Mung Beans

by | Jan 18, 2012 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Ingredient Name: Mung Beans (also known as mungbean, bean, mung, green gram, mung gram)

Traditional Chinese Name: 綠豆 (lǜdòu)

What is this?
  • The direct translation of this from Chinese means “green bean”
  • It is a small, round, oval-shaped bean that is green in color with a white eye (or center) and very hard
  • The mung bean is commonly used in Chinese cuisine (soups, stews, desserts, made into paste, dishes, etc..)
  • It is considered a cooling food and used to fight inflammation, heaty bodies, heat stroke, and fevers

How do I prepare it?

  • Soak in warm water and rinse before using in soups

Where can I buy this?

  • Readily available at most Asian supermarkets (packaged)
  • Definitely available in Hong Kong wet marts (sold in the dried food vendor stalls) and can be purchased in the bulk volume of your choice

What is the cost?

  • Very affordable
  • One bag of 100g of mung bean cost me around $5-6 HKD at the wet mart
  • This price will vary on vendor to vendor (and even from wet mart to supermarket)

Any benefits?

  • The mung bean is an excellent source of protein
  • It contains a healthy amount of Vitamin C and E
  • They also contain Calcium, Iron, and Potassium
  • The beans are a great weight-loss food and still give them punch of require proteins in daily diet

Any precautions?

  • Take caution when consuming in the first trimester of a pregnancy (for soups, you can throw in 3-4 pieces of ginger into a soup that has mung beans)
  • Be sure to purchase mung beans from a reputable source

Additional Information

  • Store in a dry and cool place (up to 6 months)

Rice Beans

by | Jun 19, 2010 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Ingredient Name: Rice beans, rice bean, vigna umbellata, ricebean,

Traditional Chinese Name: 飯豆 (fàn dòu) or 赤小豆 (Chì xiǎo dòu)

What is this?
  • The small edible beans of a warm season annual vine that has yellow flowers that is commonly grown in India and Nepal, but also now extending to China
  • Easily grown as they grow in most conditions and any soil, is pest resistant and often used to produce animal fodder and high quality grain
  • Rice bean is used in soups, sauces as whole or sometimes ground as flour to be fried or used in snacks
  • The beans are small and narrow in length and quite hard and usually dark red or brown in color

How do I prepare it?

  • Rinse well in warm water
  • If used in soups, soaking is not needed

Where can I buy this?

  • Wet marts in Hong Kong will carry this
  • Also sometimes available in your local herbalist

What is the cost?

  • 20 g cost around $5 HKD

Any benefits?

  • Helps in conditions of the eyes (red eyes)
  • Good source of protein

Any precautions?

  • A cause of flatulence
  • There is not much scientific study in this type of bean, so there is not much information or impact of this product (as compared to azuki bean or other popular Asian beans)

Any additional information?

  • Store in a cool, dry place
  • Can store up to 6 months in a seal container

Resources

Glass Noodles or Bean Vermicelli

by | Feb 26, 2010 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Ingredient Name:  Glass noodles, Bean vermicelli, Bean threads, cellophane noodles, green bean vermicelli, crystal noodles or other variations

Traditional Chinese Name: 粉絲 (fěn sī )

What is this?

  • Bean vermicelli is a type of noodle product made from starches (usually mung or green bean)
  • It’s white and transparent and hard in texture because it is often sold as a dried product
  • Glass noodles are in various dishes, soups, stews, or appetizers and come in various shapes, sizes and lengths
  • Different from rice vermicelli as this one is made usually from beans and not rice

How do I prepare it?

  • Prior to use, rinse in warm water and soak completely in water for 2 hours

Where can I buy this?

  • This is available in most Asian supermarkets as prepackages
  • Western supermarkets are also sometimes known to carry this item

What is the cost

  • Very cheap.  3 packs cost $5 HKD.
  • A pack is pictured above

Any benefits?

  • Excellent source of fiber and contains minimal fat and sodium
  • An extremely versitile produce that is easy to use and cook with

Any precautions?

  • Be sure you’re purchasing genuine bean vermicelli
  • It is known that some manufacturers use corn starch to produce this to reduce cost (and can contain lead or bleaches)
  • Caution for people who have gout as high in bean content products can irritate gout symptoms

References:

White Hyacinth Beans

by | Oct 9, 2009 | Uncategorized | 4 comments

Ingredient Name:  White Hyacinth Beans or Semen Lablab Album
 
Traditional Chinese Name: 白扁豆 (bái bian dòu)
 
What is this?
  • The white hyacinth bean is the dried ripe seed of the Dolichos Lablab L plant.
  • It ripens during the autumn and winter months when it is collected and dried for medicinal use
  • When eaten, it tastes slightly sweet

How do I prepare it?

  • Wash thoroughly and put directly into your soup.
  • For softer beans (in a quick soup), you may soak the beans in room temperature water for a couple hours prior to using them in your soup

Where can I buy this?

  • It is available in most Asian herb shops and some Asian supermarkets.

What is the cost?

  • This ingredient is relatively inexpensive and costs less than $1 CAD for a handful of dried beans.

Any benefits?

  • The white hyacinth bean is traditionally used in Chinese medicine to invigorate the spleen and remove damp.
  • It is especially beneficial during the summer months to alleviate “summer damp”.

Any precautions?

  • Consuming white hyacinth beans in excess may result in loss of appetite and diarrhea.   Eating too much of this ingredient may also be unhealthy for your spleen.   Eat in moderation.

References?