Lemon And Ginger Spiced Adzuki Beans
1/2 Cup dried adzuki beans, sorted and rinsed well
2 Cups Spring or filtered water
1-Inch piece kombu or bay leaf
About 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 to 2 Cloves fresh garlic, finely minced
2 Shallots, finely minced
Sea salt
5 to 6 Slices fresh ginger, finely minced
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Mirin
1 to 2 Sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely minced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Place the beans and water in a heavy saucepan. Add the kombu. Bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium heat. Boil for about 5 minutes, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook the beans until just tender, about 45 minutes. Drain away the remaining liquid from the beans, discard the kombu and set the beans aside.
Place the oil, garlic and shallots in a skillet over medium heat. When the shallots begin to sizzle, add a pinch of salt and saute until they are translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the ginger, lemon zest and a generous sprinkling of mirin. Season to taste with salt and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir in the beans, adjust the seasonings to your taste and remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice and serve hot.
–Again I soaked and cooked the beans a lot longer, more like soaked overnight and cooked for 2 hours. This dish was very good and the cooking liquid that was poured off I put it into a mug and drank it.
This recipe is printed with permission from Christina Pirello
4 Responses
Sounds yummy! 2 questions:
1. Do bay leaves work the same way kombu does in terms of breaking down the beans for digestion?
2. Are shallots really necessary or would common onions work, too?
Hi Anna,
Bay leaves do help aid in digestion, although they do not add the same nutrients as kombu.
Onions will work too! Shallots have a slightly different flavour. You could try adding some garlic too..
What else is on that tantalizing plate, Sarah?
Short grain brown rice and the next days recipe.. https://macromom.ca2011/05/25/spring-challenge-day-25-asian-tofu-salad-with-roasted-peanuts/