Red bean and barley soup
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1. About this recipe
Red bean and barley soup — using chi xiao dou (adzuki bean) and yi yi ren (Job's tears, also called Chinese pearl barley) — is the classic dietary remedy for damp accumulation, puffiness, weight gain, sluggishness and PCOS. Both ingredients drain damp downwards through gentle diuresis without harshly cooling the digestion. The soup is unsweetened, pleasantly nutty and easy to eat regularly.
2. Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (100g) adzuki beans (chi xiao dou), soaked overnight
- 1/2 cup (100g) Job's tears / Chinese pearl barley (yi yi ren), soaked 2–4 hours
- 1.2 litres water
- Optional: 5 jujube (red dates) or 1 small piece of dried tangerine peel (chen pi)
- Optional: small pinch of rock sugar to taste
3. Method
- Drain and rinse the soaked beans and Job's tears.
- Place in a heavy-based pan with 1.2L water and red dates (if using).
- Bring to a boil, skim any foam, then reduce to a simmer.
- Cook gently for 1–1.5 hours until both beans and Job's tears are tender and the soup has thickened.
- Add a tiny amount of rock sugar if desired (traditional in Chinese style).
- Serve warm, eating beans and broth together.
4. Variations
- Add 10g poria (fu ling) for stronger damp-resolving effect.
- Add 30g lotus seed (lian zi) for combined Spleen support.
- Slightly drier version: reduce water and serve as a porridge.
5. When to eat it
Eat 3–4 times per week for 4–8 weeks for damp patterns: puffy oedema, weight gain, sluggish digestion, PCOS, oily skin, heavy limbs and brain fog. Particularly suited to humid climates and the late summer season. Do not use during pregnancy (Job's tears are traditionally avoided in pregnancy). Avoid in cold-deficient digestion (it can be too draining).
