Lablab

Lablab

Lablab purpureus is a species of bean in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Africa and it is cultivated throughout the tropics for food.

Commonly called as  hyacinth bean, dolichos bean, seim bean, lablab bean, Egyptian kidney bean, Indian bean, chicharo and Australian pea.

Description
The plant is variable due to extensive breeding in cultivation, but in general, they are annual or short-lived perennial vines. The wild species is perennial. The thick stems can reach six meters in length. The leaves are made up of three pointed leaflets each up to 15 centimeters long. They may be hairy on the undersides. The inflorescence is made up of racemes of many flowers. Some cultivars have white flowers, and others may have purplish or blue.

How to use
The fruit and beans are edible if boiled well with several changes of the water. Otherwise, they are toxic due to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides, glycosides that are converted to hydrogen cyanide when consumed. Signs of poisoning include weakness, vomiting, dyspnea, twitching, stupor, and convulsions.

The leaves are eaten raw or cooked like spinach. The flowers can be eaten raw or steamed. The root can be boiled or baked for food. The seeds are used to make tofu and tempeh.

In Maharashtra, a special spicy curry, known as vaala che birde, is often used during fasting festivals.  In Karnataka, the hyacinth bean is made into curry (avarekalu saaru), salad (avarekaalu usli), added to upma (avrekaalu uppittu), and as a flavoring to Akki rotti.

Read More At Wikipedia