Bean and Pulse Recipes is part of the
Cookery catalogue. This node indexes recipe nodes on E2 related to
beans and
pulse.
This subnode of Categorised Recipes is maintained by oakling.
According to foodreference.com, "There is evidence of peas that has been
carbon dated back to 9750 BC, found by archaeologists in
Thailand. Evidence also exists that suggests that... people of
Mexico and
Peru were cultivating bean crops as far back as 7000 BC.... Chickpeas, lentils and fava beans have been found in
Egyptian tombs that date back at least 4000 years." (http://www.foodreference.com/html/artbeans.html)
Beans and pulse (peas) are one of the first things that humans grew when we settled down; they represent the beginning of civilization as we know it today.
Also, they make a snazzy dip.
Below are all the bean and pulse recipes noded here. If you add one, or find one that isn't represented below, /msg oakling.
Baked beans:
Baked beans are bought in cans, and are usually cooked and flavored black or pinto beans, although others can be used. Even though they are not a "real bean," there are many recipes which call simply for "baked" beans, so they are included on their own here.
Black beans, also known as turtle beans (black turtle beans), black Spanish beans, Tampico beans, and Venezuelan beans:
These beans are shiny and black outside, cream-colored inside. They originate in Central America and southern Mexico, and are often found in foods from those regions, although here they are paired with everything from fish to beer.
Butter beans, a yellow bean also calld wax bean:
Like green beans, below. These beans are thin golden peapods, and are sometimes almost translucent when raw.
Chickpeas, aka garbanzo beans and ceci beans:
Fat yellow-tan balls which have a creamy and slightly sandy texture once cooked. The dry bean can be ground to make flour, and the cooked bean can be ground to make a dip or spread.
Fava beans or broad beans:
These light green beans have a transluscent skin that slips off when cooked. It can be eaten along with the bean; on the other hand, the bean underneath is a gorgeous shiny green. These beans have a slightly buttery flavor.
Green beans:
(see also yard long green bean, snap bean, string bean, French
bean, haricot vert, and dragon tongue bean)
These darker green beans are long and thin. They are essentially peapods, and can be eaten whole.
Green Peas - or English peas - or just
"peas":
Small, round, green, and with a wonderful spring to the tooth when not overcooked. I used to play very detailed and entirely silent games with them at dinner when I was young; I think they involved all the peas in my kingdom going on a quest to find the smallest pea.
Kidney beans:
These are the classic beans of "red beans and rice." They are a flagrant crimson outside, sweet and mild cream inside. There are many varieties of kidney beans, however, which come in many different colors.
Lentils:
These sometimes come with small rocks that have to be picked out by hand, although I have never experienced this when buying them from bulk bins and it is probably not true with most commercial sources. Many people insist they must be soaked; in my experience that just results in mushy lentils. I believe that soaking them is only adviseable if your lentils came with thick skins, and is one tool for controlling the consistency of the finished product, as vagary describes. The wise anthropod also mentions the fabulous puy lentil, which unlike others will hold its shape after any amount of soaking and cooking.
Mung beans, also known as moong beans:
This is the bean that creates bean sprouts, those crunchy white things that get popped into stir fries and sandwiches around the world.
Black eyed peas sometimes known as cowpeas:
Navy beans:
Another popular baked bean, these can also be ground into flour, and are often used in gluten-free baking. They also happen to be the official state bean of Massachussetts.
Pigeon peas:
These green peas are popular in recipes from India, the Congo and the Caribbean - in fact, they are often called "congo peas." The traditional Swahili recipe involves cooking the peas and then adding coconut milk, curry, chopped onion, and chili peppers. The only recipe here, however, takes a much less spicy view.
Pinto beans:
These are the little brown beans that kindergarten teachers use to help children count. When cooked, they are soft, brown outside, cream-colored inside, and much harder to count.
Runner bean, such as the scarlet runner bean, which is also called scarlet conqueror, fire bean, mammoth, red giant, scarlet emperor, and white Dutch runner: These are beautiful beans, and very popular among gardeners because of their extremely high yield and fabulous, flamboyant flowers.
Snow pea also called mangetout:
The French name for these means "eat it all," because you can: this is another edible pod pea. Snow peas are sweet, cool, and crunchy, and have beautiful flowers in many different colors on the vine.
Soy beans:
Oh, we're in trouble now. The popularity of the soy bean as a source of protein for vegetarians and vegans has resulted in an outpouring of recipe nodes. Soy beans when dried are round tan balls, often eaten as a crunchy snack; when fresh they come in fuzzy green pods caled edamame and are salted, cooked, and eaten as, well, another snack. In between these stages, so many different things can happen - hold on to your hats!
Tofu:
Shoyu (Soy sauce)
Wing beans, (also called asparagus beans, four angled beans, frilly beans,
manilla beans, Goa beans and princess pea):
Wing beans are purple or green, and rectangular, except that each corner flares out into frilly wings. They originated in Asia and have lots of protein, like their soy siblings. Wing beans are reputed to taste like green beans, but slightly starchier.
Alternate references:
Alphabetical Recipes - Regional Recipes - The Cook's Reference