Adzuki Bean Dish in Yunnan

Adzuki Bean Dish(红豆) is very popular food in Yunnan Province. Adzuki beans have been used in Yunnan for millennia. Earliest domesticated examples are known from tombs in Japan (4,000 BCE), then China and Korea (3,000 BCE). Genetic evidence indicates that the bean later crossbred with native species in the Himalayas, and Yunnan was probably exposed to the ingredient at the time. Frequently prepared fried with kale or mint.

The adzuki bean (Vigna angularis; from azuki (Japanese: アズキ（小豆）); sometimes transliterated as azuki or aduki), or English red mung bean, is an annual vine widely cultivated throughout East Asia for its small (approximately 5 millimetres (0.20 in) long) bean. The cultivars most familiar in Northeast Asia have a uniform red color, but white, black, gray, and variously mottled varieties also are known.

The main ingredient in this dish is the nutritious and colorful azuki bean, but it is also loaded with mushrooms and fresh peppers. The mushrooms used are shiitakes, also known as Chinese black mushrooms or xianggu (香菇). These elements, along with prickly ash and chilis, give the dish a distinctively authentic Yunnan flavor.

The reddish-brown azuki bean — in Chinese called hongdou (红豆) — is grown throughout China and other Asian countries, where it is often combined with sugar to create a filling for sweet desserts and pastries. In Yunnan cuisine, however, azuki beans are often featured in savory preparations.

For this recipe you can adjust the amount of spice according to taste. This dish is delicious and simple to prepare. It can be served as the hearty centerpiece of a vegetarian meal or as a healthy option to be served alongside other dishes.

Ingredients

1 cup dried azuki beans, soaked in water overnight and drained
4 tablespoons oil
4 green onions (both white and green parts) sliced into two centimeter pieces
1 red or green bell pepper, diced into two centimeter chunks
2 fresh red or green chilis, seeded and diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1-inch piece of ginger, minced
15 dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked in hot water, squeezed to remove excess liquid, and thinly sliced
5 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame oil
½ teaspoon prickly ash powder (or to taste)
2 tablespoons sugar

Method

Place the pre-soaked beans in a saucepan and cover with several inches of fresh water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes. Add more water as necessary until the beans are tender and their skins start to separate. Drain the water off, and then crush some of the beans lightly with the back of a wooden spoon. Set aside.

Heat oil in a large wok over a medium high flame. Add the green onions, chilis, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Toss in mushrooms and peppers, and stir-fry for two more minutes or until the mushrooms just start to reduce in volume and the peppers start to soften.

Turn heat down to low and add the beans. Stir in the tamari or soy sauce, sesame oil, ground prickly ash powder, and sugar. Cover and simmer on low for at least five minutes or until the liquid has reduced enough to make the mixture fairly dry. Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy!