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Prep time
12 hours 5 minutes
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Cook time
8 hours
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makes
12 popsicles
Author Notes
In the sweltering embrace of a Hong Kong summer, when the air seems thick enough to drink and the city's relentless pulse slows to a languid crawl, the humble red bean popsicle ascends from the realm of mere confectionery to become a lifeline. Especially for those of us who grew up in Hong Kong, the icy treat is a frozen promise of respite, a beacon of relief held aloft in our small, sticky hands.
The red bean popsicle 紅豆雪條 begins, actually, as another dessert, red bean soup 紅豆沙. Delicate and velvety, red bean soup is made from red azuki beans that are boiled until they burst, lending the liquid a naturally creamy quality. They’re also often cooked with medicinal herbs like tangerine peel, lily bulbs, and lotus seeds for additional texture and nutritional benefit.
The popsicle version, simply, is made by freezing the soup. The commercial version of the popsicle boasts a particularly smooth texture from the addition of milk, which this recipe mimics by the addition of coconut milk. The final texture of the popsicle, however, is dependent on how much of the soup is blended and how many of the beans are left intact, a decision that ultimately falls onto you. For a dish so marvelous in its simplicity, that really is the only decision you will need to make.
—Lucas Sin
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Ingredients
- For the red bean soup
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2 cups
(about 180g) red beans or adzuki bean, soaked overnight with at least 4 cups of water
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2 1/2 quarts
(about 2½ liters) room temperature water
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2 pieces
dried tangerine peel, soaked for at least 5 minutes, pith scraped off with a knife
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1/2 piece
(about 100g; ¾ cup) Chinese jaggery
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2 tablespoons
(15g) rock sugar
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20 grams
dried lotus seed (about 50 pieces), washed and soaked overnight*
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15 grams
dried lily bulb (about 20 pieces), washed and soaked overnight*
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= optional
- For the sweetened coconut milk
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1
can (14 oz;397g) full-fat coconut milk
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1/2 cup
(100g) white sugar
Directions
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In a medium pot, bring water and dried tangerine peel to a boil. Once at a rolling boil, add the soaked red beans and bring to a simmer. Scoop off any scum that forms and let the mixture simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, for 1 hour, or until the beans have begun to burst and the soup has begun to thicken. The soup will reduce as it simmers, which is fine.
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After an hour, pick out the tangerine peel from the soup and discard. Using a slotted spoon, mash the beans into the liquid with a spoon. Heat until simmering and add the jaggery and rock sugar and simmer until dissolved. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If using, add the lily bulbs and lotus seed and cook for an additional 15 minutes. At the end of the process, you should have about 1 quart of cooked red bean soup. Serve this either warm or chilled as a soup, or continue and make this into popsicles.
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To make the sweetened coconut milk, combine the coconut milk and white sugar in a small pot and cook until the sugar is entirely dissolved. Set aside and cool.
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To make the popsicles, ladle the red bean soup into the popsicle molds, leaving about 1-inch from the top. Place in the freezer for 1 hour to set the red bean. Remove from the freezer and add the sweetened coconut milk over the top. Insert the popsicle stick and freeze for at least 6 more hours for the popsicle to be fully set. When ready to serve, release the popsicles by first dipping the molds in hot water and then pulling them out. Serve cold.
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