Tao Suan or Mung beans desert is one of my favorite desert. This desert is served hot and with slices of fried fritters or You Tiao. It is commonly available in hawker centers, food courts and some Chinese restaurants in Singapore and Malaysia. Eating Tao Suan is quite similar to eating porridge as the beans are soaked in sticky liquid. You can eat this anytime of the day or even night.

According to Chinese beliefs, Tao Suan is a cooling food, it helps to keep the body cool and it is nutritious too. Mung beans is low in saturated fats and it contains lots of protein, dietary fibers, magnesium and vitamins. When I am hungry in the mid afternoon, a bowl of Tao Suan would keep hunger away for a few hours; and gives me the energy to work throughout the day. I prefer to eat this desert with less sugar and more mung beans – so I go for desert stall selling it with less sugar and sometimes I would order extra fried fritters to top it up.

The cost of a bowl of Tao Suan is quite cheap, normally less than US$2, unless you are having it in some fancy Chinese restaurant.It is nutritious and delicious; and I would order it 2 or 3 times every month.