Cook's Guide to Asian Vegetables. Wendy Hutton

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      BEANS, peas & pulses

All peas and beans are legumes, members of the botanical family, Leguminosae, and are among the most ancient foods enjoyed by man. The dried seeds of legumes are inexpensive and highly nutritious, containing both protein and oils. There is no scientific or culinary distinction between a pea and a bean, although many cooks consider a pea to be the fresh young seed of a legume, and a bean either as an edible green pod or the dried seed of a mature legume. Both are enjoyed fresh in their immature state, and the mature seeds or pulses—known variously as beans, dal, grams, lentils and peas—are dried and eaten in countless ways, as are the leaves and sprouts of some legumes.

      Some dried peas and beans need preliminary cooking to reduce any oligosaccharides, which may cause indigestion. Put in a pan covered with three times their volume of water. Bring to the boil, turn off the heat, cover and stand 1 hour. Drain, rinse and add fresh water to cover by about 1 in (2 cm)—some cooks may recommend adding salt, but this toughens the pulses—and simmer until soft.

      Azuki, sometimes spelled adzuki, is also known as the red bean. This bean is particularly popular in China, Japan and Korea. It has a nutty, rather sweet flavor that makes it popular in cakes and desserts. According to the Chinese, foods can be classified either as yin ("cooling")or yang ("warming") to the body. Azuki beans are considered to be more yang than other pulses, and are frequently eaten by those following a macrobiotic diet rich in yang foods.

      Appearance & Flavor These small, dark red beans, about ¼ in (50 mm) in length, are roughly oblong. The flavor lends itself well to sweet rather than savory dishes. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Azuki beans contain as much as 25% protein. They are very low in oligosaccharides, and so are easily digested. In Japan, a type of soup made with azuki beans is believed to be good for helping kidney problems. Culinary Uses Azuki beans do not need soaking and preliminary cooking. They are very popular in cakes and desserts in northern Asia, where they are boiled and mashed with sugar to make a sweet filling for pancakes, Chinese mooncakes and many Japanese cakes. Azuki beans are simmered with water in China, Japan and Korea or with added coconut milk in parts of Southeast Asia to make a soupy snack or dessert. Boiled azuki beans are also added to various drinks and shaved ice concoctions (such as ais kacang in Malaysia and halo halo in the Philippines). Azuki beans are also cooked together with rice in Korea and Japan to make a savory and nutritious alternative to plain rice.

      Black-eyed Beans are also called black-eyed peas, and are the mature, dried seeds of the long bean (an excellent vegetable when fresh, see page 17). Black-eyed beans are widely used in Asia, and are particularly popular among Punjabis in India and in parts of north Asia, including China. Black-eyed beans are also enjoyed in the southern states of the US, as well as in Mexico, where they are cooked in robust soups and hearty stews.

      Appearance & Flavor These creamy colored beans are similar in shape to kidney beans, although somewhat smaller, and have a black patch at the side where they were attached inside the pod. They have a pleasant savory flavor and are very versatile in the kitchen. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Black-eyed beans contain 22% protein and are rich in phosphorus. They also have appreciable amounts of iron and thiamine. Culinary Uses Black-eyed beans have a considerably higher level of oligosaccharides than most pulses, so be sure to soak and pre-cook them, as directed on page 11. Black-eyed beans are very good in soups, added to slow-cooked vegetable combinations, or simmered in a stew with meat and vegetables. Dried black-eyed beans are ground to make flour used for pancakes in India, and are also split to make chowla dal.

      Black Gram or Urad Dal is eaten mostly in India, particularly in the south where it is referred to as black gram or ulundoo. Black gram is available in two distinctly different forms. When sold whole, the black skin is left intact—hence the common name of this pulse. When skinned and split, however, the gram reveals a creamy white color, and is therefore sometimes known as "white lentil." Like its black counterpart, the husked white lentils are an essential ingredient in the cuisines of India as well as Sri Lanka.

      Appearance & Flavor The appearance of the whole black gram—a small, oblong-shaped lentil with a shiny, black skin—is totally different to the skinned, creamy white split lentil. Black gram has a relatively pronounced flavor, and is therefore used as a seasoning in its skinned, split form, as well as eaten as a savory dish when used whole. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Black gram is a good source of calories and is particularly high in phosphorus and calcium. Culinary Uses Whole, unskinned black gram is cooked in vegetable dishes and vegetarian curries. It does not require soaking and pre-cooking. The skinned black gram (white lentil) is often stir-fried with brown mustard seeds, dried chili and curry leaves to make a seasoning which is added during the final stages of cooking lentil stews, fish curries and soupy dishes in southern India. White lentils are also soaked for several hours and allowed to ferment slightly, ground to a paste and mixed with soaked ground rice to make a batter. This is used in steamed breads (idli), deep-fried savories (vadai) and savory pancakes (dosai and appalam) in southern India. Flour made from white lentils is also used in making poppadum or papad, a wafer-thin savory which puffs up to a crisp circle after brief deep-frying, and is often eaten as a snack with curries and rice.

      Broad Beans originated in Europe and the Middle East and have been eaten in China for several thousand years. The fresh young beans are enjoyed as a vegetable in cold areas of Asia, while elsewhere, dried broad beans are popular boiled, roasted or deep-fried and mixed with salt as a savory snack food.

      Appearance & Flavor Broad beans are one of the largest pulses, measuring about 1 in (2½ cm) in length. When dried, they are reddish brown in color; the flavor is somewhat earthy and is improved when the beans are cooked with seasonings such as soy sauce. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Broad beans are high in protein, iron and fiber and are a good source of vitamins A and C. They contain a high concentration of dopamine, a neuro-transmitter in the brain. Broad beans should not be eaten by anyone taking drugs containing monoamine inhibitors, which are found in some anti-depressants. Culinary Uses The dried beans should be soaked and pre-boiled as described on page СКАЧАТЬ