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Mung Bean Sweet Soup with Aloe Vera Gel

This Vietnamese Mung Bean Sweet Soup with Aloe Vera Gel (Che Dau Xanh Nha Dam) is a delicious and healthy chilled dessert for summer. It features wholesome mung bean and refreshing and refreshing aloe vera gel.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Dessert and Snack
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: sweet mung bean soup
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 127kcal
Author: Sophie

Ingredients

  • 3.5 oz whole mung beans (about 1/2 cup)
  • 12 oz aloe vera gel (about 1 1/2 cup sliced)
  • 4 1/2 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons rock sugar (or to taste)
  • salt
US Customary - Grams

Instructions

  • Wash whole mung beans and soak in a lot of water with a pinch of salt for 4-6 hours.
    Soak whole mung beans
  • After soaking, rinse mung beans. Add them to a pot with 4 1/2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Cook until the beans are tender and the skin is split open, about 25 minutes (depending on soaking time and your stove). Skim off any foams during simmering.
    Simmer mung beans
  • While simmering the beans, prepare the aloe vera. Cut off the spiky top and about an inch of the bottom part. Divide the aloe vera leaf into 2 1/2 - 3 inch long sections.
    Prepare aloe vera leaf: remove spiky top and divide into 3 inch sections.
  • Cut off the spiky edges alongside each section and slice off the green outer skin.
  • Cut the inner gel into thin strips and place them in a colander. If the inner gel is quite thick, you can slice in half horizontally before cutting into strips. Be careful while cutting since it can be a little slippery.
  • Sprinkle about 1/4 teaspoon of salt over the aloe vera gel strips. Toss, rinse and wash thoroughly under cold running water. Repeat one or two more times until the aloe vera gel is no longer slimy to completely get rid of the yellow sap (latex).
    Rinse aloe vera gel under running water
  • Once the mung beans are tender, add sugar then add aloe vera gel. Bring back to a simmer and cook for 3-4 more minutes until you see tiny bubbles all over inside the gel. Taste and add more sugar to taste if needed.
    Simmer mung beans until tender and then add aloe vera gel
  • Transfer to a clean container to cool. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

Notes

If too much water evaporates during cooking, you can add more water to thin it out to your liking. Also feel free to adjust the ratios of beans, aloe vera gel and sugar.
I use about 20 oz of aloe vera leaves to get 12 oz of aloe vera gel. The leaves may vary in size and weight.
I think the sweet soup tastes fine right off the stove but the chilled soup tastes much better because you can clearly feel how clean and refreshing the aloe vera gel is when it is cold.
Below is the enlarged photo of the cooked aloe vera gel with tiny bubbles inside so you can see how it looks.
Cooked aloe vera gel

Nutrition

Calories: 127kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 39mg | Potassium: 309mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 28IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 2mg