紅豆湯 Azuki Red Bean Dessert Soup
First I soaked azuki red beans in water for about 3 hours. Then I used Cuisinart 3-1/2-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker to cook the soup. Just add a bag of azuki red beans, and add water to fill about 3/4 of the pot. Set on high for 4 hours. When there's about 30 minutes left, I added brown sugar to the soup. I also like to add a little bit of honey to my red bean soup when I eat it. Super simple, right?
The azuki red beans were cooked perfectly. I just wish I had sesame mochi balls (芝麻湯圓) to add to the soup. If you like, you can also add orange peel, peanuts, boba, lotus seeds, or pretty much anything you like to the dessert soup.
Here is some information about health benefits of azuki red beans:
Azuki beans are a good source of magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc copper, manganese and B vitamins. As a high-potassium, low-sodium food they can help reduce blood pressure and act as a natural diuretic. When combined with grains, beans supply high quality protein, which provides a healthy alternative to meat or other animal protein.
Like most beans, azuki beans are rich in soluble fiber. This type of fiber provides bulk to the stool and binds to toxins and cholesterol aiding in their elimination from the body.
In Japan azuki beans are known for their healing properties and are used to support kidney and bladder function.
I think I'm gonna go have a bowl RIGHT NOW! :-)
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I LOVE red bean soup too! It's so easy to cook it in a crockpot. In the winter I also add a small chunk of ginger to it, and the plain Taiwanese mochi balls to it. Your soup looks yummy :-)
ReplyDeleteI wish I have Taiwanese mochi balls to add!
I love those pink + white mochi balls. :-)
Well,well,well. I think I need a slow cooker now!!!
ReplyDeletehaha You should get one!
I love my slow cookers!
怎麼感覺跟台灣的紅豆不太一樣??是說最近我家也有喝紅豆湯，真巧咧 XD
ReplyDelete吃起來一樣耶
Okbon and Eileen,
ReplyDeleteFrom what I know, the red bean in Taiwan was the native Chinese red beans (the beans used to be shaped like a heart (sounds incredible, but that's how they used to look when I was a child). red beans used to be called "hsiang sss doh". Somehow the azuki was interbred with it, that's how come the beans lost their heart shape. Occasionally, you'll see a heart shaped bean. Also Taiwan has volcanic soil, so everything that's grown in volcanic soil has more nutrients and tastes 100x better.
The bean I bought was labeled as Azuki beans.
I am assuming those are from Japan?