Zenzai

Red Bean Soup

A bowl of hóngdòutāng, Chinese red bean soup
Alternative names	hóngdòutāng, shiruko, oshiruko
Type	Dessert soup
Region or state	East Asia
Main ingredients	Red beans
Similar dishes	Patjuk

Red bean soup or porridge refers to various traditional East Asian soups or porridge made with azuki beans.

In Mainland China, Hong Dou Tang (紅豆汤, pinyin: hóng dòu tāng) is a popular dish. It is categorized as a tang shui 糖水, (pinyin: táng shǔi) (literally translated as sugar water), or sweet soup. It is often served cold during the summer, and hot in the winter. Leftover red bean soup can also be frozen to make ice pops and is a popular dessert.

In Cantonese cuisine, a red bean soup made from rock sugar, sun-dried tangerine peels, and lotus seeds is commonly served as a dessert at the end of a restaurant or banquet meal. Common variations include the addition of ingredients such as sago (西米, pinyin: xī mi), tapioca, coconut milk, ice cream, glutinous rice balls, or purple rice. The two types of sugar used interchangeably are rock sugar and sliced sugar (片糖).

Shiruko (汁粉), or oshiruko (お汁粉) with the honorific "o" (お), is a traditional Japanese dessert. It is a sweet porridge of azuki beans boiled and crushed, served in a bowl with mochi. There are different styles of shiruko, such as shiruko with chestnuts, or with glutinous rice flour dumplings instead of mochi.