Sweet Mung Bean Soup Recipe

(Che Dau Xanh)

In Hue, sweet soups are a great favorite. In the restaurants and parks along the Perfume River, people pause for a while to enjoy a bowl of sweet soup made with different sorts of bean, rice, tapioca, bananas or even lotus seeds with root vegetables such as taro. This recipe is for the classic favorite made with the traditional mung beans, che dau xanh. On a chilly day, it has the same warming and comforting effect as a bowl of porridge.

Ingredients : Serves 4-6

225 g

500 ml

50 g

Skinned split mung beans, soaked in water for 3 hours and drained

Coconut milk

Caster (superfine) sugar

Toasted coconut shavings (optional), to serve

• Put the mung beans in a pan and pour in 500 ml water.

• Bring the water to the boil, stirring constantly, then reduce the heat and simmer until all the water has been absorbed.

• Press the beans through a sieve, or puree them in a blender.

• In a heavy pan, heat the coconut milk with the sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.

• Gently stir in the pureed mung beans, making sure the soup is thoroughly mixed and heated through.

• Serve hot in warmed bowls sprinkled with toasted coconut shavings, if liked.

Mung Beans

Be sure to buy the bright yellow, peeled, split mung beans for this soup rather than the whole green ones. If you do buy the whole green ones, they will need to be peeled before cooking, which is a dull and time-consuming task.