Chinese Mung Bean (Green Bean) Soup Recipe - Superfood with Medicinal Values

Mung Bean Soup (綠豆湯) Recipe

Serving portion : 6

Ingredients

200 g mung beans

125 g Palm sugar or gula Melaka (can be replaced with sugar)

1.5 liter Water

2 pieces Pandan or screwpine leaves (optional)

4 tbsp Coconut milk

1/4 tsp salt (depending on your taste preference)

3 tbsp White or brown sugar (add according to taste)

4 tbsp sago pearl (optional)

Methods

1) soak the green peas for 4 hours or overnight. Ensure that the water volume is double the volume of green peas.

2) Soak the sago for half an hour or more. Sieve the sago over running water from the pipe to remove the powdery residue.

3) Pour the soaked and washed green peas into a pot with 1.5l of water or more such that the water level is about 3 inches above the green peas level. Add in the pandan leaves which is tied into a knot. Let it boil, then simmer with lower heat for approximately 45 minutes until the beans are almost tender (almost cooked).

4) Add in the sago pearls and cook till sago pearl is transparent. Remember to stir all the time when sago is added, to prevent them from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burnt.

5) Add in sugar and Palm sugar. Continue stirring until the sugar melted.

6) Add in coconut milk.

And it is ready to be served hot or cold.

Medicinal Properties

Mung bean sprouts have been grown by the Chinese for over 5000 years. The medicinal properties of mung beans is well documented in the book “Chinese System of Food Cures” by Henry C. Lu. Mung bean has a long history of food and medicinal uses, with a written record dating back to the 10th century A.D. It is best known to be used for treatment of poisoning of various types, including foods (e.g., mushroom) and herbal drugs (e.g., aconite). In modern times, with pollution becoming an issue, mung bean has extended its use to treat against industrial and environmental poisoning (e.g. pesticides, heavy metals, etc.). Some of these treatments have been reported in Chinese herbal and traditional medical journals in recent years.

For people who avoid consuming beans due to digestive difficulties will be surprised to find that mung beans are relatively easy to digest. They do not generally create abdominal gas or bloating, the drawbacks of larger beans. More importantly, mung beans provide cleansing and detoxifying properties as mentioned above. Rich in potassium, mung bean is beneficial for the cardiovascular and nervous systems. For vegetarian and health-conscious meat eaters, mung beans are part of the legume family which are also a good source of high quality protein. A cup of cooked mung beans contain 14 gms of protein. Rich in fiber, mung bean works to keep healthy cholesterol levels. Mung beans are also rich in iron, thiamin, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper and folate, which help many other bodily functions for optimum health. When sprouted, mung beans contain vitamin C that is not found in the bean itself.

Although Chinese people like to consume mung bean products as desserts, it is often eaten with therapeutic intentions. The consumption of mung bean is especially popular in hot summer to prevent heatstroke, heat rash or prickly heat.