red bean soup with tangerine peel

ingredients:
1/2 cup red beans
enough water to cover up to 2 inches above red beans
3 pandan leaves
1 piece dried tangerine peel (can be omitted)
sugar to taste (only add when the soup is done)

method:
put all ingredients (except sugar) into a slow cooker. turn it on high and leave it alone for 6 hours.
if using the stove top, put all ingredients (except sugar) in a pot, bring to boil and leave to simmer, stirring occasionally for around 1 hr, adding water when necessary. (Strange thing about boiling these beans, if u add too much water, the beans will remain hard no matter how long you boil them for...better to add as you go..)
If you prefer a more 'pastey' version, just take out the pandan leaves and tangerine peels and process the beans with a hand blender.

This is one of the most elementary chinese 'tong sui'...i really love the fact that asian desserts are so healthy...good source of protein and fibre and low in energy..zero fat content....
my sis and i used to love eating this frozen when we were kids..yeah....i guess u could blend it and then freeze it in popsicle sticks in summer...
note about tangerine peel..add it in when the water is still cold otherwise it imparts a bitter taste to the soup..