Red Bean Soup With Lotus Seed Recipe

Red bean dessert soup with lotus seeds is simple to prepare. With just a few steps, you’ll have a wholesome, naturally sweet soup that’s packed with flavor and texture!

Red Bean Soup: The Star of Chinese Dessert Soups

You can’t talk about Chinese dessert soups without mentioning red bean soup—it’s one of the most popular and well-known in China.

In addition to red beans, I’ve added a few other ingredients to this recipe. Don’t worry if you can’t find all the ingredients—you can easily skip a few.

That’s one of the things I love about Chinese dessert soups, or tong sui—they’re so flexible and adaptable

For the red beans, I like to rinse them, add some water, and freeze them. It’s a great tip I picked up online, making prep easier and reducing the cooking time.

Using this method helps the beans soften and break down more quickly, creating a creamy texture, which we call “出沙” in Chinese, where the beans become smooth and almost sandy.

Of course, you can stick to the traditional method of soaking them overnight. If you skip soaking, they’ll take longer to cook.

I’ve also included chestnuts in this recipe. I use a shell cutter to make a cross-cut on the chestnuts, but a knife works too. It’s one of the easiest ways I’ve found to peel them.

You might be familiar with lotus seed paste, a common filling in Chinese mooncakes and buns, which is made from lotus seeds.

If you’re using lotus seeds with bitter green cores, make sure to remove them, as they can affect the flavor.

Ingredients

• 400g red beans
• 200g chestnuts
• 40g dried lily bulbs
• 50g lotus seeds
• 1 piece dried tangerine peel
• 30g rock sugar (adjust to taste)
• 1000ml water

Instructions

1. Prepare the Ingredients

Red Bean Preparation

• Rinse the red beans thoroughly under running water. Place them in a bowl and soak overnight in plenty of water. Soaking helps soften the beans, making them easier to cook and more tender when done.

Chestnut Preparation

• Make a cross-shaped cut on each chestnut using a knife or shell opener. Be careful when handling the knife to avoid injury.
• Boil a pot of water and add the chestnuts, cooking them for 2 minutes.
• Remove the chestnuts from the water immediately and peel off the shell while they are still hot to make the peeling process easier. Set the chestnut meat aside for later

2. Cook the Red Bean Soup

• Add the soaked red beans, rinsed lotus seeds, lily bulbs, and dried tangerine peel to a large pot.
• Pour in 1000ml of water or enough to submerge the ingredients completely, with a little extra to account for evaporation during cooking.
• Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

3. Add Chestnuts and Sweeten

• After the red beans have been cooking for 40 minutes and are beginning to soften, add the peeled chestnut meat to the pot.
• Stir in the rock sugar, adjusting the amount according to your taste.
• Continue simmering the soup over medium heat for another 20 minutes, until the red beans are soft, the chestnuts are tender, and the soup has thickened slightly. The sugar should be fully dissolved, and the sweetness well distributed.

4. Serve

• Once the soup has reached the desired consistency, remove it from the heat.
• You can serve it hot for a comforting dessert or let it cool down and refrigerate for a refreshing chilled soup.

Notes

• Soaking the red beans overnight is essential to reduce the cooking time and ensure that they soften properly.
• Be careful when cutting the chestnuts—ensuring the cuts are deep enough will make peeling easier after boiling.
• Stir the soup regularly, especially after adding the rock sugar, to prevent sticking and to ensure the sweetness is evenly spread throughout.
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  Red Bean Soup With Lotus Seed Recipe

  Red bean dessert soup with lotus seeds is simple to prepare. With just a few steps, you'll have a wholesome, naturally sweet soup that's packed with flavor and texture!

  Course Chinese Dessert Soup

  Cuisine Chinese

  Prep Time 20 minutes

  Cook Time 1 hour

  Soaking Time 4 hours

  Servings 4

  Calories 295kcal

  Ingredients

  • 400 g red beans
  • 200 g chestnuts
  • 40 g dried lily bulbs
  • 50 g lotus seeds
  • 1 piece dried tangerine peel
  • 30 g rock sugar adjust to taste
  • 1000 ml water

  Instructions

  Prepare the Ingredients

  • Red Bean Preparation
  • Rinse the red beans thoroughly under running water. Place them in a bowl and soak overnight in plenty of water. Soaking helps soften the beans, making them easier to cook and more tender when done.
  • Chestnut Preparation
  • Make a cross-shaped cut on each chestnut using a knife or shell opener. Be careful when handling the knife to avoid injury.
  • Boil a pot of water and add the chestnuts, cooking them for 2 minutes.
  • Remove the chestnuts from the water immediately and peel off the shell while they are still hot to make the peeling process easier. Set the chestnut meat aside for later

  Cook the Red Bean Soup

  • Add the soaked red beans, rinsed lotus seeds, lily bulbs, and dried tangerine peel to a large pot.
  • Pour in 1000ml of water or enough to submerge the ingredients completely, with a little extra to account for evaporation during cooking.
  • Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and cook for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the beans from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

  Add Chestnuts and Sweeten

  • After the red beans have been cooking for 40 minutes and are beginning to soften, add the peeled chestnut meat to the pot.
  • Stir in the rock sugar, adjusting the amount according to your taste.
  • Continue simmering the soup over medium heat for another 20 minutes, until the red beans are soft, the chestnuts are tender, and the soup has thickened slightly. The sugar should be fully dissolved, and the sweetness well distributed.

  Serve

  • Once the soup has reached the desired consistency, remove it from the heat.
  • You can serve it hot for a comforting dessert or let it cool down and refrigerate for a refreshing chilled soup.

  Video

  Nutrition

  Calories: 295kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 16mg | Potassium: 816mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 19IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 4mg

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