firm and dry, without any trace of slime. Wrap in a paper towel and keep refrigerated in a plastic bag for up to 1 week. Preparing Wash and drain. Fresh kidney beans do not need soaking. Culinary Uses The fresh beans can be prepared in the same way as dried kidney beans, but the cooking time is greatly reduced and the flavor more delicious. They are frequently added to vegetable soups, or cooked in spicy sauces which often use tomato as a main ingredient. Boiled fresh or dried kidney beans are also an excellent ingredient in salads, mixed with other vegetables such as corn and celery.
Long Beans or Snake Beans are known by a greater variety of names than any other legume—cow pea, asparagus bean, yard-long bean (somewhat of an exaggeration) and China pea are among the names for this pleasant-tasting long green bean.
Appearance & Flavor Most commonly found as a plump, pale green bean; other varieties include thinner, darker green pods, as well as very thin, long beans with a purplish black tinge and a tendency to twist. All varieties are flavorful and versatile. The fatter type softens when cooked, but compensates with a sweet flavor. Other varieties remain firm, with a more distinct taste. Choosing & Storing The beans should be crisp. Avoid those with developed seeds as they will be old and dry. The thinner and younger the beans, the better the flavor. Keep refrigerated in a plastic bag for 3-4 days. Preparing Remove the stem end and tip, then cut into bite-sized lengths before cooking. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Long beans are rich in beta-carotene, vitamin C and phosphorus, and are used in traditional Chinese tonics for the kidneys and stomach. Culinary Uses Long beans are added to soups, salads and stir-fried dishes. Sections of very young beans are sometimes eaten raw with a dip in Southeast Asia. Dark varieties are preferred for salads, as they keep their color after blanching.
Mung Beans are one of the most widely used beans in Asia. Although perhaps best known for their crisp, succulent sprouts, dried mung beans are also used both whole as well as split. Surprisingly, there are up to 2,000 varieties of mung beans, including the common green mung bean and the yellow and black mung beans.
Appearance & Flavor Mung beans are very small, hard and oblong, with the most common variety having a dark olive green color. The flavor is not particularly interesting, but their nutritional value and versatility more than make up for this. In India, split mung beans (known as moong dal) are available with their skins intact, as well as hulled—which makes them look like very small, yellowish orange lentils. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Dried mung beans contain approximately 23% protein, and are particularly rich in carbohydrates, calcium and thiamine. They have the benefit of being low in oliosaccharides and are thus easily digested. In India, cooked mung beans are often given to invalids, while in China they are considered a highly suitable food for young children and the very elderly. Culinary Uses Mung beans cook fairly fast, so they do not need soaking and pre-boiling. Whole mung beans are simmered in savory stews, and are also made into a sort of sweet porridge with sugar, often with coconut milk added. Split mung beans are cooked in many savory dishes in India, usually with spices and sometimes with other added vegetables. In China, cooked green mung beans are often simmered and ground to make a sweet paste used as a filling for buns, pancakes and mooncakes, while in Korea, soaked and ground yellow mung beans are cooked with glutinous rice and sugar to make a popular cake. Mung beans are toasted and then ground to make a flour that is used in cakes and sweetmeats in several Southeast Asian countries. In addition, mung bean starch (known as tepong hoen kwe in Indonesia and Malaysia) is used to thicken coconut milk for cakes, or made into a type of noodle known as bean thread or cellophane noodles—or perhaps more colloquially, as tung boon or glass noodles—in Malaysia and Singapore. These noodles have an intriguing jelly-like texture and are used in soups, salads and fillings in many Asian countries.
Mung Bean Sprouts are an important vegetable in much of Asia. They are grown by soaking the beans, then keeping them moist in a dark place for several days until the sprouts or shoots have emerged. There are two major types of bean sprouts, with the one most common in Asia grown from the small, oblong green mung bean, while the other is grown from soy beans.
Appearance & Flavor Mung bean sprouts have small, creamy seed heads, sometimes found with the split greenish black skin clinging to them, with slender, crisp, white shoots usually finishing in a somewhat straggly tail. They are sometimes available with the seed heads and tails removed, and in this form are generally known as silver sprouts. Although they may be more aesthetic in appearance, silver sprouts are actually less nutritious than the whole sprout with the seed head intact. Fresh mung bean sprouts have a delicate flavor and, when raw or only lightly blanched, a crisp texture. Choosing & Storing Fresh mung bean sprouts are often stored in tubs of water in Asian markets, and lifted out when required, or they may be piled in a heap on a tray. In supermarkets, mung bean sprouts are usually packed in plastic bags and kept refrigerated. The sprouts should look crisp and bright white. Avoid any which appear limp, or which have small green leaves starting to sprout from the seed head. Refrigerate the sprouts for 4-5 days in a bowl with water to cover, changing the water daily. Preparing Put the sprouts in a large bowl of water and move them gently with the hand to dislodge any greenish black hulls, lift these out and discard before use and, if liked, pinch off the thin root ends. Nutritional & Medicinal Properties Bean sprouts are more nutritious than the dried beans from which they are sprouted, full of vitamins and natural sugars. Culinary Uses The crisp texture and mild flavor of mung bean sprouts is best appreciated when they are eaten raw, which is the way they are commonly served in Southeast Asia. The Chinese, however, do not like to eat raw vegetables (a precaution which lingers from the days when human waste was used as a fertilizer), so they generally blanch or stir-fry them. To blanch mung bean sprouts, put them into a colander, pour a stream of boiling water over them for about 10 seconds, then immediately plunge the sprouts into iced water to cool. Drain the sprouts well before using. Raw or blanched bean sprouts are excellent in salads and soups, and are an essential ingredient in most Vietnamese and Thai noodle soups. Care is needed when cooking mung bean sprouts as they cook very quickly. If left too long, they become limp and watery. Perhaps the best way to cook the sprouts is to wash, then drain them well, and stir-fry over maximum heat in a small amount of very hot oil for 30 seconds only.
Pea Shoots or Dou Miao are a good example of Asian thrift with none of the edible portions of the plant wasted. Pea shoots are the immature tips or shoots of the snow pea and sugar pea, and are plucked as the crop of peas keeps growing and maturing Often sold under their Chinese name, dou miao, pea shoots are enjoyed as a leafy green vegetable, and fetch an even higher price than the actual peas.
Appearance & Flavor Pea shoots are often available in two sizes. The very tiny, immature shoots are picked when the leaves are about 1/3 in (1 cm) in diameter, and the stems are so slender that they are almost hair-like. The more mature shoots, which have larger stems and more pointed leaves about 1½-2 in (4-5 cm) in length, are more commonly available. Both types of pea shoots are very delicately flavored. Choosing & Storing Look for pea shoots which appear fresh. Avoid any that have a yellowish tint on the leaves and show signs of wilting. The smaller variety are frequently sold in a perforated plastic bag and can be stored refrigerated in this for 2-3 days. Larger sprouts can be kept refrigerated in damp paper for up to 3 days. Preparing The shoots should be washed thoroughly and well drained before using. The thicker part of the stems should be discarded from the more mature pea shoots. Culinary Uses The smaller variety of pea shoots are good raw in salads, although they are seldom used in this way in Asia. They can also be eaten raw as a garnish, or added at the last minute to soups. The more common larger pea shoots are always cooked, with the most popular method being a quick stir-fry, with a touch of oyster sauce often added just before serving, or with minced garlic and soy sauce.
Pigeon Peas or Toor Dal
