紅豆沙 Red Bean Soup

 I love eating anything red bean. I think I've said that before. So, I was so happy when my mom decided to make 紅豆沙, red bean soup, today. It's been a long time since I have eaten it. It's delicious.
I remember when I was younger, I used to not care for this dessert. I don't know what I was thinking. My mom would try to get me to eat it, but I refused. Now, it's my favorite. Red bean is awesome.
The restaurants make it a bit differently then my mom does, in that they don't add many nuts and beans and that stuff. Usually, restaurants just have the soup, red beans, rice and occasionally some weird pearl stuff. Theirs is also sweeter. I like mines sweet but not to sweet. Also, when my aunts make 紅豆沙, theirs is twice as sweet. Literally, since they add twice as much brown sugar pieces than my mom does. Me and my mom don't like it too sweet and it's also a bit unhealthy adding all of that sugar. So, if you guys like things sweet, you can add more sugar than stated in the recipe. Also, there are no exact measurements for this recipe. Enjoy.


Ingredients:

• half a bag of red beans
• 1/4 bag of mixed beans
• 1/4 cup lotus seed
• peanuts 
• 1 cup rice (my mom uses Jasmine White Rice)
• 1 bag Brown Sugar Pieces (Rock Sugar)
• water

Directions: 

1. In a large saucepot, combine all the ingredients EXCEPT for the brown sugar pieces. Rinse and rain them a few times. Then, let it sit in the water for half an hour to an hour. 
2. Add water until the pot is almost full. Then, bring it to a boil. 
3. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and let it cooked uncovered for 1 1/2 hrs to 2 hrs. 
4. Then, add in the brown sugar pieces. Stir until it melts. Taste the soup. If you like it sweeter, add another bag. 
5. Enjoy. 

Red Bean Mochi 糯米糍 Recipe

您们好！ It's been a while since I lasted posted. Once again, I'm very sorry. There is so much school work, and a lot of things have been going on. I had tons of projects I had to work on and I'm getting ready for my AP tests, and it's really stressful. The ACT is also this weekend. So much. >_< On top of that, I also have to manage 2 clubs which I am president of (which you guys should know). I am also participating in my school's cinco de mayo assembly. I am singing with a few other people, and practicing for it has occupied my free time. Man, life is so busy and stressful now a days. I bet that in the past, life was so much easier. Oh well. Life is life and it changes...whether we like it or not.  so where was I? Oh yeah. I made mochi. But, why? well..

  The past weekend, I went over to my friends house, and she loves asian things, even though she is not asian. She especially loves Japanese and Korean things. We talked about all of that stuff, and we talked about food today (and we practiced for the cinco de mayo assembly). xD She especially loves asian food. So, after, when I got home, I started craving mochi, because it's an asian food and we were just talking about it. All asian countries have different variations to it. Well, what is mochi? Well, it's a rice cake. The basic ingredients are glutinous rice flour, sugar, water, coconut milk and red bean. I'm assuming the coconut milk and red bean are optional, but the people in Japan, Korean, and China usually add the red bean and coconut milk. So, here's my own recipe for mochi. I hope you enjoy. :) mochi = 很好吃。 

Ingredients: 

• 1 bag of Glutinous rice flour 糯米粉
• 1  1/2 cup sugar
• 1 can of coconut milk (400 mL or 13.5 oz)
• 1  1/2 cup water
• red bean paste (or any type of filling, peanut butter, peanuts, etc...)
• coconut splices/ shredded coconut  

Directions: 

• Mix and whisk/sift together the rice flour and sugar.
• Add in the water and the coconut milk, and mix until you get a creamy, somewhat liquidity mixture. 
• Pour into two bowls/plates/pans and steam for 30 minutes. Don't pour it too full, or else it will poof up and out of the pan.
• Once it is steamed, take it out and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes so that it will be easier to handle. 

• Wear plastic gloves and use a spoon to take a piece of the dough. Flatten it into a ball, and stretch it, add the filling, and then wrap the skin (dough) around the filling to cover it to make a ball. Roll it in coconut.