Red bean soup.

No, this is not another one of those canned bean soups. You know what I'm talking about - the ever so famous "Tex-mex" soup with three kinds of beans. And the red beans I am talking about are not the kind of beans you pack on a camping trip either - the kind that gives you...gas. No no no my friend! The red bean soup I am talking about is of a whole different sort. It's sweet, warm, and (as if it couldn't get any more strange) served as a dessert!

Did I just say dessert AND red bean soup?!? You bet I did! Ok, before you go outside and yell, "Has the writer of I Heart Asian Food gone crazy?" let me explain to you what exactly is red bean soup.

Red bean soup is a traditional Chinese soup that is served warm as a dessert after dinner. It's made by boiling red azuki beans and sugar until soft and mushy. These beans give the soup a deep red color, which makes sense since the color red signifies happiness and luck to the Chinese.

It's sugary sweet, deep deep red, warm, has mushy tender red beans, and is the perfect satisfying dessert!

When I was a kid, I use think, Ummm...I'm not so sure, when I saw red bean soup. That's because it looked so unappetizing. Don't get me wrong - it still looks like brownish red water with bean mush. But I've learned better. As I grew older, I became more tolerant to try new foods, and I discovered how good red bean soup really is. I now see it as my guilt free dessert. I don't know how many calories are in it exactly, but the fact that it's a soup helps me to believe that no matter how many bowls I drink (like 2 or 3!), I still won't gain as much weight as if I ate a slice of dark chocolate cake.

Definitly try red bean soup whenever you go to your favorite Chinese restaurant. I'm sure you will find it to be just as satisfying (or even more than) ordering that regular old vanilla ice cream!

Enjoy!