These bean, about the size and shape of large almonds, grow on large Southeast Asian trees in clusters of long twisted flat pods - about 16 beans per pod. Their taste is often described as "medicinal", but actually it's more like rubber cement - particularly the rubber cement we used to patch inner tubes with back when tires had tubes. They are quite popular in Southern Thailand, Burma, Malaysia and Indonesia where the taste for them has been acquired.
Very young pods are eaten as a vegetable in areas where the trees grow.
In northeastern India mature beans are dried for later use and will then be
black in color.
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Buying & Storing: Mature beans shelled from the pod can be found in small trays in the frozen food section of well stocked markets serving Southeast Asian communities. Cooking: For curries and the like I usually put the beans in so they'll cook for 1/2 hour or so which will temper the flavor of the beans and lightly flavor the curry. They soften a bit but remain intact. Subst: There really is no substitute at all. On the other hand, large fresh fava or lima beans can be used as place holders - not the same flavor by any means, but at least they're large green beans. Actually the stand-ins may be more acceptable to the uninitiated. |
bp_satawz 081224
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