snakebeans
winter has finally arrived as we know it. this morning was proof-positive.
maybe because it has been so mild for so long, it seems as though today's frigid weather was actually aberrant, when indeed i know it was not. the wind made it bitingly cold, in fact insufferably cold. i was counting my steps as i approached my home after deciding to go out for a walk.
after running several errands, my walk landed me at my local fruit and vegetable store where i picked up my one of my favourite vegetables — the snake bean, aptly name for its appearance. an asian vegetable, somewhat related to the green bean, it is also called the yardlong bean or the asparagus bean in english.
there are a quite a few different kinds of this snakey green creature, too. i've only seen my local grocer's sort, as shown in my picture.
this bean can be prepared in a variety of ways. i haven't decided what i want to do with them yet though some of these sound like options. knowing myself, i'll probably rely on one of my standard preparations for it. details to come in a few days.
sounded good, were:
here is a step-by-step from about.com for chinese green beans. looked good also :)
after running several errands, my walk landed me at my local fruit and vegetable store where i picked up my one of my favourite vegetables — the snake bean, aptly name for its appearance. an asian vegetable, somewhat related to the green bean, it is also called the yardlong bean or the asparagus bean in english.
there are a quite a few different kinds of this snakey green creature, too. i've only seen my local grocer's sort, as shown in my picture.
this bean can be prepared in a variety of ways. i haven't decided what i want to do with them yet though some of these sound like options. knowing myself, i'll probably rely on one of my standard preparations for it. details to come in a few days.
sounded good, were:
- brian young's stir-fried longbeans [vegetarian]
- salad of haloumi cheese, snakebeans & oven roasted tomatoes [dairy]
- beef & snakebeans with vermicelli noodles [meat]
here is a step-by-step from about.com for chinese green beans. looked good also :)
Bookmark this post:
Labels:
ingredients,
recipes
24 comments:
BODI!!! :D :D :D
i was gonna do a post on it soon :) took tons of pictures of it yesterday in the market :D nyam :D
I only ever had it Chinese style first time for Mother's Day last day. Saw a nice recipe in a Moosewood cookbook... Mom has been using that recipe ever since... but 9 times out of 10 we eat it curried or stewed with tomatoes :D
i heart bodi :D
Those beans are yummmy. In Guyana, they call them Bora. My mom often makes them with shrimp.
hey sarina - forgot that's what u call these beans down there :P i remember you mentioning something about it [prolly didn't know what you were talking about!]
i have a feeling they are so popular in many countries as they grow extremely quickly and are significant in size as compared to the standard smaller green bean.
never had them stewed with tomatoes. is that typical there or just how u do it?
hi shelliza - LOL, this bean sure has a lot of names! :) haven't heard of it being called bora. i think i've also seen it prepared with ground meat, too (chinese/asian). seems to be a very well-used vegetable :D
nah you knew what they were :) you commented that we have funny names for things :D
i dunno if the stewed with tomatoes is trini, jamaican, or just my mom's demented imagination :D will ask her. not sure if they have it in jamaica either.. will ask her that too :D
Yes we call it Bora in Guyana.
I had the hardest time finding the right one over here. Cause there is a slightly shorter one, thats hard as hell. I had to steam it before I cooked it. We normally curry it, stew it or fry it. Its one of my favorite dishes with chicken of course.
All these recipes sound so wonderful. I am particularly interested in the haloumi cheese one. YUM!!!!
Oh yeh, they are bora aren't they??? My mum used to prepare this in a dry curry with shrimp as well. I guess it's just a Guyanese thing!! :))
well since the guyanese ain't saying hi to the trini the trini will say a big HOWDY to tha guyaneze :P :D
Sorry trini! Here's a big Guyanese hi back! :D
sarina - BB laughin' @ you!! demented?? don't let her hear you say that one!! lol, they didn't say hi cause they can't see you thru those GIGANTIC rotis. you know how big theirs are, hehe.
pj - i know, those green beans we have here (the short ones) take a loooong time to cook before they become tender. you didn't have those kind in guyana? they sell them here in cans, cooked also. I HATE THOSE KIND!! YUCK! :PP
most people here (unless they eat it in their culture) have never seen or even heard of snakebeans. you don't find them at the regular supermarkets. the first time i made them stir fried they shrivelled up and i was ready to throw them out!! luckily, it turned out okay. :)) i have to try new ways to use this vegetable.
hey beenzzz - those were some of the better recipes i saw for using the bora. i know, the one for the haloumi cheese and tomatoes sounded extra good ;D
hey, go visit sarina's site and see their crazy OVERSIZED rotis. hehe.
hey beenz :D
what's a BB ?
lolz @ hiding behind the rotis :D
Hi Burekaboy,
Very cool photo of your alien green beans. Green beans aren't my favourite, don't really enjoy eating rope...!
sarina - what's a BB??!! umm..you're lookin' at one! hullo? hhhmmmm... rhodes? remember, i said harvard. LOL.
your rotis ARE too big!!!
hey pammie - LOL...what? no rope?? they are chewy.
thanks for the photo compliment. i do most of my cooking at night so the lighting sucks. such a huge difference in natural lighting.
hi bureka boy, oh i love these beans too. i like them with black bean sauce, MMM!
too big? ;) hmm... maybe you should have one first ;)
hiya aria! - that sounds good! HMMM...and i have a jar of black beans sitting on a shelf, waiting for a bean to meet. :D
sarina - maybe you should be makin' me one? LOL ;D
where my eddoes comment went?? x(
sarina - huh? what comment? never got an eddoes comment. prolly same place my comment to u re the choc cake went. it never showed up when i checked :(((
FOUnD it ! the spam monkeys were fondling it! :D
sarina - damned monkeys. there's canadian laws against that monkey business, you know. you need to fix your spaminator!!
at least i was able to find your comment... you still haven't found mine... :\
sarina - i NEVER got it :-[ i've lost many a comment on blogger. if it shows, i'll surely publish. unfortunately, it's a no show for now, lost somewhere between trinidad and canada.
oh today I bought Winter Melon, I have no idea what the hell it is.
But everyone felt like eating a new vegetable, since we dont have so much from Guyana here. So I said okay I will check out what it is online. So if you got any suggestion let me know... thnx
pj - that was adventurous of you! winter melon is very chinese but also indian. my best friend's mom grows it in the summer time and they are HUGE. they are used to make a soup but indians prepare them differently, i think it's called peetha and they make sweet stuff with it. it's always cooked. look here for some info.
the chinese always almost put it with pork in their soups but you can add it to a chicken soup or stir fry it. look on the net to get some ideas also. hope you like it.
Post a Comment