dissolved. Add a splash of hot water if it has become too thick.
5. Serve warm, or chilled in summer, with a drizzle of coconut milk.

Tips

• Add a handful of lotus seeds or small glutinous rice balls for a more festive bowl.
• It thickens as it cools; loosen leftovers with hot water. Keeps for 4 days in the fridge.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Omnivore's Cookbook Made With Lau Wok and Kin