Sweet Red Bean Soup

红豆沙

Ingredients

200g red beans

dried lotus seeds (around 10% of weight of red beans)

dried lily bulbs (around 10% of weight of red beans)

a few pieces of dried mandarin peels

1 litre water 

brown sugar (12% of weight of red beans)

rock sugar (10% of weight of red beans)

Method

1. Rinse the red beans and soak them for at least 6 hours, then drain and set aside. 

2. Rinse the lily bulbs, lotus seeds and mandarin peels. Then soak them for at least 1 hour. Drain and set aside. For lotus seeds, remove the bitter green stems inside the seeds as they are bitter.

3. Transfer the red beans and mandarin peels to a deep pot and add water. Bring to a boil and simmer over lower heat for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.

4. Once the red beans have softened, scoop up 2/3 of the beans and mashed them through a sieve (placed over the pot of red bean soup). Scoop red bean soup and pour into the sieve to 'wash' the mashed red bean flesh into the pot. Diacard the husks.

5. Add the lily bulbs and lotus seeds, and continue to simmer for 45minutes or until the lily bulbs and lotus seeds softened.

6. Add brown sugar and rock sugar. Stir until the sugar dissolve.

Enjoy this dessert, hot or cold.