The Sweet Red Bean Soup My Dad's Made 100,000 Times

Step 1: Wash & soak ingredients

Rinse the red beans (14 oz) with clean water and pour out the water. You'll likely see some dust and debris. Rinse again with clean water and pour out the water from the second rinse. Then, soak them in clean water, enough to submerge the red beans, for at least an hour, up to overnight.

Don't soak them more than a day, though, or they may sprout.

Wash the lotus seeds (2 oz) and dried lily bulbs (2 oz) as well, and soak them the same way, in clean water, enough to submerge the ingredients, for at least an hour.

Step 2: Boil ingredients

In a large pot, add water (4 cup), salt (0.50 tsp), the soaked beans, and the dried mandarin peel (1 piece). Turn the heat all the way up to bring the water to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down. Simmer on the lowest heat for half an hour.

After simmering for half an hour, add the soaked lotus seeds and dried lily bulbs. Then continue to simmer, still at the lowest heat, for another hour.

After an hour and a half, the beans should be soft and tender. You can test them by scooping a bean out and squeezing it. If it's tender, your fingers should easily crush it.

For an even softer texture, you can simmer it for even longer. On the other hand, if you prefer firmer beans, cut the simmering time and only cook the beans to your preferred firmness.

Step 3: Add sugar & serve

Once you're happy with the texture of the beans, it's time to sweeten the soup. Add rock sugar (2 oz) and brown sugar (6 oz). Stir to make sure the sugars dissolve. Large pieces of rock sugar may take a while.

If you'd like to thicken the soup, there are two ways to do so. First, you can take a ladle and press down on the beans. The crushed beans will thicken the soup and make it "sandy", as the name refers to.

The other method is our reliable cornstarch slurry. Mix up a 1:2 ratio of cornstarch to water, fulling dissolving the powder to avoid clumping. Slowly pour the slurry in while stirring, and it will thicken up the soup.

If the soup is too thick, simply dilute with more water.

Give it a taste. You can add more sugar if it's not sweet enough. Once you're happy with it, transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy!

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator. Reheat to enjoy again, or try it cold!