Mung Bean Soup – China Sichuan Food

There are numerous reasons why I want to recommend mung bean recipes to you. Although it is not a popular Western ingredient.. Mung beans are believed to be beneficial to the human body, as they can help reduce heat due to their cooling properties.

It is a super ingredient in my kitchen. I still remember the first time I truly fell in love with mung beans. It was a sweltering summer day, and my grandma handed me a bowl of chilled lǜdòu tāng (绿豆汤)—a soothing Chinese mung bean soup. After the small sip in the summer, the first sip helps to cool my body and bring calmness to my mind.

Since then, I’ve experimented with mung beans in everything from desserts to milk tea and then to ice cream, and they never disappoint. For this soup, we have various options for both cold and hot days. In the summer, you can find packaged ones in almost every street store freezer or freshly stewed ones in hot pot restaurants.

In this post, I will share a simple mung bean soup recipe. After that, we will move on to make mung bean paste, mung bean cake, my summer favorite ice cream (popsicles), and mung bean milk based on this soup.

How to Make Mung Bean Soup

Ingredients

• 1 cup mung beans, rinsed to remove any dirt on the surface
• 5 cups of water, recommend using purified water
• 3–4 tbsp sugar
• Lemon juice

Whether Soaking or Not?

You may wonder whether it is necessary to soak the mung beans for mung bean soup. Soaking is a tremendous physical treatment to break down tough skins, and thus can speed up the cooking process. So, if you do have time, pre-soaking is always recommended.

However, when you’re in a hurry, you can also cook the mung beans directly, especially with an instant pot or a rice cooker.

If you don’t have time for soaking and don’t have those tools by hand, don’t worry. There is still a method for cooking mung bean soup quickly using hot and cold water. I believe this is a more dedicated approach because my mung bean soup prepared with this method tastes significantly better than the instant pot version.

How to Make Mung Bean Soup

Wash and rinse mung beans.

If you are using an instant pot or rice cooker, add the washed beans and water to the pot. Use the soup procedure. I love to cook the mung beans with sugar for the instant pot version.

My dedicated, unique way (on the stove with a regular pot)

This is a dedicated method for making mung bean soup, which can expedite the process. No soaking needed.

1. Clean the mung beans and discard any damaged beans.
2. Place the mung beans in a pot and add enough water to cover them. Possibly 2-3 cm higher than the beans. Bring the content to a boil. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
3. Transfer the beans to a bowl and rinse them under cold water to cool them completely.
4. Add the beans back into the pot, then pour in 1/3 of the water and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Start cooking 8 minutes, then add another 1/3 water, another 8 minutes.

Finally, the remaining water and the sugar. Keep stirring from time to time during the process to avoid it sticking to the bottom.

The steps sound quite easy right? But the science behind is far beyond. You can keep reading if you are interested or skip this in case you only want the steps. 

First, let’s talk about the blanching and shocking method. When we boil the beans for 3-4 minutes, the heat causes the bean skins to expand and develop micro-cracks. The crucial step is to rinse in cold water, which creates larger fissures in the skin. This helps the mung bean break down during the later cooking process.

I figured out that the staged water addition method is effective because it can replicate the effect of the first step multiple times. Each time water is added, the temperature drops significantly. The mung beans are undergoing a heat-cold-heat-cold process.

I also highly recommend adding lemon juice, as it can help preserve the beautiful green color by preventing chlorophyll oxidation.

Ways of serving and Customization

• You can add pumpkin cubes to the mung bean soup. If you prefer a healthier version, pumpkin can provide a natural sweetness, allowing you to skip added sugar.
• Mung bean soup can be served immediately after cooking, either chilled or at room temperature.
• You can further choose to mix it with other ingredients, such as coconut milk or milk, or even use it as a base for milk tea. I love to add coconut milk and cooked sago. It is a more popular drink in my area now.

Pure summer cold version

• 1 cup mung beans
• ½ cup rock sugar
• 1.5 L water
• ice cubes for serving
• ½ fresh lemon

Instant pot method

• The instant pot method is much easier, simply add sugar, mung beans, and pumpkin if using, and water and cook with bean or soup pressure. Let the pot stay in the cooker for 20 minutes and transfer out. Add a pinch of salt to balance the taste and wait for the soup to cool down naturally.

My Unique On- Stove Method

• Clean the mung beans and discard if there is any damaged beans.

• Place the mung beans in a pot, add enough water to cover the beans. Possibly 2-3 cm higher than the beans. Bring the content to a boiling. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.

• Transfer the beans out and rinsing under cold water to make them cool down completely.

• Add the beans into the pot again, then pour in 1/3 of the water and squeeze some lemon juice. Start cooking 8 minutes, then add another 1/3 water, another 8 minutes. Cover the lid in the process and stir fry time to time to avoid sticking.

• Finally the remaining water and the sugar. Cook for another 10 minutes. And use your scoop to smash the beans slightly if you prefer a more broken version.

• Serve hot or with ice cubes in hot summer days.

Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 12g | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 644mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 2.5mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 3.5mg