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Botanical Name: Paseolus
angularis
Other Names: adsuki, aduki, asuki,
azuki, chi dou (Mandarin), feijao,
field pea, hong xiao dou (Mandarin),
red oriental, Tiensin red
Description:
Dry adzuki beans are small
dark red, oval beans approximately
5 mm in diameter. They have a distinctive
white ridge along one side. Adzuki
beans are popular across Asia, particularly
in Japan, and are used to make red
sweet bean paste.
Be sure to examine them
after soaking to make sure there are
no hard seeds (seeds that are as hard
after soaking as before) lurking at
the bottom. If there are - throw those
(the hard ones) out! They are easy
to spot as they are smaller than those
that are swollen with water.
These small burgundy-colored beans
have a snappy white stripe. They are
of Japanese origin and are mostly
used cooking to make sweet desserts.
They are also a favorite in health
food circles and are easier to digest
than most other beans.
The adzuki bean (Vigna
angularis) has been grown and used
for many centuries in the Orient.
It was introduced to Japan from China
about 1000 years ago and it is now
the sixth largest crop and is a frequent
subject in Japanese scientific publications.
It is a cultigen not found in the
wild and its center of origin is unknown
but variously proposed to be China,
India or Japan. Erect plant types
are currently grown in northern provinces
of Japan while the branching, vining
types are cultivated in China, Manchuria
and other warmer climate areas.
The major part of the Chinese crop
is produced in the Yangtse River Valley.
It also grows in south China, Korea,
New Zealand, India, Taiwan, Thailand,
and the Philippines. Its principal
use throughout the Far East is as
a confectionery item. It is cooked
and combined with varying proportions
of sugar, water, starch, plant gums,
and other ingredients, and consumed
as such or in combination with other
foods. The single largest use of these
so-called "ann" products
is as fillings for bread (ann-pan),
steamed breads or dumplings and sweet
cakes. At least 50 other beans and
legumes are also used to make these
pastes, but the adzuki bean is the
most prized, in large part due to
its desirable red color, but also
due to a delicate flavor and to the
character-istic grainy texture of
the pastes made from it.
Uses
This crop is consumed
directly as food, with little processing.
Therefore, quality is important. Dark
red color and a general plump, healthy
appearance of seeds are the quality
factors a buyer considers.
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