Shanghainese Red Bean Soup with Glutinous Rice Balls

By AislePrompt Editorial · ·

How this recipe was made — this recipe was drafted by AislePrompt's AI-assisted pipeline from technique templates and USDA-sourced nutrition data, and published by AislePrompt Editorial — see how AislePrompt recipes are drafted and published.

A warm, sweet dessert featuring smooth red bean soup paired with chewy glutinous rice balls filled with black sesame paste. This Chinese-inspired recipe, ready in about 490 minutes, layers dried red beans, water, rock sugar into a dessert worth slowing down for — great for weekend baking, holiday tables, or any time you want a sweet payoff at the end of a meal. Each serving lands at about 250 calories and feeds 4, so it slots into a weekend bake or a special-occasion dessert tray. Tap "Plan a meal with the AI" below to drop this recipe into your week and send the ingredients straight to Instacart. Nutrition values are approximate, calculated from USDA FoodData Central (fdc.nal.usda.gov) — verify against ingredient labels for any health-driven dietary plan.

Prep: 420 min Cook: 70 min Serves 4 Chinese cuisine 250 cal/serving
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Ingredients

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Instructions

  1. Step 1: Rinse 1 cup dried red beans and soak in water for 6 hours or overnight. Drain and place in a pot with 6 cups fresh water; bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour until beans are very soft.
  2. Step 2: Add 1/2 cup rock sugar to the pot, stirring until dissolved, then keep warm on low heat.
  3. Step 3: To make the rice balls, mix 1 cup glutinous rice flour with 1/2 cup hot water to form a dough that is soft but not sticky. Knead lightly on a floured surface.
  4. Step 4: Divide dough into 20 small pieces, flatten each, place about 1/2 tsp black sesame paste in the center, then pinch edges to seal and roll into smooth balls. Lightly coat with 1 tsp vegetable oil to prevent sticking.
  5. Step 5: Bring a separate pot of water to a boil, drop in rice balls and cook until they float to the surface plus 1 minute more, about 5 minutes total. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to the warm red bean soup.
  6. Step 6: Serve the red bean soup with rice balls hot as a comforting dessert.

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