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The Ultimate Guide to Making the Perfect Sweet and Creamy Red Bean Soup for the Seventh Lunar Month

16 November, 2024

The Significance of Eating Red Bean Dessert on the Qixi Festival

Annually, on the Qixi Festival, also known as the Seventh Night, there is a popular trend among people to eat red bean dessert with the hope of finding their soulmate. However, not many are aware of the reason behind this tradition and how it helps one escape singledom.

On the Seventh Night (7th day of the 7th lunar month), young people often get together to eat red bean dessert, wishing to find love and escape the single life.

To understand the reason behind this tradition, one must first know the significance of the Seventh Night. This festival, celebrated on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month, is deeply rooted in the tragic love story of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. According to the legend, a cowherd named Niulang (the Cowherd) and a fairy named Zhinü (the Weaver Girl) fell deeply in love. However, due to their different identities—one a mortal and the other immortal—they were forced to part ways, separated by the Milky Way.

Day after day, they could only longingly gaze at each other from opposite sides of the river, filled with sorrow and heartache. Touched by their sincere love, the Goddess Queen Mother allowed them to meet once a year on the Seventh Night. Thus, the Seventh Night became the day when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl would reunite.

This legend gave rise to the belief that eating red bean dessert on the Seventh Night would bring one luck in finding their soulmate, and that the couple would remain together forever. In Asian culture, red beans are considered auspicious, and the color red symbolizes happiness and joy. Therefore, consuming red bean dessert on this day is believed to bring good fortune in finding love and blessing the couple with an unbreakable bond, just like the love between the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, which overcame the challenges and difficulties of their separation.

Ingredients for Red Bean Dessert:

– 30 grams of red beans

– 60 grams of brown rice

– 6 red dates (jujubes)

– 1 handful of red peanuts

– 8 longan fruits

– A small amount of wolfberries

– Moderate amount of brown sugar

Instructions to Cook Red Bean Dessert:

– Soak the red beans and brown rice in water for 3 hours;

– Soak the red peanuts separately, but for a shorter time;

– Except for the brown sugar and wolfberries, put all the ingredients (red beans, red peanuts, longan, brown rice, and red dates) into a pot and add the water used for soaking the red beans.

– Add water four times the volume of the ingredients, bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for an hour and a half. Adjust the amount of water according to your preferred consistency.

The red beans become soft and tender after cooking.

– Add the washed wolfberries just before turning off the heat to retain their nutritional value. Finally, stir in the brown sugar to taste.

This red bean dessert for the Seventh Night is not only delicious but also nutritious. Treat yourself to a bowl of this dessert on the Seventh Night to nourish your body and enhance your beauty as you await the arrival of love.

You can use a rice cooker to cook the red bean dessert, which is more convenient. Prepare the ingredients the night before and put them in the rice cooker. Set the timer, and you can have the dessert ready by the next morning.