How to Make Lotus Seed and Mung Bean Sweet Soup
How to make a sweet soup using lotus seeds, mung beans, red dates, and chia seeds, along with other ingredients like pandan leaves, tapioca starch, and palm sugar. This dessert is not only delicious but also very good for your health. It is commonly made during the summer (May, June, July, and August).
This simple yet flavorful recipe results in a beautiful and tasty dessert, thanks to the balanced ratio of ingredients. The lotus seed and mung bean sweet soup has a smooth, slightly thick consistency with a perfect sweetness. The aroma from the fresh lotus seeds and pandan leaves adds a lot of appeal. It’s both nutritious and refreshing.
Ingredients
- 250g fresh lotus seeds
- 200g mung beans
- 150g dried red dates
- 20g chia seeds
- 30g white sugar
- 200g palm sugar
- 12g tapioca starch
- 10g shredded coconut
- 1 pandan leaf (fragrant screwpine)
Instructions
Prepare the Ingredients
Rinse the split mung beans and soak them in water for at least 5-6 hours. If you have more time, you can soak them for 8 hours or overnight to fully soften the beans. After soaking, rinse the beans again and drain.
Peel the fresh lotus seeds and remove the seed cores using a toothpick if any remain.
After removing the lotus cores, rinse the seeds and blanch them in boiling water to reduce bitterness and remove resin. Once the water boils, drain and rinse the seeds under cold water to keep them white and intact. Let them dry.
Rinse the dried red dates and soak them in water for about 15 minutes.
Soak the chia seeds in a bowl of water until they soften.
Wash the pandan leaves and cut them into 3cm long pieces.
Cook the Lotus Seeds and Mung Beans
Add the lotus seeds and mung beans to a pot, along with about 30g of white sugar, and sauté (sên) the mixture to infuse the beans and seeds with flavor. Keep the heat at medium and stir constantly to prevent burning and sticking.
Cook the Sweet Soup
Add 1.2 liters of water to the pot with the sautéed lotus seeds and mung beans, increase the heat, and bring the mixture to a boil. Once the water boils, skim off any foam to keep the soup clear, then add 200g of palm sugar.
At this stage, you can adjust the amount of sugar to suit your preference for sweetness.
Lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer the lotus seeds and mung beans for about 15-20 minutes until they are soft and fully cooked.
Red dates are added later to retain their vibrant color. These dried dates are known for their health benefits, such as improving blood circulation, enhancing brain function, boosting metabolism, and aiding digestion.
Next, add the chia seeds and stir for about 2 minutes. Although small, chia seeds provide excellent health benefits by boosting vitamin B levels and aiding in weight loss. You can skip the chia seeds if you don't enjoy their texture.
The more tapioca starch you add, the thicker the soup will be.
Final Product Requirements
The lotus seed sweet soup with mung beans and red dates has a beautiful color and a fragrant, sweet aroma. It has a smooth consistency and balances all the ingredients perfectly.
This dessert is flavorful, refreshing, and has great health benefits, helping with heat relief and promoting better sleep. The recipe is simple enough to make regularly at home, perfect for family gatherings on hot summer days.
Video
Tips & Notes
When preparing the ingredients, take note of the following:
- If you can’t find fresh lotus seeds, you can use dried ones, but fresh lotus seeds taste better and are creamier.
- Dried red dates and chia seeds can be found in supermarkets or specialty stores that sell Korean or Australian products.
- If you don’t have pandan leaves, you can substitute with 1/2 tube of vanilla extract for added fragrance.
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You can substitute palm sugar with rock sugar, white sugar, or brown sugar, but palm sugar gives the soup a lovely color and a light, fragrant sweetness.
Palm sugar is a great choice for making sweet soup. - If you don’t use tapioca starch, you can use arrowroot starch for a similar texture. However, arrowroot starch is more expensive than tapioca.
