Tau suan is a classic Chinese dessert soup made from mung beans. The sticky, thick sweet syrup topped with savoury, crunchy you tiao (fried dough sticks) can be served both hot and cold. Mung beans are also packed with healthy nutrients and are high in antioxidants.
Tau suan (sweet mung bean soup) brings back happy memories of my childhood. My late paternal grandmother used to buy it for me as a treat.
The highlight of the dessert is the topping of you tiao.
If you can’t get ahold of you tiao, simply go without – it just means less calories.
But if you do have you tiao, toast it and cut it into pieces just before serving. The savoury and crispy pieces complement the sticky sweet texture of the tau suan.
It does require some patience to caramelise the sugar. Do it over low heat and you should get a beautiful rich caramel.