BEANS/PULSES
DRY
TINNED (O)
- Baked beans with mustard and sorghum
- Garbanzo (chickpea)
- Lentils with bayleaf
- Medium chilli
- Navy
- Pinto
- Refried beans
PROFILES
AZUKI (aka red beans)
Description Small deep red to reddish brown oblong-shaped, with a sweet and nutty flavour. In Japan, azukis are referred to as the king of the beans and reputed to be good for the kidneys and liver.
Nutrition Excellent source of iron, thiamine, niacin, vegetable protein; a good source of magnesium, zinc, potassium, the amino acid lysine and dietary fibre; a moderate source of riboflavin and folate and some copper; low in fat and cholesterol-free.
How to use When cooked, keep their colour well and give rice a purplish colour if simmered together. Gaining in popularity as a sprouted bean, which can be eaten raw or lightly steamed.
• Serve on their own or added to stews, soups, bakes and casseroles where their sweetish flavour complements pumpkin and kumera well.
• Mainly used in desserts (for instance, red bean paste in Chinese cooking); popular in Asian, particularly Japanese, cooking. Whole beans are served with ice cream or fruit and over ice as a dessert in Japan while in China they’re boiled with sugar and water to make a sweet soup served hot or cold. Can also be pureéd to fill sweet or savoury pastries and sweet buns; as well as a savoury side dish, similar to lentils.
BLACK BELUGA LENTILS
Description A tiny black lentil – one of the smallest of the lentil family – with a rich earthy flavour, soft texture and are easy to cook. Their deep colour provides a sticking contrast to coloured vegetables.
How to use Ideal for soups and salads or served with pasta or rice. To cook, add 1 cup of lentils to 2-3 cups of water, boil for 2 mins then simmer for 30 mins or until soft.
BLACK TURTLE BEANS (aka black kidney beans or black Mexican beans)
Description Small, pea-sized oval- or kidney-shaped jet black, shiny-skinned beans with cream-coloured flesh. Has a mild to strong, earthy, smoky sweet taste depending on the variety and have a smooth, soft texture.
Nutrition Nutrient levels similar to red kidney beans, exceptionally rich in dietary fibre and a good source of vegetable protein.
How to use Popular in Spain and Latin America, and are used for Mexican dishes, especially refried beans as well as chilli con carne, stews, bean salads and soups.
• Boiling them for at least 10 minutes removes anti-nutritional factors, which also slightly reduces their vitamin B content.
• Slow soak 8-10 hours. Pressure cooking takes 15-20 minutes.
• When buying, look for smooth skins.
BORLOTTI BEANS (aka cranberry beans)
Description Large oval kidney-shaped beans, vary in colour from beige to pinkish brown to tan with red, black, burgundy or magenta speckles and stripes. Classic Italian beans, popular in both Portuguese and Italian cuisine.
Nutrition Good source of fibre, protein and some B group vitamins, small amounts of which are lost during cooking; nutritionally very similar to brown beans.
How to use When cooked they become uniformly brown and have a creamy, tender, moist texture and a bitter sweet ham-like flavour. They work well in bean and pasta soups, casseroles, vegetable stews and can be used in place of red kidney beans in most recipes. Borlottis can be mixed with raw onion rings, flavoured tempeh, olive oil, parsley and vinegar in a cold salad.
• Slow soak for 8-10 hours. Pressure cooking takes 15 minutes. • Slightly wrinkled skins indicate staleness and require longer cooking so choose smooth beans.
CHICKPEAS (aka garbanzo beans and Bengal gram)
Description Round rough beige-coloured peas with a characteristic pointed ‘beak’ on one end, furrowed thick fawn coloured skins, and resemble hazelnuts in shape. Hearty and robust, with a creamy mealy texture, nutty, mild flavour and retain their shape when cooked.
Nutrition They contain B group vitamins and many minerals including copper as well as providing a source of good quality vegetable protein and dietary fibre unless the skins are removed.
How to use Popular in Indian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Spanish cooking, for example, pureéd into homous, ground into falafel and are well-suited to soups, curries, pasta dishes, dahls, casseroles and salads. Also ground into flour known as besan or gram, and used to make flat bread, fritters and bean patties; and cracked grains can be used as a meal in savoury fried snacks. (Chickpeas disintegrate when fried if they have be ground after slow cooking.) Cooking chickpeas with tart spices and chilli to make a spicy side dish served with curries or to stuff fried bread (puris) is common in India.
• Require soaking and lengthy cooking because they’re extremely hard. Slow soak is 12 hours. Pressure cooking takes 15 minutes. If a recipe calls for removing the skins, slow soak chickpeas and then rub them in a cloth, floating off the skins.
• When buying, look for smooth, even-coloured skins.
SPLIT CHICKPEAS (aka chana dhal) make an excellent addition to salads, soups and rice dishes. These baby chickpeas, which have been split and polished, look and taste like small kernels of sweet corn.
GREEN (OR BROWN) LENTILS
This lentil is very popular in India where it’s called dahl. They take longer to cook than split lentils (about 40-45 minutes) and are ideal for adding to warm salads, casseroles and stuffings and are often used in hearty dishes. They retain their shape when cooked, but can also be cooked and blended with herbs or spices to make a paté.
SPLIT RED LENTILS
Description small, round biconvex lens shaped, orange to red in colour and are sold skinned and split. They are also known as masoor dahl and Egyptian lentils and have a spicy flavour. They cook quickly in just 20 minutes and do not hold their shape well as they eventually disintegrate into a thick yellow puree.
How to use Curries, purees and soups as they break down easily; ideal for thickening casseroles and can be made into a dhal when mixed with spices. In the Middle East, red or yellow lentils are cooked and mixed with spices and formed into vegetable balls known as kofte.
WHOLE RED LENTILS
Description Lens-shaped, orange to red in colour. They cook quickly and do not hold their shape well so make excellent curries, purees and soups. cooking time.
To cook add 1 cup of lentils to 2-3 cups of water, boil for 2 minutes then simmer for 30 minutes or until soft.
LIMA BEANS (aka butter beans in Greece and Britain)
Description Creamy-white, large, thin-skinned with a flat kidney or disk-like shape.
Nutrition Excellent source of fibre, a variety of minerals and B group vitamins and a good source of vegetable protein, though must be boiled for at least 10 minutes to remove anti-nutritional properties.
How to use Have a buttery flavour that becomes slightly sweet when cooked and a smooth floury, starchy texture that makes them ideal for soups and stews and for pureéing. Also good for casseroles; can be tossed with butter or olive oil and served with roasted tofu or tempeh; or oven-baked and then combined with olive oil, tomato and garlic. Also good with creamy herb sauces, although if overcooked can end up pulpy and mushy.
• Can be pressure-cooked in 15 minutes.
• Look for skinned beans with a dull sheen.
MUNG BEANS
Description Tiny moss green to olive green beans with a creamy yellow interior and are used whole or skinned and split. They are mostly used for sprouting. Native to India, they‘re also known as moong beans and the skinned and split version is used as dahl. They are soft and sweet when cooked with a mild flavour and in some Asian countries mung beans are used as a beri beri preventative, particularly during pregnancy.
Nutrition Good quality vegetable protein and fibre; excellent source of iron, folate, magnesium, thiamine and niacin; easily digestible when cooked.
How to use In spicy moong dahl curry, soups, salads and stews. Can also be sprouted and eaten raw or in stir-fries.
• Soaking halves cooking time.
MUNG DHAL or moong dahl are tiny mung beans that have been split and dehusked. They have a smooth texture and their creamy taste makes them very popular in soups, stews, casseroles and vegetable dishes. They also cook very quickly, usually in 20 minutes or less.
RED KIDNEY BEANS
Description Kidney-shaped, either plump or elongated and come in a range of colours from the more common glossy deep red skins to dusty pink skins with cream-coloured flesh. They retain their shape when cooked and have a slightly floury texture and sweet flavour. Nutrition Exceptionally rich in dietary fibre, good source of vegetable protein, excellent source of folate, potassium, thiamine, magnesium and niacin, moderate sources of zinc, riboflavin and calcium as well as containing copper, although cooking slightly reduces the vitamin B group content.
• Boil for at least 10 minutes to remove anti-nutritional factors and to avoid the risk of food poisoning.
How to use Often used in Mexican and South American cooking thanks to their full flavour and mealy texture. Can be used in stews, casseroles, soups and pureés as well as in salads (try with red onion, chopped flat leaf parsley and mint tossed in an olive oil dressing).
• When buying, look for smooth-skinned shiny beans; the colour varies depending on where they were grown.
NAVY BEANS (aka haricot beans or Boston beans)
Description Small white to ivory-coloured oval-shaped beans, mostly used to make baked beans because they absorb flavours well. When cooked they are smooth in texture, and their bland flavour makes them very versatile and suitable for casseroles, bakes and other slow cook dishes, as well as in stews, salads and soups and, of course baked beans on toast!
Nutrition Good source of vegetable protein, are cholesterol-free, low in fat and an excellent source of dietary fibre (one serve equals half the recommended daily intake).
• Pressure cook in 15 minutes.
• Choose white creamy-coloured beans with smooth skins; dark cream beans with wrinkled skins indicates old stock.
PUY LENTILS (aka French green lentils)
Description A half-centimetre wide, dark skinned, greeny-blue marbled in colour with a peppery taste and mild earthy flavour. True Puy lentils are from Puy, in the Auvergne region of central France and are considered to have the best texture and taste of all the lentils. They hold their bead-like shape, turning brown when cooked, but due to their firm texture may take longer to cook than regular lentils.
How to use A versatile lentil and perfect for winter soups, warm salads, curries, pilaffs, stuffing and stir-fry. Also good braised in wine and flavoured with fresh herbs, particularly rosemary. Mix with breadcrumbs and use to stuff capsicums or eggplant. Blend with couscous and use as a bed for grilled vegetables. Toss cooked and chilled lentils and diced roasted vegetables with a little olive oil and season to taste.
SOYA BEANS
Description Small, oval-like, about the size of the common pea. Colour varies, most common is a creamy yellow but can also be red, black or brown.
Nutrition High quality protein, dietary fibre, a range of minerals, some B group vitamins and starch although they also have a high amount of fat as polyunsaturated oil.
How to use (Used to make soy sauce, miso, tempeh, texture vegetable protein (TVP) and tofu.) As bland when cooked, combine with robust ingredients such as herbs, garlic and spices. There is some controversy about how we should consume soy (MORE).
• As they are extremely dense, soak them for up to 12 hours before cooking and boil for at least 10 minutes to remove anti-nutritional factors.
SOURCES
• What food is that and how healthy is it? Jo Rogers 1995
• The cook’s book of ingredients Margaret Brooker 2005
• Wholefoods: A cook's kitchen handbook. Nicola Graimes, 2004
• www.goodness.com.au/store/Beans,-PeasandPulses/c3/index. html?osCsid=5e3kj3a65v2qsj824bck50i7u5
• www.thoughtfulfoods.org.au/ingredientoftheweek/lentils
• www.cliffordawright.com/history/lentils.html
• www.foodsubs.com/Lentils.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lentil
• http://theppk.com/recipes/dbrecipes/index.php?RecipeID=120
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