Pumpkin & Assorted Bean Soup

Remember the Cranberry Bean(click link for more details) that I had used for some of the soup recipes before. Today we are going to have another soup using these beautify peal bean together with some kidney beans and pumpkin to stew a wonderful soup of the day.

Kidney Beans-红腰豆
A dried kidney shape bean that is reddish brown in color, strong flavored and has a slight mealy (powdery) texture. The beans can be cooked as their own dish or can be added into other dishes, such as chili, casseroles, refried beans and salads. They are available dried or in cans, precooked. Kidney beans also provide large amounts of foliate and tryptophan. It also benefits the Spleen and invigorates the Stomach, expels Heat and Dampness. As with all dried beans, they should be sorted and washed before cooking. Soaking ahead of time reduces cooking time.


Ingredients:
1/4 Pumpkin(南瓜), about 300g
20 Pods Cranberry Bean(珍珠豆)
100g Kidney Beans(红腰豆)
300g - 350g Pork Ribs(排骨)
1 Medium Fresh Huai Shan(鲜淮山), about 200g
1/2 Tablespoon Gou Qizi(枸杞子)
1 Piece Of Dried Tangerine Peel, 陈皮

Methods:
1. Wash, trim and blanch the pork ribs in boiling water. Rinse and set aside for later use.
2. Wash, peel and cut the pumpkin into 4 large pieces.
3. Wash and soak the kidney bean for about 30 minutes, drain and set aside.
4. Soak dried tangerine peel till soft, then scrape off the pith.
5. Remove the cranberry bean from the pod, wash and set aside.
6. Bring a pot of 1.2 litre of water to boil, then add in all the ingredients except the cranberry bean, reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 1 hrs or until the kidney bean is tender then add in the cranberry bean and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes.
7. Or you can transfer the boiled soup to a slow-cooker and simmer on LOW heat for 2 hours then add in the cranberry beans and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes season with salt and serve.