SWEET DIM SUM: Red beans are used extensively in making Chinese soup sweets and desserts. If you can't find red bean puddings on the dim sum menu, you can easily reproduce them at home.

RED BEAN PUDDING 紅荳糕:

 

 

 

 

1 lb. red beans                                                            

1 lb. cane sugar bricks

8 cups water                                                               

3 cups rice flour

3 ½ cups water                                                

½ lard or vegetable shortening

 

 

 

Rinse red beans well and drain. Bring 8 cups water to a boil and add red beans. Bring water back to the boil, cover pot and cook beans over medium heat for about 1 hour or until beans are tender but not mushy. Add sugar and stir to dissolve over low heat.  Add lard or shortening, stirring to dissolve.

 

Sift flour into a large bowl. Add in 3 ½ cups water gradually, stirring and mixing with each addition, until a smooth batter is made. Gradually add batter into the bean mixture, stirring constantly to mix in well.

 

Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and pour pudding into it. Place pan inside a large bamboo steamer fitted over a large pot of boiling water. Cover steamer and cook for 1 hour.

 

Remove pan from heat and un-mould pudding when slightly cooled. Slice into pieces to serve.

 

 

 

FLOURLESS RED BEAN CAKE:

 

 

1 ½ cups red beans                                                     

2 tbsp. unflavoured gelatine

6 tbsp. sugar                                                               

¾ cup sugar or to taste

1 ¾ cups boiling water                                    

1 tsp. baking soda

 

 

 

Toss red beans with baking soda in a bowl. Add in enough water to cover beans and let soak for 1 hour. Rinse beans well; then transfer to a saucepan with sufficient water to cover. Bring water to a boil, cover pan and cook beans at medium-low heat for ¾ to 1 hour, or until beans are tender but still firm and not mushy. Add in sugar to taste, stirring to dissolve. Drain beans into a bowl and cool.

 

Mix gelatine powder and sugar together in a bowl. Pour in boiling water, stirring and mixing constantly to dissolve gelatine and sugar. Continue stirring until gelatine is completely dissolved.

 

Pour ½ of gelatine mixture into a plastic box, roughly 5 ½ x 8 ½ -inch size, covering to a depth of about ¼- ½ -inch thickness. Put box in the freezer for about 20 minutes to set. Pour remaining gelatine mixture into red beans and mix in well.

 

When gelatine layer is set, take out from freezer and pour in half-set red bean/gelatin mixture, smoothing and levelling the top. Refrigerate 4-5 hours or until cake is completely firm and set.

 

Run a flat knife around cake to release it from the sides of the box and sit box in hot water for about 1 minute, shaking box slightly to release cake. Invert pan onto serving plate. Cut into slices to serve.