Growing up in Singapore, Mum would make us green bean soup on hot days; red bean soup on rainy days. These two beans are not just seen as different coloured versions of the same thing in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Green (or mung beans) are yin and have heat-dispersing and detoxifying properties; while red (or azuki beans) lean towards neutral and are useful for nourishing the blood and reducing water retention. I’ve always been influenced to see food not only as sustenance but also as a form of therapy.
一直都很相信医食同源这道理。最近很喜欢研究一些药膳食谱，所以厨房的药材越堆越多。
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maria and kelly connor: I’m observing the dandelion to think about how to recreate it. I’m noticing things I never did before. As for differences in words, maria, perhaps there will be another dimension when you hear me speak. It might be sound like a different person to you again.
wl: OK, thank you!
Meream: Displaying shoes!
sopchan: Albion is where you can find them.
yuko: Oh I get very unused when travelling in Europe and US. Because I grew up with the big plugs too in Singapore.
miffyroar: What are you doing awake at 4 a.m.? The “gong zai mian” was OK. Not the best thing to eat at that place…
Sian: Whereabouts in Scotland? You are the first Singaporean I know with a link to Scotland.
stephie: I saw the bangle, cute! I always thought that “gong zai mian” was a Hong Kong creation, never knew it’s in China too.
read me…: Do you think you’d work on silver again, now that the thoughts have been planted…?
joop: Tell me when I see you later this month, please!
A note on: food, health, kitchen, kitchen talk, polaroid slr680, tableware, tcm
Tommy, I adore both the photo and words of this post. Only recently have I begun to see the theraputic uses of food…thanks for sharing!
I barely sprout mungbeans and make a salad of red onion, soaked almonds and cherries for a summer snack. I normally add a handful of yellow mung beans and blaack barley into the brown rice before cooking as an easy way to eat them daily. The mother of one of my friends from Kyoto told me how to make adzuki bean tea for keeping the skin beautiful. We drink it by the boatload on ice in the summer and hot in the winter. Wonderful post.
we are indeed a rare find. I live in Broughty Ferry which is a small seaside town near Dundee. I’ve seen a few Singaporeans, all are students studying abroad. I have visited london many a time before but have never found a good place for Singaporean/ Malaysian food. Do you know any good places?
Interesting topic. I need much study in this area. Your photograph is lovely.
4a.m – was unpacking from a returned hk trip! bad weather in there!
red/green bean soup reminds me of orange/purple potatos ginger soup! *all yummy! :D
This is another wonderful post!
We eat red beans a lot but never really green ones here in Japan.
Should start eating green ones now!
where did you get all of your enamelware? the only place i can find similar is labour and wait and they don’t ship outside the uk.