Here’s an effortless method to prepare mung bean popsicles without the need for a blender or soaking the ingredients beforehand. This recipe offers a convenient way to create delicious frozen treats using minimal effort and ingredients.
My love for Popsicles
Whenever I reminisce about my childhood food experiences, one delightful memory that instantly comes to mind is indulging in green bean popsicles.
I can clearly remember the moment: holding tightly to the one yuan (about $0.15 USD) my mother had given me, I joined my friends on a trip to the store to buy popsicles. During those times, refrigerators were a rarity, so treating ourselves to a popsicle during the summer felt like a grand indulgence.
As we stood in front of the selection, faced with an enticing array of choices, I deliberated over how to spend my yuan. With it, I could buy 10 plain popsicles, or I could splurge and get two mung bean popsicles. Without a doubt, I decided to go for the mung bean popsicle, eagerly anticipating the delightful blend of coolness and creaminess it would offer with each lick.
More about Mung Bean Popsicles
Now I can make the quantity of mung bean popsicles I want, knowing they contain no additives, and I can enjoy them with peace of mind. With just five simple ingredients and a few easy steps, I can create a delicious and wholesome treat. The only challenging part is preparing the popsicle mold in advance.
Ingredient Tips & Alternatives
- Green beans: Use whole dried green mung beans. Whole beans still have their skin or hulls. If you don’t have whole mung beans, you can use split mung beans, which I use to make mung bean paste and mung bean cake. Additionally, leftover mung beans can be utilized to prepare the classic tong sui, Green Bean Dessert Soup.
- Sugar: I added sugar to sweeten the mung beans. I recommend using white granulated sugar or caster sugar for a neutral flavor. Brown sugar can also be used, but it may alter the color of the popsicles slightly. Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar based on your preference for sweetness. Keep in mind that the flavor of mung bean popsicles may become less sweet after freezing.
- Glutinous rice flour: Glutinous rice flour is incredibly versatile in Chinese cuisine. You can use it to create various flavors of mochi, such as Banana Mochi and Sweet Potato Mochi. Additionally, it’s a key ingredient in dishes like Nian Gao, Tang Yuan, Ham Sui Gok (Fried Glutinous Rice Dumplings), or Festive Snow Skin Mooncakes. Despite its name, “glutinous,” which refers to its sticky properties when cooked, it’s actually gluten-free. In this popsicle recipe, it serves as a safe and cost-effective thickening agent, ensuring the popsicles are creamy rather than icy. If you don’t have glutinous rice flour on hand, you can use cornstarch as a substitute.
Ingredients:
- 200g mung beans
- 1500ml water (adjust according to the size of your pot)
- 60g granulated sugar
- 200g milk
- 15g glutinous rice flour
Instructions:
Begin by thoroughly rinsing the mung beans under cold water to remove any impurities.
In a pot, add the rinsed mung beans and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let the mung beans simmer for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they become tender and bloated. Check for tenderness after 45 minutes. 
To shorten the cooking time, soak the mung beans in water for 6 hours or overnight. Alternatively, use a pressure cooker for faster cooking or freeze the mung beans before cooking, like when making mung bean dessert soup. These methods will help expedite the softening process. If there’s still a lot of water left, turn the heat to high and continue cooking until the mixture thickens. Alternatively, you can strain out some of the excess water using a sieve or strainer. Be careful not to let it burn during this process.
Stir in the granulated sugar and allow it to dissolve completely, imparting a touch of sweetness to the mung beans.
In a separate cup, mix together the milk and glutinous rice flour until smooth and well combined.
Pour the milk and glutinous rice flour mixture into the pot with the cooked mung beans, stirring continuously to prevent any lumps from forming.
Allow the mixture to simmer for an additional 2 minutes, ensuring that the flavors meld together beautifully.
Remove the pot from the heat and let the mixture cool completely.
Once cooled, pour the mung bean mixture into popsicle molds, filling each mold to the brim. Gently shake the popsicle molds to remove any air bubbles and ensure the mixture settles evenly.
Place the molds in the refrigerator and let the popsicles set for at least 5 hours or overnight.
Before serving, briefly soak the molds in warm water for about 30 seconds to facilitate easy removal of the popsicles.
Enjoy these cool and creamy mung bean popsicles as a refreshing treat on hot summer days!
Mung Bean Popsicles Recipe
Ingredients
- 200 g mung beans
- 1500 ml water adjust according to the size of your pot
- 60 g granulated sugar
- 200 g milk
- 15 g glutinous rice flour
Instructions
- Begin by thoroughly rinsing the mung beans under cold water to remove any impurities.
- In a pot, add the rinsed mung beans and cover them with water. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let the mung beans simmer for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they become tender and bloated. Check for tenderness after 45 minutes.
- Stir in the granulated sugar and allow it to dissolve completely, imparting a touch of sweetness to the mung beans.
- In a separate cup, mix together the milk and glutinous rice flour until smooth and well combined.
- Pour the milk and glutinous rice flour mixture into the pot with the cooked mung beans, stirring continuously to prevent any lumps from forming.
- Allow the mixture to simmer for an additional 2 minutes, ensuring that the flavors meld together beautifully.
- Remove the pot from the heat and let the mixture cool completely.
- Once cooled, pour the mung bean mixture into popsicle molds, filling each mold to the brim. Gently shake the popsicle molds to remove any air bubbles and ensure the mixture settles evenly.
- Place the molds in the refrigerator and let the popsicles set for at least 5 hours or overnight.
- Before serving, briefly soak the molds in warm water for about 30 seconds to facilitate easy removal of the popsicles.
