Red Bean Soup with Glutinous Rice Balls
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Red Bean Soup is a classic Chinese dessert soup. It tastes mild, earthy, and soothing. Do not forget to make the pleasantly chewy glutinous rice balls for an extra treat.
It is nearing December and do you know what it means? I know that some of you are currently preparing your heart, mind, and soul for Christmas. However, we have two more things to celebrate at the end of this year. If you are a Chinese descendant, you should be familiar with the Winter Solstice Festival which will be celebrated on December 21. Besides, Indonesians also celebrate Mother’s Day on December 22.
Both occasions are the perfect time to create tang yuan (汤圆) at home. Tang yuan is glutinous rice balls that are served in a sweet soup or savory broth. These small round balls symbolize family unity. It becomes an important seasonal food during a time of year when the seasons begin to the warmth of spring.
On this day, my family usually makes colorful glutinous rice balls with peanut filling and served with sweet ginger-infused syrup. I want to do something similar, but different from the usual. Instead of the insanely sweet syrup for the soup, I use red bean soup which is much healthier and beneficial.
Cooking Tips
1. Soak the adzuki beans overnight
Soaking adzuki beans is a matter of personal preference and not absolutely necessary. On the other hand, soaking the beans is believed to reduce cooking time and make beans easier to digest. Cover the beans with water and let them soak for 8-12 hours before cooking. Drain and cover them again in water. Boil the beans for 5 minutes, and then drain the beans again to remove any impurities. Look at how foamy the water from the first boil. Get rid of the foam by straining and rinsing the beans before putting them back into clean water.
2. Add more water if necessary
Cooking beans is no more trouble than simmering the beans on the stovetop all afternoon. It takes about 1-1.5 hours to cook the adzuki beans until tender. You may leave your kitchen to do anything else but check occasionally the pot to make sure if you need to add more water. Do not let your soup dried up on the pot.
3. Mash the beans to your liking
Some like this soup with thicker consistency while others prefer it thinner. I personally love the thicker version with mashed red beans, so I blend them until smooth with just a few chunks. Simply add more water for the thinner version. If you like it smooth with no chunks, then strain through a sieve to remove the husk to achieve its velvety texture. You can certainly choose which one to make depending on your personal preference.
4. Add a little bit of water at a time when making glutinous rice balls
Glutinous rice balls are made by mixing glutinous rice flour, salt, sugar, and warm water into a dough. This step is a little bit tricky because rice flour behaves like cornflour. A little too much water will make the dough too runny, while too much flour will make the dough cracks. Add warm water a little at a time to the glutinous rice flour and knead until the dough comes together. The dough should be shiny and has a texture like play-doh. After that, take some dough in your palms and roll it into a small ball. Sprinkle some glutinous rice flour over them as you go so they do not stick together.
I made two versions of glutinous balls. One is the small ones as stated in the recipe. On the other hand, the big ones are filled with black sesame filling. Check out my Black Sesame Glutinous Balls recipe!
More Red Bean Recipes
- Cookie Crust Mooncakes
- Red Bean Ice Cream
- Dango with Red Bean Paste
- Red Bean and Sesame Rice Cake
- Red Bean Mochi with Kinako
Ingredients
Red Bean Soup
- 1 cup (200 gr) dried adzuki red beans
- 3/4 cup (150 gr) granulated sugar
- Water
Glutinous Rice Balls
- 1 cup (130 gr) glutinous rice flour
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) warm water
Instructions
Red Bean Soup
- Wash and strain the adzuki beans. In a large pot, add adzuki beans and pour water until 1 inch above the beans. Bring it to a boil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Drain the beans and discard the water.
- Return the beans to the pot with 4-5 cups of fresh water. Cover, and simmer over medium-low heat until the beans are soft and easily breakable for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Check occasionally to check if the soup needs more water. Turn off the heat, and let it cool for about 20 minutes.
- Strain the beans. Do not throw away the drained water. Puree the beans with a hand blender or food processor. You may add a little bit of bean water if the puree is too thick.
- Pour the puree over a coarse strainer over a large bowl until hard beans and skins remain in the strainer for smooth red bean soup. (optional)
- Put the bean puree back into the pot. Add 1/4-1/2 cup of bean water into the puree to adjust the consistency. You may add water if you do not have enough bean water. Add sugar into the mixture and cook until boil.
Glutinous Rice Balls
- In a medium bowl, add glutinous rice flour. Add warm little by a little while kneading until the dough comes together. You may need to add more or less water.
- Shape the dough into 1/2-inch small balls. Sprinkle some glutinous rice flour over them so they do not stick together.
- In a medium pot, boil water and add the glutinous rice balls. Cook until they float to the top. Scoop them out with a wire ladle and put them immediately into the bowl of the cold water bath to stop the cooking process.
- Scoop the cooked glutinous rice balls into the red bean soup. Best serve warm.
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