:*( I really miss my mom's bean soup now!! But thanks for sharing - I will have to find some to make around here.
I know them as borlotti beans. Very italian ingredient but I've never been good at cooking them. I used to make a soup from them with a smoked ham hock (pig shin) and borlotti beans in a slow cooker but always overestimated the beans and got a very thick stew instead.
I love nuts in soup - my fav is oxtail peanut soup, another Chinese delicacy. They're perfectly suited for those slow-boil soups.
stef, knowing you, i know the soup you're going to make will turn out great-tasting. 
carpal fish, how long did you cook the beans? my MIL told me they cook quickly, so perhaps you could try cooking them for no longer than 20 to 30 mins?
FatMan, I love peanuts in soup too! Oxtail is something new to me. Sounds great for stewing.
How pretty! While I'd seen them dried before, I must admit I had no idea they came in such gorgeous little shells.
Interesting, I've eaten cranberries many times before but never knew they had edible beans.
Dennis, cranberries don't have beans. These are just called cranberry beans because of their their colour resemblance to the fruit.
hi Julia,
I'm so glad you posted this! I've read about "cranberry beans" many times, and was rather attracted to a recipe in one of Jamie Oliver's books (the first one I think) that used these beans, but had no idea they were available here locally, or indeed that they are called "pearl beans" (zhen zhu dou??) in Chinese.
heh. I have to go hunt for some now... haven't seen them at the market.
where do you get yours from?
and do they taste similar to other local beans that we have?
I think I have seen it at Sheng Siong. I used to think the beans are so pretty but never know how to cook them.
Hi Renee, these beans are rather rare! We go to Tanjong Pagar market every Saturday, but I only see "zhen zhu dou" on sale once every few weeks. Maybe you could try Chinatown market? My MIL says pearl beans are usually bought by the Cantonese for soups, so Chinatown should be a good bet. Oh, and I've seen them at Great World City's Cold Storage a couple of times too, but they were more expensive.
Cranberry beans are quite delicious! Hmm...can't think of the right words to describe them, except that they have a sweet, nutty fragrance, and taste fluffy when cooked for just the right amount of time. Rather fun to eat cos they're huge compared to other local beans. You have to try them for yourself!
hi ST, pearl beans are really easy to cook. just add them to soup and boil for about 20 minutes. Don't overcook them, or they'll disintegrate and turn into mush!
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