Pearl bean (珍珠豆) soup

I love the nutty and creamy texture of pearl beans when cooked in soups. It is important not to cook the fresh beans too long otherwise they will disintegrate and the soup will become mushy.

Cranberry beans also known as borlotti beans are one of the tastiest and most classic Italian beans. In Chinese, it is called pearl bean (珍珠豆). The pods are streaked ivory and dark red with similar ivory and dark red to brown speckled and blotched beans. When cooked the beans will lose some of their bright markings and turn a light brown color. It contains all the nine essential amino acids which are important for forming healthy body tissues and building muscle. Cranberry beans do not contain any cholesterol and only have trace amounts of sodium, making them a heart-healthy protein choice.

 Ingredients

Pork ribs

Pearl beans

Remove the beans from the pods

Blanch the pork ribs and put into the slow cooker

Add the red dates, yuk chuk and kei chi

Cook on high for 1 hour then set on auto and cook until the meat is tender

Add the beans into the soup when the pork ribs are cooked

Cook on auto for 1 hour

Another way to cook pearl bean soup is to add lotus root for extra flavour

Ingredients

Pearl beans

Pork ribs

Lotus roots

Remove the beans from the pods

Clean and slice the lotus roots

Blanch the pork ribs and put into the slow cooker

Add the lotus roots, red dates, yuk chuk and kei chi

Cook on high for 1 hour then set on auto and cook until the meat is tender

Add the beans into the soup when the pork ribs are cooked

Cook on auto for 1 hour

Another alternative is to use sweet corn instead of lotus root