Mung Beans

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)

Red Kidney Beans

Ingredient Name: Red kidney beans, red beans

Traditional Chinese Name: 菜豆(cài dòu)

What is this?

  • A bean which is red in color (dark red) and in the shape of a kidney (thus the name kidney bean)
  • It is a larger species of the red beans group and is not as commonly used in Chinese cuisine (whereas it is an integral part of Indian cuisine)
  • Raw kidney beans are toxic and must be boiled for at least 10 minutes (even if used in slow cooking)
  • It is a very starchy bean with a red shiny, smooth exterior and absorbs the flavor of whatever you’re cooking
  • Available in both a dried or canned version for consumption

How do I prepare it?

  • Soak in water for at least 5 hours before usage (and discard soaked water)
  • Boil in water at least 100 °C for at least 10 minutes before consumption

Where can I buy this?

  • This is available in most supermarkets (Asian and Western)

What is the cost

  • Very affordable

Any benefits?

  • Excellent source of soluble & insoluble dietary fibre which can help eliminate cholesterol from the body
  • Low in fat and high in protein
  • Kidney beans are an excellent source of folate and manganese
  • They also help prevent blood sugar levels from rising too quickly after a meal (which makes it an ideal food for diabetics)
  • Helps reduce heart attack risk

Any precautions?

  • Soak in water for at least 5 hours before usage (and discard soaked water) – rinse beans with fresh water before usage
  • Boil in water at least 100 °C for at least 10 minutes before consumption as raw/uncooked red kidney beans are toxic

Additional Information

  • Red kidney beans stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark place for up to a year
  • Cooked red kidney beans will store for up to 3 days in the fridge in a sealed container

Another species of red bean (also known as multi-colored kidney bean)

Yellow Beans

Ingredient Name: Yellow beans, Peruano beans, canary beans,

Traditional Chinese Name: 黃豆 (Huángdòu) – literal translation of “yellow bean”

What is this?

  • A type of common bean that is yellow (pale yellow or beige), roundish and oval in shape
  • They are usually about 1cm in length and have a thick skin
  • Very common in Asian and Mexican cuisines
  • Used in dishes, stews, desserts and soups

How do I prepare it?

  • Rinse in warm water
  • Can be used in dishes or soups cut in larger pieces or as a whole stalk
  • It is usually used in small amounts to enhance flavors

Where can I buy this?

  • Available in wet marts in Hong Kong
  • Also available prepackaged in supermarkets

What is the cost?

  • Very affordable
  • 40g cost around $5 HKD

Any benefits?

  • Excellent source of soluble fibre which can help eliminate cholesterol from the body
  • Low in fat and high in protein
  • High-potassium and low in sodium
  • Helps eliminate excess moisture from the body

Additional Information:

  • For dried beans, be sure to thoroughly soak and cook as uncooked beans can cause indigestion

References:

Glass Noodles or Bean Vermicelli

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:

Black Eye Beans

Ingredient Name:  Black eye beans or black-eyed peas

Traditional Chinese Name: 眉豆(méi dou)

What is this?

  • A bean which has multiple varieties due to its ease of cultivation
  • Used in multi-cultural dishes around the world
  • Grown in many countries in Asia, it is a common staple in many dishes and soups

How do I prepare it?

  • Rinse before use and put directly into your soup

Where can I buy this?

  • This is available in most supermarkets (Asian and Western)

What is the cost

  • Very affordable with a handful costing around $5-6 HKD

Any benefits?

  • Excellent source of soluble fibre which can help eliminate cholesterol from the body
  • Low in fat and high in protein
  • High-potassium and low in sodium
  • Helps eliminate excess moisture from the body

Any precautions?

  • For dried beans, be sure to thoroughly soak and cook as uncooked beans can cause indigestion

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