Yardlong Beans

Name: Yardlong beans, also called long beans, snake beans or asparagus beans (Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis), described here as seeds and beans. A separate page under Vegetables covers the fresh, long green pods that are the usual form.

Description

Yardlong beans are a subspecies of cowpea, the same plant as the black-eyed pea, developed in southern China and Southeast Asia for their very long, slender pods, which can be 30 to 50 cm long. They are grown as a vegetable, but the mature seeds inside the pods are also dried and eaten as a pulse.

The dried seeds resemble small black-eyed peas, in shades of red, brown, white and black, and are cooked the same way, in soups, stews and desserts. They have an earthy, slightly sweet flavour and cook faster than many other dried beans.

Main nutrition value

Yardlong bean seeds are a good source of plant protein, fibre, folate, iron and potassium, with little fat, like other cowpeas.

How best to be consumed

Yardlong bean seeds are cooked like black-eyed peas.

1. Soak dried beans in plenty of water for 8 to 12 hours, then drain and rinse, which shortens cooking time and reduces gas. They cook faster than most, in 45 to 60 minutes.
2. Simmer in soups, stews and curries, or with rice.
3. Cook with coconut milk and sugar for Southeast Asian desserts.
4. Use the green pods as a vegetable when young.
5. Rinse canned or pre-cooked seeds.

Overconsumption could cause…

Yardlong bean seeds are healthy in food amounts when cooked.

1. Digestive upset (nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea) from raw or undercooked beans, which contain natural lectins that cooking destroys, so always boil dried beans thoroughly.
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. Reduced absorption of iron, zinc and calcium from the phytates in dried beans, which soaking, sprouting and thorough cooking reduce.
4. Allergic reactions in a small number of people allergic to legumes.

GroupsBeansLegume familyHigh fibreHigh proteinLow fatLow sodiumRich in folateRich in ironRich in magnesiumRich in potassiumRich in zinc

Related foodsMung BeansPinto BeansCannellini BeansWhite Kidney BeansHyacinth BeansBlack Beans

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