Sweet Mung Bean Barley Soup (Slow-Cooker)

Soft-spoken and modest, Chan doesn't know it but she was a key figure on my foray into sweet soups during my younger days. She's a friend whom you can share every imperfect bit about yourself; that friend who accepts you as you are. I was reminded of her when I made this. We lost touch when I moved to the city.

Sweet Mung Bean Barley Soup (Slow-Cooker)

It started with my first attempt at making mung bean soup. I told Chan about my upcoming kitchen adventure. Her enthusiasm soared and she started sharing with me various sweet soups she had tried before, from wheat porridge to red bean. I called her a couple of times about the ingredients I would need and the hows. Once I got the basics down to a pat, I began working with various ingredients and flavours to suit my moods and palate. After that, I was well on my way. Many different sweet soups have been made since!

This mung bean soup is sweetened with candied winter melon. Brown sugar, jaggery, honey rock sugar or just plain sugar is a great alternative. That's the magic of homecooking. It's about being free and easy, tossing this and that into the pot with a happy song in the heart. 

This sweet soup is an effortless dessert that I love making because it's basically about gathering the ingredients and leaving it to cook for a long time.  

Sweet Mung Bean Barley Soup (Slow-Cooker)
Ingredients:
- 150g sweet potatoes (cut into medium cubes)
- 100g mung beans (wash thoroughly)
- 100g barley (wash thoroughly)
- 100g candied winter melon strips (or to taste)
- 1 knotted pandan leaf
- 6 cups hot water

How-to:
1) Place all the ingredients into a slow-cooker. Add the water. Stir the ingredients.
2) Cook on high until the beans are tender. It took 3 hours for me.
Add more water if a soupier version is preferred.

Optional: Serve with a splash of coconut milk.

4 main ingredients: Candied winter melon, mung bean, barley, sweet potatoes!
Cook until tender.

Sweet Mung Bean Barley Soup

Best eaten warm!

It's good as a chilled dessert too. For this, I would usually add more water as the soup turns out thicker when chilled and I would add more candied winter melon too, not just to match the additional water, but because I find the sweetness a little flat.