Are dried beans used in Chinese cooking

[ash123]

Hi,

I haven't seen the use of too many dried beans (like kidney beans, white beans, garbanzo, etc.... other than soya beans) in Chinese cooking. Are beans used widely in Chinese cooking? If yes, can you please share some recipes?

Thanks

[alwang]

Red beans (aka azuki beans) are definitely used, particularly in Chinese desserts, such as red bean soup:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1026180

[Shalmanese]

I think lentils are also used. Aren't kidney beans a new world plant? They might not have made it to China until very recently.

[liuzhou]

I've never seen lentils here and none of my Chinese friends know what they are. Garbanzo beans (chick peas) are only available canned in the local 'foreign food' store.

Red kidney beans are widely available.

Edited April 9, 2007 by liuzhou (log)

[Ben Hong]

"Wu dou" (black beans), "mei dou", similar to black eyed beans, come to mind.

[sanrensho]

Mung beans, no?

[JasonTrue]

Almost every use of beans in Chinese cuisine I can think of (or Japan, for that matter) is either sweetened or fermented, with the notable exception of soybeans.

Mung beans, white beans, something similar to azuki (red beans) are all used in sweet dishes.

Fermented black beans are used in sauces, and perhaps a few other fermented beans beyond the obvious soybeans (miso/den men jang).

Savory applications for non-soy beans in Asia are relatively sparse...

[ash123]

I believe they have some savory dishes of beans in the South Asian cooking (like Pakistan, India, etc.)

Thanks for all your response, I guess the beans are usually used in sweet dishes in Chinese and other Asian cusines.

[XiaoLing]

Dired beans are also used in making Chinese congee.

A favorite congee that we make in the summer time is with mung beans. It's not sweet. I know that a famous congee called "ba bao zhu" is a sweet congee with eight different kinds of mix beans.

[Ben Hong]

My people used to make a stew-like dish called gnow mei wu dou or oxtails and black beans (not fermented), and also chai yu mei dou, or dried (unsalted) fish with white beans, and there are more dishes. These are wholesome savoury dishes.

China is a huge country with many regional differences. While one may be most familiar with sweet bean dishes/products, it is not wise to generalise.

[Ben Hong]

Then of course there's that very famous dish which young men use as a colourful descriptive of how black or dark something is; hak goh ma lin chow wu dou!

If the ladies of this forum are offended, I will do a hundred mea culpas as penance.

[marlena spieler]

On a recent visit to Beijing I found lots of different beans in the local markets, and several times ate lovely dishes of a variety of vegetables and beans, usually quite saladlike, esp red kidney beans which were tender and sweet, and perhaps because we were eating with chopsticks, each bean was eaten separately, and each bean seemed a reason to rejoice! (they were memorable, delish).

[baroness]

Dired beans are also used in making Chinese congee. 

A favorite congee that we make in the summer time is with mung beans.  It's not sweet.  I know that a famous congee called "ba bao zhu" is a sweet congee with eight different kinds of mix beans.

←

Would this be a congee mix?

The Ingredients list: rice, millet, grain sorghum, black rice, crushed corn, red bean, red kidney bean, white kidney bean, Job's tears, glutinous rice (though I see no kidney beans and there are mung beans.)

I bought it to make in my electronic rice cooker, but haven't figured out whether I should use the porridge, brown rice, or mixed rice setting.

http://forums.egullet.org/uploads/11765087..._4517_50765.jpg

[sanrensho]

Would this be a congee mix?

The Ingredients list: rice, millet, grain sorghum, black rice, crushed corn, red bean, red kidney bean, white kidney bean, Job's tears, glutinous rice (though I see no kidney beans and there are mung beans.)

I bought it to make in my electronic rice cooker, but haven't figured out whether I should use the porridge, brown rice, or mixed rice setting.

I don't know if it's a congee mix, but it looks like you could cook it as a rice. We use a similar rice mix that also has beans in it, and cook it on the regular rice setting. However, we give it an extra long soak (CORRECTION: overnight or 8-9 hours) due to the beans. The mix we use is quite tasty.

(EDIT: I corrected the soaking time after double-checking with my wife.)

You may have to adjust the water to achieve the desired firmness.

Edited April 16, 2007 by sanrensho (log)