Sweet red bean soup is a staple in many Chinese households. It is one of those simple desserts you can prepare from scratch and serve to guests for special occasions. My earliest experience with a bowl of sweet red bean soup was when I attended my uncle’s wedding as a child. His wedding reception was held at a large Chinese restaurant. The menu featured an abundance of chicken, pork, beef, and seafood. The final dessert course included fresh sliced oranges, red bean paste filled steamed buns shaped like peaches, and a simple tang shui (sweet soup). My favorite was the sweet red bean soup. I’ve had variations of sweet red bean soups with different ingredients added to the soup over the years, but I always prefer the version in its most basic form – red adzuki beans cooked until tender with a hint of sweetness. When Kevin and I had our wedding in New York last summer, we honored our Chinese culture by serving a simple sweet red bean soup as one of the desserts during the dessert course of the reception dinner. The other dessert was fresh fruit. On the days leading up to our wedding, it rained every day. Luckily for us, the rain skipped our wedding day. Our family and friends shared with us shortly after our wedding how much fun they had throughout our wedding. One of the more memorable parts of our wedding (as told to us by our family and friends) was the food served at the reception. Our reception dinner menu featured chicken, pork, beef, seafood, noodles, rice, and desserts. During the past weekend, I was scrolling through the photos on my phone and came across my wedding photos. The photos made me feel a bit nostalgic and enhanced my craving for some sweet red bean soup. After dinner on Friday night, Kevin and I headed towards the local Asian market to pick up some groceries and a bag of adzuki red beans to make sweet red bean soup. When I got home, I set up my slow cooker to the low heat setting, added some red beans, a whole piece of brown sugar candy, water, closed the lid, went to bed, and woke up to the most warming, slightly sweet red bean soup for brunch. I specifically asked Kevin to judge the authenticity of the sweet red bean soup (since he grew up in Hong Kong). He started with a spoonful and then finished the rest of the bowl within seconds. Judging by the quickness with which he finished the soup, I could tell I achieved my goal of recreating the sweet red bean soup from our wedding menu. This dessert, while simple, is an undeniable must have at Chinese weddings. Most of the Chinese weddings I attended growing up in New York had some form of this sweet red bean soup. My version had just the right amount of sweetness for Kevin and my taste buds.
Overnight sweet red bean soup:
· ½-1 cup uncooked adzuki red beans
· 1 rectangular piece of Chinese brown sugar candy
· 2-3 cups water
Directions:
1) Turn the slow cooker to low heat. Add the adzuki red beans to the slow cooker. Place the piece of Chinese brown sugar candy into the center of the slow cooker. Fill the slow cooker with 2-3 cups of water. Close the lid. Let the slow cooker cook the sweet red bean soup overnight (or for at least 6 hours).
Takeaways: The water content of the sweet red bean soup can be adjusted to suit your preference. I’ve had versions where the consistency was thick. I’ve also had versions where the consistency was thin. Feel free to adjust the liquid content to your liking. For the sweetness level, I like my soup just slightly sweet. If you prefer a sweeter version, feel free to add more brown sugar candy. You can also make some tang yuan and add it to the soup.
Summer 2018 NYC Wedding Photos
Kevin and I set up a large photo right at the entrance to our outdoor ceremony.
We held our ceremony at Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel’s outdoor terrace.
My family squeezed in some photos right before the reception.
The decorators we worked with, Jelo Paper & Decor, went above and beyond to decorate the reception stage and wedding cake.
We danced to Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me To The Moon” for our first dance.
I was able to sneak way to take photos with my two maids of honor, Colleen (far left), and Ada (far right) during the reception.
Towards the end of the night, Kevin and I cut our wedding cake and danced the night away.
Photo Credit: Peter from L’Affection, family and friends
Decoration Credit: Jelo Paper & Décor