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Bubur Kacang Hijau - Mung Beans Sweet Porridge
This popular, tasty, and healthy Indonesian dessert is made with only mung beans, tangerine peel, and sugar. Use coconut milk for a richer porridge.
Bubur kacang hijau (mung beans sweet porridge) is a simple Indonesian dessert from dried mung beans, dried tangerine peel, and sugar.
Growing up, we eat this for breakfast, as well as for afternoon snack, and for supper. So Mom always makes a big batch when she cooks this porridge, and you may want to do that too since this is such an easy, healthy, and delicious way to enjoy mung beans.
What do I need to make bubur kacang hijau?
You will only need three ingredients for a super simple bubur kacang hijau: dried mung beans, dried tangerine peel, and sugar.
You can buy dried tangerine peels from a Chinese market, or simply save the peels of fresh tangerines and dry.
I usually just place the fresh peels in my fridge for several days until the peels are dried, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag and store in my freezer. They can last for years in the freezer.
For sugar, I use regular granulated sugar, but you can use brown sugar, coconut palm sugar, or rock sugar.
How do I cook bubur kacang hijau?
Bubur kacang hijau is one of the simplest dish to prepare, even a newbie cook will be able to pull this off without a hitch.
First, wash and drain the dried mung beans to remove any dirt.
Next, place mung beans, dried tangerine peel, and water in a soup pot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the beans burst and are soft and tender. This should take about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
And finally, add sugar and stir until fully dissolved. Turn off the heat. Serve the porridge hot.
Bubur kacang hijau with coconut milk
Some people prefer bubur kacang hijau cooked in coconut milk. Naturally, the porridge will be more filling and has a higher fat content compared to the one cooked with water.
Instead of 4 cups (1000 ml) of water, use 400 ml (1 can) coconut milk + 600 ml water.
Since coconut milk can easily curdle when cooked in high heat, be vigilant to quickly reduce the heat to a simmer once it boils. Otherwise, you may notice some curdling to your coconut milk and the porridge won’t look smooth.
Other sweet porridge recipes
If you love sweet porridge like this bubur kacang hijau, you may want to also try these recipes:
Bubur Kacang Hijau - Mung Beans Sweet Porridge
Ingredients
- 100 gram dried mung beans (Indonesian: kacang hijau), washed and drained
- 1 dried tangerine peel
- 1 liter (4 cup) water (*)
- 75 gram sugar (regular, brown, or coconut palm sugar), or to taste
Instructions
- Wash and drain the dried mung beans to remove any dirt.
- Place mung beans, dried tangerine peel, and water in a soup pot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the beans burst and are soft and tender. This should take about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Add sugar and stir until fully dissolved. Turn off the heat. Serve the porridge hot.
Notes
- (*) Or use 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk + 600 ml water. Since coconut milk can easily curdle when cooked in high heat, be vigilant to quickly reduce the heat to a simmer once it boils.
Comments
This is surely a healthy option for a delicious breakfast or a in between brunch option. Looks easy and quick to make too.
We love eating hearty breakfasts like oatmeal and I bet my family would love to try this out!
Porridge is such a delicious thing to make for breakfast! I've never tried Mung Beans, but they look delicious!
I love Asian desserts like this because it includes healthy ingredients such as mung beans and it's very simple to make! I love coconut milk so I'll be making this using coconut milk!
This is such an original recipe! I love the steps and explanation. I would not have picked mung beans as a breakfast recipe but you have made it look good, cheers!!
Yum! I can't say 'no' to a good old-fashioned dessert bean soup! This recipe really brought back some memories (which is probably why I dumped more sugar in it, lol). I was super pleased with the simplicity of ingredients and how well it kept as a leftover, so I could enjoy it as a quick snack for a few days.
Even though I've had this before, I wasn't sure if it was made with coconut milk, but it sounded tastier so I made the substitution like you mentioned. Now, the soupy part was delicious, but there was a lot of oil from the coconut milk that formed a hard layer once it cooled. I wondered if that was what you meant by curdling? Also if that might be prevented by using powdered coconut milk instead?
Still, a super good recipe- I'll try again with less coconut milk/or just make it classic style ;)
Hi Milky, instead of using powdered coconut milk. You may, instead, try cooking the porridge the usual way without coconut milk. Then, when you want to enjoy the porridge, add as much coconut milk/cream into the soup as you wish to make it creamy. That would be the fail-proof way to add coconut milk without risking any curdling/oily porridge. :)
Love it! Healthy desserts are the way to go! Love how this is so simple with just a few ingredients!
I've never come across this before I really need to make it. It sounds amazing.
I have only eaten mung beans stewed in a curry so this one is new to me. It reminds me of Jamaican Hominy Corn porridge.
I've always wanted to learn how to make mung bean porridge! This post explained it so easily and it was delicious. The whole family loved it.
This must be a different version. I lived in Indonesia for 12 years growing up, was there again visiting relatives in 2018 and I've only ever had this porridge made with ginger, coconut milk, pandan leaves and palm/coconut sugar. It is delicious and very comforting. I would suggest readers use ginger.
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