I have loads of adzuki (or aduki) beans (with skins) in the larder which I bought ages ago when they were on offer. But now I don't know what to do with them! Does anybody have any ideas?

I've also noticed that they look very similar to mung beans (except a different colour). Would they be a good substitute in mung bean recipes?

Thanks

Amanda

Are they the speckly ones?...

You could make a spicy bean dip from them,

Cook the bean until soft, (rinsing and refreshing water several times if using the dried type)

Then blend up into a reasonably smooth paste

add olive oil, fresh chopped chilies, garlic, fresh parsley leaves, fresh mint, salt and pepper.

Serve on crusty bread, pitta's, crackers (over dried out samosa's)....

This should make a very tasty spread as its almost "Bigila" the Maltese paste mentioned on one of the other threads.

Steve

Thanks Steve. They're not speckly. Maybe you're thinking of pinto beans (which I really like in chilli con carne. Adzuki beans are very small and red with a white seam on the side. The spicy dip sounds yummy, so I might give that a try anyway to see if it works with them.

Hello Amanda

Adzuki beans look like a cross between Kidney beans and Moong beans. Our Chinese friends put them in their sweet soup that they make on Chinese New Year.

I don't see why they can't be cooked just like kidney beans; soaked over night, boiled until tender and then cooked as kidney beans; Rajma. I read somewhere (lost the link) that pressure cooking makes them bitter! I don't know why, but better to know before you cook :-)!

I saw this recipe on the net, sounds interesting, though haven't tried it myself; http://www.recipesource.com/special-diets/vegetarian/02/rec0255.html

Mamta

Apparently (been googling) they are known to be quite sweet compared to other beans and the Japanese do make a sweet red bean paste from them.

Steve

been googling (bean-googling) ha ha

sorry I had nothing else to add, just spotted the pun!

Liza

very good... lol

Steve

Thanks very much for the suggestions and the pun!!

That's plenty for me to be getting on with. It should use up the three jars!

I'll have a go at the potato and adzuki bean patties and let you know how I get on.

Amanda

Hello there

Just to let you know the adzuki beans worked very well in the kidney bean recipe and the adzuki bean patties were good too. All the family enjoyed both.

Now that I've seen and tasted the cooked beans, I'm sure I ate these beans in the sweet red bean pies sold in the McDonalds in China. It was an acquired taste I think, which I couldn't get used to! They looked just like the apple pies in our McDonalds here. In China the only alternative flavour was purple yam! - still a bit strange for me, but I quite liked it.

You might wonder what I was doing in McDonalds whilst in China, but it was very useful sometimes as my travelling companion was quite a fussy eater, often all the menus were in Chinese script everywhere else and any food that was on display completely unrecognisable!

Amanda

Hello Amanda

I am glad they worked.

Now you mention it, I also had a bean pie in a place we were staying in a camp in Rio Negro in Brazil. It was very delicious. The camp cook gave me the recipe, typed and I lost it! It might turn up one day.

Mamta