I’ve had a jar full of adzuki beans sitting in the cupboard for a long time. This is what happens when I buy things out of curiosity rather than with purpose. Even reading a book in which the beans were mentioned as an amazing super food did not spur me to action.
Today, though, it seemed like the thing to tackle. While making a pot of coffee, I rinsed a cup of beans and put them to soak. I figured that would give me several hours to figure out what to do with them, while at the same time put pressure on me to actually follow through.
While they were soaking, I decided to dig up some facts about the bean I’ve heard so much about.
- Adzuki beans have a distinctive white stripe along one side of their burgundy skin.
- According to Adzuki.com: adzuki beans are also known as adsuki beans, aduki beans, asuki beans, azuki beans, chi dou (Mandarin) beans, feijao, field pea beans, hong xiao dou (Mandarin) beans, red oriental beans, and Tiensin red beans.
- Adzuki means “little bean” in Japanese, even though it is thought to come from China originally.
- The beans are sweet and nutty in flavor and are often – but not always – used in desserts.
- Adzuki beans are less “gassy” than other beans, because they are digested more easily by the human body. They are also high in fiber, potassium, and iron.
- These beans are viewed as particularly nourishing for the kidneys in Oriental health and, as a small bean, are viewed as more strengthening for the body than other beans by those who observe a macrobiotic diet.
Adzuki Bean Rice Bowl with Miso Dressing Recipe
May 20, 2010
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried adzuki beans, soaked overnight
- 1 cup brown rice
- For vegetables:
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 small red pepper, julienned
- ½ cup carrots, grated
- ½ cup cucumber, chopped
- 1 Tbsp sesame seeds
- ½ red pepper flakes
- 3 Tbsp rice vinegar
- For dressing:
- 1 Tbsp miso paste (or 1 ½ Tbsp tamari soy sauce if you don’t have miso on hand)
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1 tsp agave nectar
- ¼ rice vinegar
- ¼ walnut oil (or ¼ olive oil + a small handful of walnuts)
- A touch of fresh ginger, if desired
Instructions
- Soak beans overnight and then cook soaked Adzuki beans with 2-3 cups of water. It will take 10-15 minutes in a pressure cooker or about an hour in a regular covered pot on the stove.
- Prepare the brown rice as directed – usually 1 cup dried rice to 2 ¼ cups water.
- Toss green onion, red pepper, carrots, cucumber, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes in rice vinegar. Refrigerate until other ingredients are ready to be used.
- Place all dressing ingredients in the blender and liquify them. If you don’t have a blender, mince the garlic, ginger (and walnuts) as finely as you can and whisk all ingredients together until well-blended.
- In a large bowl, mix together beans, rice, and dressing. Place in 4 individual bowls. Top with vegetable combination and serve.
© 2024 © Copyright, Stormy Sweitzer: The Real Food Chronicles, a Maoomba Project
Adzuki Bean Information Sources: