Nourishing Chinese Soup: Black Bean Soup
Black bean soup is one of my favourite Chinese soups. Black beans (also known as black turtle beans due to their shiny, dark, shell-like appearance) are super nourishing, they have a deep “meaty” taste akin to mushrooms, and are packed with antioxidants. They are also known to be an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering fiber and high quality protein. Pregnant women love to consume this soup during their pregnancy and confinement. My mum used to cook this soup quite often when I was young so this is comfort food for me. It never fails to perk me up when I am feeling tired. I also like the fact that this soup does not require many ingredients and is so easy to make.
Ingredients
(Makes 2-3 bowls)- 200g pork ribs
- 1 dried cuttlefish
- 2 litres water
- 150g black beans, rinsed thoroughly till water runs clear
- 8 red dates
Some of the ingredientsDirections
1. Blanch pork ribs in boiling water to remove scum.
2. Place blanched pork ribs, and the rest of the ingredients in a pot.
3. Bring into a rapid boil for about 10 minutes, and then simmer on lower fire for approximately 50 minutes. Season with a bit of salt if preferred.
Cooking Note: When I normally cook Chinese soups especially those containing Chinese herbs, it’s usually preferred to simmer the soup for a long time to bring out the flavours. But in the case of the black bean soup, I personally find that once the flavours come out, the soup is sweet upon tasting and the water is reduced significantly, you don’t have to continue simmering for hours. This is because the black beans absorb the water and boiling accelerates it, so you won’t be left with much soup if you were to simmer it for hours. Besides boiling, you can try slow cooking or double boiling.
Further reading on black beans
- The Chinese Soup Lady
- Wikipedia
- WHFoods
A spoonful of goodness
I’m sending this nourishing soup to Lori Lynn – Taste with the Eyes who is the hostess this month for My Legume Love Affair 11th Helping, a legume-cooking food event started by my dear friend Susan aka The Well-Seasoned Cook.
By the way, regular visitors may have noticed the new look of my food blog. The previous design was quite plain and I have been wanting to revamp it for a while. I’m so glad it is finally done and I’m quite pleased with it. I hope you find the new design more pleasing and easier to use. Do give me some feedback if you have any 
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{ 48 comments… add your comment }
Yum, I love black bean soup. Been drinking it since young too.
I miss black bean soup! My grandmother used to cook this a lot with fish.
I haven’t tried the combi of black bean with fish before but it sounds really nice!
I just made this soup last week. I only used black beans and pork ribs for mine and always turned out sweet and delicious with just a dash of salt. Loved your picture of this soup.
Yes … Chinese soups are so easy … pork ribs + main ingredients + salt can cook already
I’ve never heard of this kind of soup before, sounds nice and simple. Heh, my girlfriend would never be able to eat it, she thinks cuttlefish are adorable.
hehe, you can skip the cuttlefish if you can’t find it
This looks so easy but so delicious. I’ve never seen dates in soup, before what a sweet touch.
red dates are a common addition in Chinese soups. They look cute don’t they
My mom makes this soup often during my childhood too. Thanks for bringing back fond memories.
Yummy.
I also like black bean soup too! A very flavorful and yummy soup.
I like the redesign! The brown and orange tones give a “warm” feeling to your blog :).
Whooaaaa… a new blog template. It feels so warm and nice
I hardly eat chinese black bean soup, usually I eat chinese black bean with fish from the can, hehehe…
Wow look at the awesome new layout! I loved the old too, but I agree with Selba…..this is very warm and cozy feeling. Great work on the graphics and everything. I envy your creativity with colors, style, layout, etc.
Black beans are yummy! This looks good.
The new layout looks so eye-pleasing and impressive!!! My family loves black bean soup. Just made some recently. Will try out your version in future.
Thanks! I luv your new layout too
one of my fave soup-tq for sharing.
Call me mountain tortoise. I haven’t had any black bean soup before. lol. This is a simple recipe, I should try this out some time.
Thumbs up for the new layout!! Love it, it’s very refreshing. Revamping my blog layout has been in my to-do list for the longest time.
Thanks girl, I look forward to your updates… It’s been so long since you posted. Don’t make us wait so long!
Another mountain tortoise here! Have not had black bean soup before. Time to buy some now
…wait wait….I do have canned black beans but I used it “Western” style.
Nice refreshing new template.
I’m a mountain tortoise too coz I have not tried the “western” style before
I’ve been craving Mexican black bean soup lately, but I’ve never tried Chinese black bean soup. Now, I want to make both!
I don’t believe this is possible, I was cleaning up my kitchen cupboard and realised I have 2 packs of black bean instead of one, so forgetful and was thinking to make a blk bean soup and need to find a recipe and there I go, your recipe just arrived in my mailbox, I am so happy, gotta try asap. Thanks for sharing! I may have to skip the dried cuttlefish though if I can’t find them here in Switzerland.
We have telepathy! Don’t worry about the cuttlefish as it’s completely optional … it helps to make the sweet a little more sweet. You can also add dried scallops if you have. Hope you like it
Hi Wiffy, I am going to make this soup today : ) Look forward to it. Do you eat all the beans & pork? I may eat some but not all most probably.
Give me your feedback after you tried ok? I tried to eat most of the beans and just a bit of the pork, hehe…
I’ve never had this as a savory soup, only dessert soup.
Like the new redesign!
I love this soup! My late grandma used to boil it often. Thanks for reminding me of it and I love the new look
Love the new look!!!
What a great looking bowl of soup. Don’t believe I had that before.
never try BBS b4!! I bet this soup must taste yummy!! like your new template!!
Wow…this is sure one of my favour soup of all.. I love the taste of blackbean and chicken feets soup…. sometime i will add some peanut to cook with it together…
Thanks for sharing your version of black bean soup…..
I’ve heard of peanut + chicken feet but not with black beans. It sounds like an interesting combo
yeah i like the new layout, very clean and pleasant to the eyes. heh you designed it yrself? and the cute logo
More or less… thank you
You always have new pieces of cutlery showcasing ur food ~ makes me wonder how many bowls and plates u have inside ur cabinet!
Yes I do have quite a mini collection at home
hehe
Haven’t had black bean soup yet, but it looks delicious!
hey Wiffy, I havent had this in a looong time!! looks great here! mom’s comfort food is always the best hehe
Looking good! I probably have to try the vegetarian version. yummyyyyy. Thanks
Hi,
Just wondering if we need to dry fry the beans first?
Audrey
U can if u want to. Some people do that. But I don’t. I just rinse the beans till the water runs clean and throw them into the pot.
Thanks for replying.
Audrey
Your blog design is lovely.
And the soup sounds so very tasty.
I appreciate your entry to MLLA, it is fabulous!
Lori Lynn
Thank you for your kind word and for hosting MLLA, lovely round up you did xo
Dates with beans? Sounds divine, Wiffy! Photos are lovely as always. I see you have some cool Chinese Longevity dishware, too. : )
hi there i cooked it with spare ribs and black bean i boiled for 1 n a half hr . hwever the soup tasted bland even with a dash of salt . no sweetness at all . hw long do i hv to boil it .
I boiled mine for about an hour. Not sure why it tasted bland, mine has quite a rich taste. Did you add the red dates and dried cuttlefish?
I love the soup but my mother-in-law cooks it a little differently from you. She fries the black beans first in a pan on low heat without oil, constantly stirring it to prevent burning. After she hears a bit of a crackling sound, she soaks them in basin of water for a while before removing the skin of most of them. She prefers the soup not to look so ‘black’ – finds it unappetising. Also, the soup does taste ’smoother’. the rest of the ingredients are the same.
Yes, I’ve heard that some people dry fry the beans first to rid of the smell. I’ve been lazy to try that out. But after hearing your detailed description and the differences in taste/texture, I wish to try it out soon. Thank you for sharing.