Azuki Beans

by | May 5, 2009 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Ingredient Name:  Red Beans, Azuki Beans (also spelled Adzuki Beans)

Traditional Chinese Name: 赤小豆 (chì xiǎo dòu)

What is this?
  • A small, rounded bean that is roughly 5mm in size and is sweet to the taste
  • It is commonly found in East Asia and consumed by Chinese, Japanese and other Asians
  • Variations of the bean come in white, black, gray and brown
  • In Chinese cuisine, it is often eaten sweetend (red bean soup, red bean paste etc)

How do I prepare it?

  • Rinse in cold water before usage
  • For some soups and desserts, you’ll need to soak the beans for 1-2 hours prior to usage
  • Add directly to soups

Where can I buy this?

  • You can purchase azuki beans from most Asian supermarkets prepackaged
  • You can also purchase this in bulk from speciality stores

What is the cost?

  • A package should cost under $3-5 CAD

Any benefits?

  • Excellent source of magnesium, potassium, iron, zinc copper, manganese, and Vitamin B
  • Azuki beans are ideal for lower blood pressure and act as a natural diuretic
  • They provide an excellent source of protein and are rich in soluble fibre
  • They are also known to be cholesterol reducing

Any precautions?

  • Since beans are high in protein, people who have gout should be weary in their consumption volume

Additional Information?

  • Beans store very well in dry conditions and can keep for up to 6 months
  • These beans are versitile in their usage

Resources

Black Beans

by | Apr 14, 2009 | Uncategorized | 0 comments

Ingredient Name:  Black beans

What is this?
  • The black bean is from the legume family and has a dense, meaty texture with a flavour that is often compared to mushrooms
  • It is also known as black turtle beans due to their shiny, dark shell-like appearance
  • Black beans are an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering fiber and high quality protein. 
  • They have also recently been reported to be an extremely good source of nutritional antioxidants

How do I prepare it?

  • Rinse beans thoroughly in running water and pre-soak for 1 hour
  • To further shorten cooking time, boil the beans for 2 minutes before letting them sit in the hot water (pre-soaking) for the 1 hour time period

Where can I buy this?

  • You can purchase from most supermarkets or bulk food store
  • When selecting beans, be sure to choose whole beans which are not cracked
  • If you have no alternatives, it is possible to buy and use the canned versions as there is little difference in nutritional values between dried and canned black beans

What is the cost?

  • Black beans are just like other beans… cheap and delicious!   The beans pictured above only cost a few dimes (CAD) at most.

Any benefits?

  • Black beans are an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering fiber and high quality protein. 
  • They have also recently been reported to be an extremely good source of nutritional antioxidants.  Gram for gram, black beans are found to have the most antioxidant activity in the bean family.
  • Black beans are an excellent source of iron and manganese

Any precautions?

  • Like most beans, may cause gas
  • Black beans contain purines which may break down to uric acid.  It should be avoided by people who suffer from gout and/or kidney stones

Additional Information?

  • Store dried black beans in an airtight container in a cool, dry and dark place where they will keep up to 12 months
  • Cooked black beans will keep fresh in the refrigerator for about three days if placed in a covered container

Resources