Azuki beans

Azuki beans (Vigna angularis) are often referred to in the literature as nothing more than angular beans. Azuki is an annual plant that is widespread in the Southeast Asian region as well as the Himalayas. Azuki beans play an important role in the region's cooking and are ubiquitous in the process of making a variety of culinary products. Azuki beans differ in their miniature size, as a rule, the average size of an angular bean bean does not exceed 5 mm in diameter.

The most famous type of azuki bean is considered a variety of plant with red beans. However, gray, black, as well as white and variegated beans are no less popular in the culinary tradition of Asian states. Researchers believe that in Korea, as well as in northern China, azuki beans have been cultivated for thousands of years. Azuki beans came to Japan much later, but in modern times it is considered the second most popular variety of beans after soybeans.

Angular beans or azuki have other names. For example, in China, azuki beans are called piñas, pallus or canoi, in Korea phat, in Vietnam red beans, in Mauritius and in India lal chavali or chori. As mentioned earlier, azuki beans in Asia refer to popular ingredients. However, most often azuki beans are used to make desserts, sweets and homemade pastries. In Japan, azuki is boiled with regular sugar and produces the famous anko paste.

Often, various flavors are added to the anco, for example chestnut, which significantly improve the basic, including nutritional characteristics of the dish. Anko pasta is also considered a must-have ingredient in Asian cuisine. Usually, anko paste made from azuki beans is used as a filling for such traditional Japanese sweets as: manju, ammitsu, daifuku, monaka, an-pan and others. Perhaps the most popular dessert in the recipe of which azuki beans can be considered amanatto ice cream.

Azuki beans are used in the process of preparing the first courses, as well as rice side dishes. Special attention should be paid to the vitamin-mineral composition of azuki beans, which contains a mass of compounds indispensable for the human body. The composition of azuki contains vitamins of group B, as well as PP. In addition, azuki is enriched with potassium, manganese, selenium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and copper.