Yardlong Bean

Yardlong Bean

Yardlong bean is a legume cultivated to be eaten as green pods. It is known as the yardlong bean, bora, long-podded cowpea, asparagus bean, pea bean, snake bean, or Chinese long bean.

This plant is of a different genus than the common bean. It is a vigorous climbing annual vine. The plant is subtropical/tropical and most widely grown in the warmer parts of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and southern China.

Uses

The crisp, tender pods are eaten both fresh and cooked. They are at their best when young and slender. They are sometimes cut into short sections for cooking uses. As a West Indian dish, they are often stir-fried with potatoes and shrimp, and added in salad, glazed with butter, also added in fried rice, Curry, Poriyal, Kootu. They are also used in stir-fries in Chinese cuisine and in Kerala cuisine. 

In the Philippines they are known as pole sitaw or butong and are widely eaten in stir fry with soy sauce, garlic and hot pepper and in an all vegetable dish call utan. In Malaysian cuisine, they are often stir-fried with chillies and shrimp paste or used in cooked salads. Another popular option is to chop them into very short sections and fry them in an omelette. In Suriname cuisine they are called kousenband and served with Roti.

Goodness

They are a good source of protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus, and potassium, and a very good source for vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and manganese.

Also see Cluster Beans