Family Recipe 31 - Mung Bean and Job's Tears Soup

Ingredients: Mung beans, Job's tears, sugar Instructions: 1. Wash mung beans and Job's tears, then soak them in water (Many online tutorials suggest freezing overnight, but I've found it doesn't make a significant difference. I just soak them in water for over 6 hours). 2. Put the soaked mung beans and Job's tears into a pot and fill with water up to 80% capacity. 3. Place the pot in a rice cooker, add 2 cups of water to the outer pot. After it finishes cooking, don't open the lid and let it steam for 30 minutes for a softer texture. 4. Check if the mung beans and Job's tears are tender (You'll know by scooping a few with a spoon and crushing them). If not soft enough, add another cup of water to the outer pot and repeat step 3 until they reach your desired tenderness. 5. Add sugar while hot, adjusting to your taste. Brown sugar and dark brown sugar are not recommended; granulated white sugar, regular sugar, or rock sugar are all fine. Let it cool, then refrigerate. I soak them for over 6 hours to help them break down better, which is my habit when making red bean paste or mung bean paste. Actually, for mung bean soup, just having them bloom is enough. You can also cook the mung beans and Job's tears separately; I just find this way more convenient. I personally use a ratio of 2 parts mung beans to 1 part Job's tears, but feel free to adjust as you like.