Nángguā Hóngdòu Tāng

The Cantonese sweet soup: red adzuki beans simmered soft with chunks of pumpkin and rock sugar into a warming, gently sweet tong sui, eaten for nourishment through the cold months of southern China

Origin: Guangdong Province, China

From the journey of Pumpkin & Squash.

Tong sui, literally 'sugar water', is the family of sweet soups that closes a Cantonese meal or stands alone as a nourishing snack, and it is one of the quiet glories of the southern Chinese kitchen. Nángguā hóngdòu tāng, pumpkin and red bean sweet soup, belongs to the warming, restorative end of the tong sui repertoire: red adzuki beans, long prized in Chinese tradition for their nourishing and warming properties, are simmered until soft and creamy, then cooked with chunks of pumpkin and sweetened gently with rock sugar. The pumpkin arrived in southern China through the Portuguese settlement at Macau in the decades after 1557, and was absorbed into a culinary culture already deeply versed in cooking gourds and melons. Its Chinese name, nángguā (南瓜, 'southern melon'), records both the direction of its arrival and the conceptual frame within which Chinese cooks understood it. In this soup the pumpkin's starchy sweetness melts partly into the broth, thickening it and lending a natural sweetness that means very little added sugar is needed. Served warm in the cooler months, it is comfort and tonic in a single bowl.

Ingredients

  • 150 g dried red adzuki beans, soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight
  • 500 g pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, and cut into 3 cm chunks
  • 1.5 litres water
  • 60 g rock sugar (or to taste)
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 strip dried tangerine peel (chénpí, optional, for fragrance)

Method

  1. Drain the soaked adzuki beans. Place them in a pot with the water and the dried tangerine peel if using, bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook, partly covered, for about 1 hour, until the beans are soft and beginning to split.
  2. Add the pumpkin chunks to the soft beans and simmer for a further 15 to 20 minutes, until the pumpkin is tender and some pieces are beginning to dissolve into the broth.
  3. Stir in the rock sugar and a pinch of salt, and simmer for a few minutes more until the sugar has dissolved. Taste and adjust the sweetness.
  4. Serve warm in bowls. The soup can also be served chilled in warmer weather.

Notes

The dried tangerine peel (chénpí) is a classic Cantonese aromatic that adds a subtle citrus fragrance and is traditionally believed to aid digestion; it is optional but worthwhile if you can find it at a Chinese grocer. Some versions add a handful of lotus seeds or a little sago for extra texture, or a splash of coconut milk at the end for richness. Use a sweet, dense, orange-fleshed pumpkin such as kabocha. Rock sugar gives a cleaner, rounder sweetness than granulated, but ordinary sugar can be substituted.

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