Red Bean Soup (Hong Dou Tang / 红豆汤)
Cantonese and Jiangnan tradition — ubiquitous across southern China
Classic Chinese dessert soup of azuki red beans slow-cooked in water with rock sugar, dried tangerine peel, and sometimes lotus seeds or lily bulb until beans are tender but intact. Served hot in winter or chilled in summer. One of the most beloved Chinese sweet soups across Cantonese, Shanghainese, and Taiwanese traditions.
Gentle earthy-sweet bean flavour with citrus aromatic notes from tangerine peel; restorative and deeply satisfying in a subtle way
{"Soak red beans overnight — reduces cooking time and ensures even cooking","Rock sugar (bing tang) preferred over white sugar — cleaner, less sweet flavour","Dried tangerine peel (chen pi) adds aromatic depth — key Cantonese aromatic ingredient","Beans should be soft but intact — not mashed into paste"}
{"Chen pi: dried tangerine/mandarin peel aged 3+ years is a Chinese pantry essential — adds extraordinary depth to sweet soups","Coconut milk stirred in at serving makes it richer — popular in Malaysian Chinese style","Sago (tapioca pearls) added creates a different but popular textural dimension"}
{"Adding salt — makes beans harder, not softer","Boiling vigorously — gentle simmer keeps beans intact","Using canned beans — texture and flavour incomparable to slow-cooked dried beans"}
Every Grain of Rice — Fuchsia Dunlop
- Japanese oshiruko azuki soup
- Korean pat bingsu red bean base
- Vietnamese che do xanh mung bean soup
Common Questions
Why does Red Bean Soup (Hong Dou Tang / 红豆汤) taste the way it does?
Gentle earthy-sweet bean flavour with citrus aromatic notes from tangerine peel; restorative and deeply satisfying in a subtle way
What are common mistakes when making Red Bean Soup (Hong Dou Tang / 红豆汤)?
{"Adding salt — makes beans harder, not softer","Boiling vigorously — gentle simmer keeps beans intact","Using canned beans — texture and flavour incomparable to slow-cooked dried beans"}
What dishes are similar to Red Bean Soup (Hong Dou Tang / 红豆汤)?
Japanese oshiruko azuki soup, Korean pat bingsu red bean base, Vietnamese che do xanh mung bean soup