A review article of a useful product from the legume family: where it grows, what it looks like, what is edible, properties of long beans, contraindications, calorie content, chemical composition, interesting facts and recipes. The content of the article:
- Chemical composition
- Beneficial features
- Contraindications
- Interesting Facts
- How to cook
Beans are common, long, and about 85 other plant varieties of the legume family, class Dicotyledonous, of the genus Beans (Phaseoilus) are known for preparing all kinds of dishes. These are all scientific botanical names, but there are also many different names that are widely used in everyday life. Common cultivated more often, whose homeland Latin America is recognized, it can be bush and curly. The second most widespread species is the curly bean with red flowers. The next popular and edible species, related to the genus Vigna, is widespread in Asia: China, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Korea, etc. These are beans with long pods that look like asparagus.
Long Vigna beans also have about 200 varieties, differing in the color of the seeds (beans) and the width of the pod. But any of them is an annual plant, cultivated, it cannot be found growing wild, bushy or climbing, propagated by beans. In cooking, fruits are used (i.e. pods with beans) are harvested unripe, growing to a length of about 50 cm. Its leaves do not have a parchment layer inside and therefore taste more delicate. In general, if we give free rein to the fruit to grow to final ripeness, we will get a pod 1 meter in length. From one bush (up to 5 m in height), approximately 4 kg of the crop is harvested.
The chemical composition of Vigna beans
Let's take into account that unripe fruits are harvested for food. Boil them for several minutes before eating. And we get that 100 g of long Chinese beans contains 24 × 31 kcal, and:
- Proteins - 5, 11 g (1, 83 × 5, 4)
- Carbohydrates - 2.87 g
- Fat - 0, 11 g
- Saturated fatty acids - 0.03 g
- Ash - 1 g
- Water - 91.4 g
Vitamins:
- C - 18, 38 g
- A - 28.7 mcg
- B9 - 60, 2 mcg
- B1 - 0.26 mg
- B2 - 0.13 mg
- B3 - 0.05 mg
- B6 - 0.14 mg
- PP - 1 mg
Micro and macro elements:
- Selenium - 0.88 mcg
- Copper - 153.6 mcg
- Iron - 1.1 mg
- Manganese - 0.44 mg
- Zinc - 0.2 mg
- Phosphorus - 42.3 mg
- Sodium - 240.9 mg
- Calcium - 69.3 mg
- Potassium - 350, 7 mg
- Magnesium - 62.1 mg
The usefulness of Vigna beans is based on the presence of all the necessary vitamins, macro and microelements, and its easy digestibility is based on the absence of dietary fiber. The low number of calories makes long beans irreplaceable on the dietary table.
In the middle lane, this type of leguminous plants is well cultivated, it is not afraid of frost and drought.
Benefits of Long Chinese Beans
All legumes have a wide range of micro and macro elements in their fruits, vitamins, amino acids. But their main "advantage" is a high protein content, which by its value will compete with some types of meat. Bean protein is easily digestible, approximately 80% is completely absorbed from the food intake. All this wealth is useful in any form: fresh, canned, frozen, dried.
There is a lot of iron in long beans, so anyone who includes legumes in their diet will not know what a lack of red blood cells in the blood is. Such food helps to strengthen immunity and resistance to any infections, incl. flu.
The sulfur contained in long Chinese beans helps us cope with rheumatism, bronchial diseases, skin diseases, intestinal infections. Zinc regulates carbohydrate metabolism, copper is involved in the synthesis of hemoglobin and adrenaline.
Vitamins C, beta-carotene, PP, group B prolong the life and functioning of blood vessels, saving our body from atherosclerosis, hypertension, arrhythmia, pyelonephritis, urinary stone disease.
Vigna long beans contain potassium and sodium. They help our kidneys get rid of excess fluid in the body and keep us from swelling. Magnesium supplementing this "duet" makes the nervous system resistant to stress and irritation. I recommend it often to eat for people associated with difficult nervous work.
Long beans (pods and beans) are very suitable for dietary meals: few calories, but many nutrients. A recipe with this vegetable will help you lose weight and volume without harming your health. For the best slimming effect, it is recommended to add pumpkin seed fiber to dishes with long Chinese beans.
How to choose and store:
fresh long beans are juicy and firm. In preparation, it is better to use only fresh pods (no more than 3 days after plucking from the bush) - they taste better. It is permissible to store this vegetable in the refrigerator for several days, freeze it for the winter. Who lives in the countries of East Asia - it is fresh all year round!
Contraindications for Chinese beans
Wines with black seeds (beans) accumulate in their composition cadmium and lead (and these are heavy metals). Of course, people with an individual intolerance to the product do not need to eat long beans. Although such cases have not been observed. In Asian countries, it is eagerly eaten raw and cooked. No allergic reactions were observed.
Interesting Vigna Bean Facts
- The name of the beans comes from the Greek language and is written - "????????" and it sounds like this - phaseolus. This is the Greek word for a narrow long boat. Outwardly, the vegetable is really similar to a long boat.
- Among the 200-hundred varieties of long beans, there are some that smell like mushrooms. For example, Ad Rem or Akito, which are so unpretentious that in the most destructive seasons for the harvest they still bear fruit, to the delight of gardeners.
- UK statistics report that residents of this country eat as much beans as citizens of other countries combined. Perhaps this is the reason for the restraint of the British: legumes are great for calming the nerves.
How to cook long beans
Healthy, tasty and easy to cook long bean pods both for a separate dish and in combination with meat or other vegetables. Boiled Vigna is used in salads, omelets, scrambled eggs, soups and regular side dishes. It is cooked and eaten without peeling (pod).
Fried Chinese beans are prepared as follows: vegetable oil (any) is poured into a preheated pan, the pods are washed and poured onto a heated dish. Stir constantly, salt. As soon as the vegetable softens, turn off the fire and sprinkle with grated cheese on top. Sprinkle with herbs before serving.
Video recipe for how to fry green beans:
