Recipe for Cold Red Bean Drink (Chinese)
Hello. I made hung dao bing when I first got married 16 1/2 years ago and when my mom was around to teach me, but I haven't made it for MANY years and have forgotten what to do. I like my food very simple and have the following ingredients:
* 14 ozs. of dried red beans from China
* 16 ozs. of "rock candy" - bing tong
* 11 ozs. of sweetened condensed filled milk
Do I need to soak the beans in cold water? For how long? How long do I boil the beans for? How much of the sugar should I use? And does anyone know why my can of milk is "filled"? I was too cheap to spring for the Carnation one that was more than double of what I bought. I have shaved ice, and I can probably figure out how much condensed milk to put in (hopefully the one I bought is okay), but feel free to tell me as well.
For future reference, are there specific brands or types of ingredients above that you think are better? I have seen a larger bean (tan color) and tapioca added as well, but I'm don't care for them. Thanks! I'm probably going to make it for 4th of July!
boltnut55
Jul 01, 2007 07:11PM
I'm not sure I can help you w/ your mom's recipie, but my mom uses the Japanese sweet red bean paste w/ beans in it and then thins it down to taste w/ a combo of water and coconut milk. The red bean paste takes off the soaking and boiling of the beans. Go easy on the paste because a little goes a long way!
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I think you should soak the beans; rinse them, pick through for stones, then soak overnight in cold water. I start them off at a good boil, in a change of water, and then reduce the heat to simmer. I rarely add the sugar until closer to the end. Cooking time can be upwards of 1.5 hours or more. Just keep picking a bean out and tasting it. You will know when they are soft enough. If they seem to be taking too long to soften, you can add a teaspoon of baking soda and continue simmering. Then add sugar. It always takes more sugar than you think! Simmer a bit longer to let them take up the sugar water. Those beans are quite bland. Now, you have hung dao sah. I'll have to leave the cold "bing" part to you, as I have never made it. Do you just chill at that point?
Filled milk contains fats other than dairy fat, so that's why it's a bit cheaper. It tastes about the same, but I'd really recommend springing for the real deal. If Carnation seems expensive, perhaps you can find a storebrand that's still all-dairy.
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Thank you so much for the info! Hmm, about that filled milk, I guess I should have bought Carnation. I was at an Asian market, but I'm guessing Safeway would have been cheaper at their bulk purchase.
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Making red bean soup is pretty easy. I always just rinse the bean, pick out any bad beans, and cover with enough water so it's about an inch over. Then I bring the pot to a boil, then shut off the fire and keep the lid on. Turn on the heat and bring to boil after 30 minutes of standing time, and shut off the heat again.
I've found you can just keep simmer the beans, but that just wastes energy, the boil, shut off alternating methods to work just as well. I add sugar after the beans are soft, but I don't think it matters when you add them. I add sugar to taste, half a cup at a time. If I see it needs more water, I add more :) It's a pretty fool proof dish.
Once you do a few times, you'll know how much water you'll need. Personally, I don't like mine to be too soupy.
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