Congees
Three Bean Soup
Three Bean Soup is a classic traditional Chinese medicinal soup with a history spanning over a thousand years. It is said to have originated with the famous Warring States period physician Bian Que and was later recorded in the Song Dynasty medical text Leibian Zhushi Ji Yan Yi Fang (Classified Collection of Verified Medical Formulas by the Zhu Family). Made with three medicinal and edible ingredients — mung beans, adzuki beans, and black beans — this soup serves both as a refreshing summer drink and an effective herbal tea. Each bean brings its own strength in perfect harmony: mung beans clear heat, detoxify, and relieve summer heat; adzuki beans clear heat, promote diuresis, and reduce swelling; black beans tonify the kidneys, benefit essence, and strengthen the spleen. Together, they achieve the combined effects of clearing summer heat, detoxifying, strengthening the spleen, and draining dampness. What makes this soup particularly ingenious is that while mung beans and adzuki beans are both cooling in nature, the addition of black beans counterbalances their coldness, making it a soup that clears heat without harming the spleen and stomach. The soup is clear and aromatic, with a sweet, refreshing taste. It is consumed along with the softened beans for a rich texture. Three Bean Soup is not only the top choice for relieving summer heat and dampness during the dog days, but also effectively prevents and alleviates skin issues such as heat rash, eczema, and pox. It is truly the "kitchen's summer heat relief soup" .
Main Ingredients
- Mung beans 30g
- Adzuki beans (not red kidney beans) 30g
- Black beans 30g
- Rock sugar (or brown sugar/honey) To taste
- Water 1500ml
Steps
Rinse the mung beans, adzuki beans, and black beans separately. Place them in a bowl, cover with plenty of water, and soak for 1-2 hours. Soaking beans in advance greatly reduces cooking time and helps them become soft and creamy. If time permits, soaking for more than half a day is recommended.
Drain the soaked beans (or use the soaking water along with the beans) and place them in a clay pot or stainless steel pot. Add enough water (approx. 1000-1500ml) to cover the beans by about 3-4 cm.
Bring to a rolling boil over high heat, then reduce to low heat and simmer for about 1 hour, until the beans have bloomed and become soft and creamy. Stir occasionally during cooking to prevent sticking.
When the beans are soft and tender, add rock sugar (or brown sugar/honey) to taste and continue cooking for another 5 minutes until fully dissolved. Turn off the heat, allow to cool slightly, and serve warm with the beans.
TCM Notes
Modern Nutrition Research: Clearing summer heat: Mung beans are cold in nature, clearing the gallbladder, nourishing the stomach, relieving summer heat, and quenching thirst. Strengthening the spleen and draining dampness: Adzuki beans promote diuresis and drain dampness, working with mung beans to effectively expel excess moisture from the body. Tonifying the kidney and strengthening the foundation: Black beans strengthen the spleen and tonify the kidneys, counterbalancing the cooling nature of mung beans and adzuki beans while supporting the principle of "treating winter diseases in summer". Preventing skin conditions: Three Bean Soup effectively prevents and alleviates skin problems caused by summer heat and dampness, such as heat rash, eczema, pox, and sores. Boosting immunity: Historically used by physicians for its antiviral and antibacterial properties, Three Bean Soup enhances the body's immune mechanisms and provides adjunctive support for conditions like measles, mumps, and tonsillitis. Relieving summer fatigue: Significantly improves "summer fatigue" symptoms such as loss of appetite, lethargy, and lack of energy.
Suitable for：Those suffering from summer heat, restlessness, and thirst Those with excessive internal dampness, thick greasy tongue coating, and a heavy body feeling Those with skin conditions such as heat rash, eczema, and pox Those experiencing summer fatigue, loss of appetite, and lethargy Generally healthy individuals for summer wellness The elderly and children (black beans neutralize the cold nature, allowing moderate consumption)
Not suitable for：Those with severe spleen-stomach deficiency-cold (frequent stomach pain, cold intolerance, loose stools): Although black beans partially neutralize the cold nature, those with a cold constitution should not overconsume Those with chronic gastritis or chronic enteritis: Beans are difficult to digest and may worsen symptoms Those in acute gout flare-ups: Beans contain moderate purines; avoid during acute attacks Those with general weakness or spleen-deficiency stomach pain Those with diarrhea: The soup is cooling and may worsen diarrhea Those allergic to beans
