Know your Yard-long bean

• • The yardlong bean, Vigna unguiculata subsp. sesquipedalis, is a subspecies of the cowpea, grown around the world for its medium-sized edible bean.

  • Despite the name, the pods are actually only about half a yard long; the subspecies name of sesquipedalis (one-and-a-half-foot-long) is a rather more exact approximation of the pods' length.

  • This plant is extensively cultivated in India for its pods, which are often two feet in length, contain a number of pea-like seeds called by the Hindus chowlee and form a considerable article of food.

Know your Yard-long bean - Common names

• • The yard-long bean is also known as the long-podded cowpea, asparagus bean, snake bean, or Chinese long bean.

  • China: cheung kong tau, dau gok, dow gauk, tseng dou, cai dou, chang dou, chang jiang dou, chang kong tau, jiang dou

  • India: lobia

  • Indonesia: kacang panjang, otok

  • Japan: juroku sasage mame, sasage

  • Malaysia: kacang belut, kacang panjang, kacang panjang hijau, kacang perut ayam

  • Philippines: banor, hamtak, sitao, sitaw

  • Sri Lanka: diya mekaral

  • Thailand: tau afuk yaou, tau fug yao, thua chin

  • Vietnam: dau dua, dau que

Know your Yard-long bean - Botany

• • This plant is of a different genus than the common bean.

  • It is a vigorous climbing annual vine.

  • A variety of the cowpea, it is grown primarily for its strikingly long (35-75 cm) immature pods and has uses very similar to that of a green bean.

  • The pods, which begin to form just 60 days after sowing, hang in pairs.

  • The plant is subtropical/tropical and most widely grown in the warmer parts of South-eastern Asia, Thailand, and Southern China.

Know your Yard-long bean - Cultivation

• • They are best if picked for vegetable use before they reach full maturity.

  • Yard-long beans are quick-growing and daily checking/harvesting is often a necessity.

  • The many varieties of yard-long beans are usually distinguished by the different colours of their mature seeds.

  • A traditional food plant in Africa, this little-known vegetable has potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, foster rural development and support sustainable land-care.

Know your Yard-long bean - Uses

• • The crisp, tender pods are eaten both fresh and cooked. They are at their best when young and slender.

  • They are sometimes cut into short sections for cooking uses.

  • They are used in stir-fries in Chinese cuisine.

  • In Malaysian cuisine they are often stir-fried with chillies and shrimp paste (sambal) or used in cooked salads (kerabu).

  • Another popular and healthful option is to chop them into very short sections and fry them in an omelette.

Know your Yard-long bean - Nutrition

• • They are a good source of protein, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, iron, phosphorus, and potassium, and a very good source for vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and manganese.

  • In a serving size of 100 grams of yard-long beans there are 47 calories, 0 grams of total fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 mg sodium (0% daily value), 8 grams of total carbohydrates (2% daily value), and 3 grams of protein (5% daily value).

  • There is also 17% DV vitamin A, 2% DV iron, 31% DV vitamin C, and 5% DV calcium. (Percent daily values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Individual daily values may be higher or lower depending on individual calorie needs.)