Soups
Mixed Bean and Peanut Sweet Soup
Traditionally enjoyed to support people with low platelet counts
Why people make this soup
A cheerful mix of coloured beans — the everyday mung, red and black-eyed beans, plus kidney beans, and the newer big white beans, butter beans and Yunnan chicken-pod beans — makes for a soup that is as nourishing as it is eye-catching. Beans are rich in protein, B vitamins, minerals and trace elements. There is an old Chinese idea that “the five colours feed the five organs,” so eating beans of different colours every day is traditionally thought to be good for you. Add peanuts, and it becomes Bro Niu’s favourite gentle soup for people whose platelets run low.
Who it suits / who should be cautious
- People with low platelet counts looking for a supportive, wholesome soup
- Families wanting a nutritious sweet (or savoury) bean soup
- Caution: a low platelet count needs proper medical care — use this only as a gentle food-therapy companion, and please see a doctor
Why these ingredients (the food-therapy logic)
- Mixed coloured beans (shi dou): rich in protein, B vitamins and minerals; the “five colours feed the five organs” idea makes a varied bean mix a traditional everyday wholesome food.
- Peanuts (hua sheng), especially the red skins: traditionally associated with supporting the blood and platelets.
- Aged tangerine peel (chen pi): added because beans can cause bloating; traditionally it helps the digestion settle.
- Red dates (hong zao): traditionally used to support and warm the blood.
Ingredients (4–5 bowls)
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Assorted coloured beans | ~113 g | Soak and rinse |
| Peanuts | ~38 g | Soak and rinse |
| Aged tangerine peel | 2 pieces | Soak and rinse |
| Red dates | 6 | Pitted |
| Rock sugar | To taste |
Method
- Soak and rinse the beans, peanuts and tangerine peel. Pit the red dates.
- Put everything in a pot with 8 bowls of water and simmer for about 2 hours until reduced to 4–5 bowls.
- Stir in rock sugar until dissolved, then serve.
Bro Niu’s tips
Beans tend to cause wind, so the aged tangerine peel is cooked in to help. This soup works well either sweet or savoury.
Community questions answered (selected)
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Q (Ka): Which soup can raise platelets? Mine have dropped to just 20. Bro Niu: You can use peanut skins ~11 g, 8 red dates and a little rock sugar; simmer 5 bowls of water to 2 bowls, 3–4 doses a week. Peanut skins are available at Chinese medicine shops.
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Q (Got): This sweet soup is really tasty. What mix of beans should I look for? Bro Niu: Any mix of differently coloured beans will do — for example, the assorted beans used for “cha cha” sweet soup work perfectly for this soup.
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Q (reader): What are the symptoms of low platelets? Bro Niu: Platelets help stop bleeding and speed up clotting. When they run low, the skin bruises easily (bleeding under the skin), and gums, nose or other sites may bleed more readily. It can also come with warm palms and soles, fatigue, thirst, a dry throat and night sweats.
Published June 11, 2010 · Adapted and translated for Nourilo from a traditional home-kitchen recipe. Approx. 2 min read.
