Sweet
Mung Bean Soup綠豆湯 (lü-4 dou-4 tang-1) A refreshing
summer snack or dessert. Very easy to make.
Serves 6
Ingredients
60 g (2 oz) mung beans
1.4 litre (1.5 qt) water
3 tablespoons white sugar, or to taste
Method
Soak beans overnight, or least for 4 hours,
in plenty of water.
Place beans in a large pot, add water.
Bring
to a boil, add sugar, stir, and simmer for 45 minutes to
an 1 hour (do not cover).
Let cool, then refrigerate for
1 hour, and serve.
Notes: Mung beans, according to Chinese physicians,
have a 'cooling' effect on the body, so this is a very popular
dish in summer. Read about the medicinal properties of mung
beans in Chinese
System of Food Cures. The dish can also be served hot.
Chinese rarely sit down to a lunch or dinner that does
not include soup (in the case of noodle soup, soup is the meal). Unlike
the Western custom of having soup before the main course, Chinese prefer
to eat soup during or towards the end of a meal… read
more