Pumpkin and Mung Bean Soup | IDDSI Level 4–5 Autumn Recipe

IDDSI Level 4–5 (Pureed / Minced and Moist) | 15 minutes prep, 50 minutes cooking | Easy

Pumpkin and mung bean soup (南瓜綠豆湯, naam gwa luk dau tong) is a classic Cantonese seasonal transition soup for early autumn — combining the warming, spleen-nourishing properties of pumpkin with the cooling, heat-clearing properties of mung bean. Traditional recipes leave mung beans whole or partially broken; this adaptation fully simmers the mung beans and blends the entire soup to a smooth IDDSI Level 4 (Pureed) consistency. Retaining small pumpkin pieces produces IDDSI Level 5 for individuals with milder dysphagia.

Ingredients (3–4 servings)

• 400g pumpkin (peeled, seeded, cut into 3cm chunks)
• 100g mung beans (soaked 2 hours)
• 1200ml water
• 25g rock sugar (adjust to taste)
• 1 slice fresh ginger (optional)

Method

1. Soak mung beans in water for 2 hours; drain. Peel, seed and cut pumpkin into 3cm chunks.
2. Bring water and ginger (if using) to the boil; add mung beans. Reduce to medium-low and simmer 30 minutes until mung beans are fully split and soft.
3. Add pumpkin chunks; continue simmering 15 minutes until pumpkin is completely soft (a chopstick should pierce it with no resistance).
4. Add rock sugar; stir until dissolved.
5. Remove ginger slice; blend the entire soup with an immersion blender until completely smooth — this produces IDDSI Level 4.
6. Pass through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any mung bean skin fragments. This step is critical for IDDSI Level 4 compliance.
7. For IDDSI Level 5: reserve a small amount of pumpkin before blending, cut into pieces under 4mm, blend the remainder, then stir the pumpkin pieces back in. Confirm each piece crushes under gentle fork pressure.

Texture Test

IDDSI Level 4 confirmation: Spoon a portion onto a tilted plate — it should flow slowly without free-flowing. A fork held over the soup should not allow the liquid to drip through the tines. Fork-back pressure should reveal no lumps or particles. No mung bean skin fragments should be visible after straining.

IDDSI Level 5 confirmation (particulate version): Pumpkin pieces should be under 4mm and should crush completely under gentle fork pressure with no hard centre.

Safety Notes

⚠️ Mung bean skins — Even fully simmered mung bean skins can form small flat fragments that are difficult to manage safely at IDDSI Level 4 or below. Straining after blending is mandatory — mung bean skins are a known silent aspiration risk that can adhere to the pharynx.

⚠️ Pumpkin fibre — Some pumpkin varieties have coarser fibre. If the blended soup has a fibrous texture, pass through the strainer a second time.

⚠️ Diabetes management — Pumpkin has a moderately high glycaemic index and contains natural sugars; reduce or omit rock sugar and count the carbohydrate content when planning meals for individuals with diabetes.

Sourcing in Hong Kong

• Pumpkin: Supermarkets and wet market vegetable stalls; Japanese kabocha pumpkin (栗南瓜) or local yellow-flesh pumpkin are highest in starch and produce the smoothest pureed texture; butternut squash is also suitable
• Mung beans: Supermarket dried goods section; choose plump, bright-green beans; soaking for 2 hours significantly reduces cooking time and improves digestibility

Nutrition

Approximately 180 kcal per serving (35g carbohydrate, 6g protein, 4g dietary fibre). Pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C and potassium. Mung beans contribute plant protein, B vitamins and soluble fibre that supports blood glucose regulation and gut health. The soup’s naturally sweet flavour profile and smooth texture tend to achieve good intake compliance in elderly residents who resist other modified-texture foods.

Cultural Note

Pumpkin and mung bean soup is a fixture of the Cantonese autumn wellness calendar — the seasonal shift from summer’s heat to autumn’s dryness calls for soups that address both excess warmth and the need for warming nourishment. In traditional Cantonese dietary thinking, mung bean clears heat and pumpkin fortifies the digestive system — making their combination an intuitive response to the ambiguous temperatures of early autumn. This IDDSI-adapted version honours that tradition while meeting the texture requirements of individuals with dysphagia.