Gourmet Adzuki Bean Soup- Healthy Recipes

Gourmet Adzuki Bean Soup:

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The azuki bean also known as adzuki or aduki, is an annual vine, Vigna angularis, widely grown throughout East Asia and the Himalayas for its small (approximately 5 mm) bean. In Gujarat, India, they are known as chori. The cultivars most familiar in Northeast Asia have a uniform red color. However, white, black, gray and variously mottled varieties are also known. Scientists presume Vigna angularis var. nipponensis is the progenitor.

Tangerine peel is thought to aid digestion and so is excellent in combination with adzuki beans, which are also known to benefit digestive health, eliminate toxins, and reduce water retention, particularly in women who are menstruating. They also help sustain energy levels. This is an unblended, chunky soup, so it’s up to you how small you want to chop the vegetables.

In East Asian cuisine, the azuki bean is commonly eaten sweetened. In particular, it is often boiled with sugar, resulting in red bean paste, a very common ingredient in all of these cuisines. It is also common to add flavoring to the bean paste, such as chestnut.

Red bean paste is used in many Chinese dishes, such as tangyuan, zongzi, mooncakes, baozi and red bean ice. It also serves as a filling in Japanese sweets like anpan, dorayaki, imagawayaki, manjū, monaka, anmitsu, taiyaki and daifuku. A more liquid version, using azuki beans boiled with sugar and a pinch of salt, produces a sweet dish called red bean soup. Azuki beans are also commonly eaten sprouted, or boiled in a hot, tea-like drink. Some Asian cultures enjoy red bean paste as a filling or topping for various kinds of waffles, pastries, baked buns or biscuits.

In Japan, rice with azuki beans (sekihan) is traditionally cooked for auspicious occasions. Azuki beans are also used to produce amanattō, and as a popular flavor of ice cream.

On October 20, 2009, Pepsi Japan released an azuki-flavored Pepsi product.

Azuki beans, along with butter and sugar, form the basis of the popular Somali supper dish cambuulo.

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SERVES 4–6

INGREDIENTS:

1 tangerine or orange

4oz (115g) adzuki beans

2 tbsp olive oil

4 shallots, finely chopped

1 medium leek, chopped

2 carrots, finely diced

2 garlic cloves, crushed

2 celery stalks, finely diced

4 medium tomatoes, skinned and finely chopped

1 tsp tomato paste

21⁄2–3 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 bay leaves

2 zucchini, finely diced

2 tbsp finely chopped parsley

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp finely chopped basil leaves, to garnish

PROCEDURE:

1) Using a potato peeler, remove the peel from the tangerine or orange and arrange it on a baking sheet. Leave the sheet in the oven on a low temperature (225°F/110°C) for 1 hour, or until the skin has dried. Grind the peel to a powder in a pestle and mortar, or leave whole and remove at the end of cooking.

2) If you are using dried adzuki beans, soak them following package instructions, then drain, discarding the soaking water. Place the beans in a saucepan, cover with fresh water, bring to a boil, simmer for 15 minutes, and drain. If using canned beans, simply drain and rinse.

3) Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in another large saucepan and saute the shallots over low heat until they soften. Add the leek, carrots, and garlic, stir, and cook for 2–3 minutes. Add the celery, allow to soften, then add the tomatoes and tomato paste.

4) Cook for 5–10 minutes, or until soft. Add the adzuki beans to the onion and tomato mixture.

5) Pour in the stock, add the bay leaves and dried tangerine peel, and bring to a boil.

6) Reduce the heat immediately and let simmer slowly for 30 minutes, then add the zucchini and parsley.

7) Simmer for a further 10 minutes, then remove the bay leaves and whole peel, if using. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, and serve in bowls garnished with the basil.

Serve with rye bread on the side.

Do you know?... Is Pre-washed Salad Safe?

Calorie Counter- Adzuki Beans

Beans, adzuki, mature seeds, cooked, boiled, without salt

A- Grade

160 Calories

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1/4 cup (50 g)

Per Serving	% Daily Value
Calories 160
Calories from Fat 0
Total Fat 0.0g	0%
Saturated Fat 0.0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 0mg	0%
Carbohydrates 31.0g	10%
Dietary Fiber 6.0g	24%
Sugars 0.0g
Protein 10.0g
Vitamin A	0%
Vitamin C	0%
Calcium	4%
Iron	15%