Bountiful Beans

 

They may be small, but they are a big deal on foodies’ plates. Some people enjoy what they are, and others are crazy about what they grow into—sprouts. They are the bean family, some of whose members are freshly available in the produce market in the U.S.

 

Enticing Edamame

 

If you have been to a Japanese restaurant or sushi bar, you are probably familiar with the popular snack of edamame—a type of soybean that has been harvested early and left in the pod. Edamame is consumed not only as a snack but also as a vegetable dish, used in soups or processed into sweets. As a snack, the pods are lightly boiled in salted water. It is not only delicious, but it's fun to eat. Place a steaming pod up to your mouth, apply a bit of pressure, and out pop the beans, right into your mouth.

 

This delightful dish could possibly be the world's oldest snack food, going back well over a thousand years—and it could also be one of the healthiest. Edamame means "beans on branches” in Japanese, and is called mao dou in Chinese, with reference to its fuzzy pod. It grows in clusters on bushy branches. In East Asia, the soybean has been used for over 2,000 years as a major source of protein.

 

Fabulous Favas

 

The pale green beans in the big floppy pods have been a beloved food on much of the planet for centuries. Favas — also known as Windsor beans, English beans, horse beans and pigeon beans — have long been diet staples in Asia, the Middle East, South America, North Africa and Europe. Favas are nutrition superheroes. They are high in fiber and iron, and low in sodium and fat. They have no cholesterol, and so much protein that they are called “the meat of the poor.” A tough little waxy hull surrounds each fava bean, which lies within the thick, green fava bean pod. The appearance of favas is a sure sign that summer's bounty is just around the corner. Favas are harvested as late as early October, but locally grown ones are at their tender best in spring or early summer.

 

Fresh fava beans come in large, long (7- to 9-inch) thick pods with a white blanket-like padding inside to protect the pretty beans they carry. Vegetable expert Elizabeth Schneider describes them as sleeping bags for the beans. The beans themselves look like small to medium-sized lima or butter beans.

 

Because the fresh beans need to be shelled, then cooked and peeled, a little forethought is needed to include them on menus. But, just like fresh green peas, the shelling and peeling is a sit-down, social activity. So, instead of stopping to smell the roses, stop to shell and peel the fava beans, and then enjoy their buttery texture, bright taste and sparkling green color.

 

Captivating Coronas

 

Sometimes, with certain ingredients, less is more. When it comes to corona beans, however, chefs find that more is more. That’s because coronas are the giants of the broad-bean world, and their over-the-top appeal has boosted their popularity on menus. Still, the ivory-colored beans have an elegant lightness that belies their size. Chefs at Italian restaurants are particularly fond of coronas.

 

At the coastal Italian fine-dining restaurant Esca in New York, for example, chef and partner David Pasternack has offered grilled octopus with corona beans since opening seven years ago. The dish has been too popular to take off the menu. The beans are appealing in part because of the “wow factor” that comes with their size, but also because “they’re meaty,” Pasternack says.

 

Chris Cosentino, chef at Incanto in Noe Valley, is better known for his way with bresaola than with beans. But he uses coronas with abandon — in a lacinato kale soup and with braised nervetti, or beef tendon, warmed with sage and garlic. "You can do all kinds of things with them," Cosentino says. "They have an unctuous, luscious mouth feel."

 

Marvelous Mung

 

Sometimes “bean sprout” is interchangeable with “mung bean sprout.” Both the texture and taste of mung bean sprouts—crunchy, with a delicate hint of sweetness—enhances a number of popular Chinese dishes, from egg rolls to stir-fries and salads. In Asia, mung bean actually is much more versatile than you can image.

 

Mung beans—or green gram, golden gram, green "soy,” moong dhal—are used for desserts in all of Asia and are a very healthy nutrient. They are a nourishing yet easy-to-digest source of dietary fiber and folate, and contain many minerals. Mung beans were originally cultivated in India and migrated to China where they have been used for thousands of years. Mung bean pudding is one of the most popular desserts across Southeast Asia, and it’s quite easy to make.

 

Mung Bean Pudding

 

Ingredients:

2 cups water

? cup tapioca flour

? cup sugar Pinch of salt

? cup mung beans

1/3 cup coconut milk

 

Boil mung beans in 2 cups of water until tender. It should take about 20 minutes. Dissolve tapioca flour in a cup of water and add to the boiling mung beans. Stir quickly and constantly to prevent the bottom from burning. It should thicken. Add more water if it gets too thick. Add more flour if too watery. A consistency of gravy is ideal. Add sugar, bring it back up to a boil and turn off the heat

 

In a separate bowl, mix 1/3 cup of coconut milk with salt. Heat it up in the microwave for a few second just to warm it up. Don't let the coconut milk boil, otherwise it will separate. Serve hot with coconut milk on top.

 

Shelled Edamame in Sesame Marinade

 

Recipe Courtesy of Marie Oser, best-selling author, food and health writer, and host of Veg TV.

 

Ingredients:

 

16 ounces shelled edamame

1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms

? cup thinly sliced scallions

1 red bell pepper, chopped

 

Preparation:

If frozen, cook edamame according to package directions, and drain well. Combine marinade ingredients in a medium-sized measuring cup. Place edamame in a non-reactive bowl and combine with marinade. Add mushrooms, scallions and pepper, and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least four hours for optimal flavor. Makes 12 servings.

 

Savory Sesame Marinade:

 

1/3 cup sesame dressing

3 scallions, chopped

? teaspoon granulated garlic

? teaspoon granulated onion

2 tablespoons tamari

? cup chopped fresh cilantro

 

Pour dressing into a medium-size, glass liquid measuring cup. Add scallions, garlic, onion, tamari and cilantro. Mix thoroughly with a small fork. Marinate ingredients for at least one hour, covered in the refrigerator. Makes about 2/3 cup.

 

Sources: www.edamame.com, www.onhealth.com, www.hgtv.com, www.rockridgemarkethall.com, www.oceanmist.com, www.npr.org, www.sfgate.com, www.thaitable.com