Red Bean Paste Dessert

I have never really like red bean paste dessert, probably a result of food that uses mass produced, ready-made red bean paste from which are more often than not, overly too sweet and with no bean taste in them. These are usually not pure bean paste, but a mix of red bean paste and other cheaper ingredients, usually root vegetables such as potato which gives a similar paste like texture.

While preparing sweetened red beans for the restaurant’s la chendol dessert the other day, I found myself with a large bowl of beans left at the bottom of the pot that was too soft for my purpose. I decided to keep them and make a red bean paste dessert the next day.

Upon Aunty D's suggestion, I bought lily bulb, lotus seeds and white fungus. These ingredients needed to be washed, and the latter two, soaked and boiled in sweetened sugar syrup. Once cooked till softened, I drained them out and kept the syrup aside.

The red beans are then blended to a smooth paste, adding the syrup set aside earlier. All the ingredients are then put together with more water added to achieve a thick soup consistency. This is then brought to a boil, with extra sugar added to achieve a mild sweetness.

The end result? A hot Chinese dessert which I absolutely fell in love! This red bean paste dessert is called '莲生贵子', a play on the ingredients' name. A popular dessert often served at wedding banquets due to its auspicious annotation.




The red bean paste soup, with cooked sago, lotus seeds, white fungus and lilly bulbs.