Red Kidney Beans

Name: Red kidney beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) — large, deep red, kidney-shaped beans with a firm skin, creamy interior and a robust flavour, the classic bean of chilli and Indian rajma. The broader kidney bean page covers all colours.

Description

Red kidney beans are the most familiar kidney bean, domesticated in the Americas, and brought to Europe in the 16th century. They are the key bean in chilli con carne, in rajma chawal, a beloved North Indian comfort dish of kidney bean curry with rice, and in Caribbean rice and peas.

They hold their shape beautifully in long cooking and absorb spices, and darken the cooking liquid to a deep red. They contain high levels of the natural lectin phytohaemagglutinin, in larger amounts than any other common bean, and are the cause of most bean poisoning cases.

Main nutrition value

Red kidney beans are an excellent source of plant protein and fibre, and provide folate, iron, potassium, magnesium and manganese, with little fat.

How best to be consumed

Red kidney beans need careful, thorough cooking.

1. Soak for at least 8 hours, discard the water, and boil hard for at least 10 minutes in fresh water before simmering until soft.
2. Use in chilli, rajma, stews, salads and rice dishes.
3. Never cook dried kidney beans only in a slow cooker, since the low heat can make them more toxic.
4. Use canned beans, which are fully cooked, for convenience, and rinse them.
5. Discard any beans that stay hard after long cooking.

Overconsumption could cause…

Red kidney beans are healthy when properly cooked, and a known cause of food poisoning when not.

1. Severe vomiting and diarrhoea from raw or undercooked red kidney beans, which can start within hours and affect many people at once, as in outbreaks from slow-cooked chilli.
2. Bloating and gas from the fermentable carbohydrates (oligosaccharides) in beans, particularly if you are not used to eating them, so build up gradually and drink water.
3. High sodium in canned beans, so choose no-added-salt cans and rinse them well.
4. Reduced absorption of iron, zinc and calcium from the phytates in dried beans, which soaking, sprouting and thorough cooking reduce.

GroupsBeansLegume familyHigh fibreHigh proteinLow fatLow sodiumRich in folateRich in ironRich in magnesiumRich in potassium

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Wikipedia — Kidney bean, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kidney_bean