The favorite cold edamame in summer, the frozen pea kernels that are essential for stir-fry, the snow peas and sweet peas used to add color to hot stir-fry dishes... They are all filter-colored pods with bean kernels wrapped in them. Vegetables "beans", but the eating and cooking methods are very different! Can you tell clearly who is who when buying at the vegetable market?

The three most easily confused beans

Peas

Also known as green peas, after removing the bean clip, they are the green "green pea kernels" among the three-color vegetables we often see. Mature pea pods are plump and plump. After harvesting, the inner kernels are removed and the outer pods are not eaten.

The green beans often seen in salads and frozen vegetables are pea kernels.

However, after the bean kernels are taken out, the freshness will begin to decrease rapidly and the texture will become hard, so they must be processed as soon as possible before freezing and storing. Frozen peas do not need to be refrigerated and can be used directly for cooking, which is a very convenient way to preserve freshness. Therefore, most pea kernels sold on the market come in a large bag of frozen packaging.

Preservation method: Prepare a pot of hot boiling water, add a little salt and beans, turn to low heat and blanch for 1 to 3 minutes, then turn off the heat; leave the beans in the pot and let stand until they cool down, then cook again Drain the water, put into a plastic bag and freeze.

Letting the beans stay in the water to slowly dissipate heat can prevent wrinkles on the skin and maintain their appearance. If you are in a hurry, you can just pick them up and rinse them with cold water before freezing them.

Sweet peas

Also known as sweet peas, they are a variety improved from peas. Although there is only one word difference, the appearance, eating method and flavor are different. Sweet peas have less fiber and can be eaten together with the pods, so if you see "peas" cooked with the pods in a recipe, they usually refer to sweet peas! However, if they are older sweet beans that are harvested later, the pods The texture will become hard. At this time, just take out the beans and eat them.

Sweet beans have plump pods and are the source of their sweetness.

After sweet peas are harvested, their fiber will gradually increase over time, so they must be processed and frozen before being bought home to maintain the sweet, crisp and tender taste.

Preservation method: After tearing off the fascial fibers at the edge of the pod and the pedicle, put it into a pot of boiling water, add a little salt, and blanch over medium-high heat for 1 to 3 minutes; remove from the pot Drain and cool, then store in a plastic bag and freeze.

Snow peas

Snow peas are flat in appearance, while sweet peas are plump in appearance.

The peas have been improved to produce snow peas with flat, thin pods and smaller kernels, which are a "flat body" variant. The kernels of snow peas are smaller than the above two. The kernels in the pods are only slightly bulging (slightly larger than rice grains) before harvesting, and they are easier to distinguish from the appearance. Snow peas can be eaten with the pods attached, and are generally used for stir-frying to add color to dishes.

Like sweet peas, snow peas have edible pods. It is recommended to remove the thick stems around them before cooking.

The pods of snow peas are thin and transparent, and the water is easily lost. They are not resistant to drying. You must process them as soon as possible after buying them and put them in the freezer; otherwise, the fiber will increase, the texture will become hard, and the freshness and taste will be poor. Not good either.

Storage method: In addition to freezing the whole pod directly, you can also quickly blanch it in salt water, cool it in a bag, and then freeze it. If you want to store it for a long time, it is recommended to cook it first and then freeze it so that it can be used at any time for convenience.

There are also these green beans

Edamame

Edamame, a favorite salad dish, is characterized by tiny fluff covering the surface. It is usually sold with the pods. They are sold and then peeled out and eaten. Edamame is probably the "bean" that is most accepted by ordinary people and has the widest range of cooking methods. It can not only be used as cold dishes, but also the edamame puree made by boiling the beans until soft and beating them into a paste can be used in a variety of ways, such as soups and fillings. Or mixed with salad is very delicious.

The biggest feature of edamame is that there are many fine hairs on the surface of the pod.

Both edamame and peas only consume bean kernels: edamame kernels are oblate, while pea kernels are rounder.

Mindou

Mindou is the "green bean" commonly used in stir-fried dishes. Its appearance is different from the curved pods introduced above. It is thin, straight and long, green and hollow. There are quite small beans inside, which are quite easy to identify.

The whole pod of the sensitive bean can be eaten, but because of its rough texture, it is usually blanched or oiled first to maintain the bright green color, crisp texture, and remove the inherent "beany smell".

Green beans. (PhotoAC)

Cowpeas

Also known as "long beans", they are also called "beans" by most people because they look like green beans and are bright green and elongated. The two are often confused with each other. If you go to the vegetable market to buy, be sure to ask clearly. Cowpeas are a vegetable abundant in summer and are considered a must-eat during the Dragon Boat Festival. However, because cowpeas are usually processed before being eaten, they can be eaten all year round: for example, "sour cowpeas" pickled with salt, After being cut into small pieces, they are used for stir-frying; in addition, the long beans are boiled with salt and sun-dried to make strips of dark brown "dried cowpeas", which are the "dried long beans" commonly seen in Hakka cuisine.

Pickled sour cowpeas. Dried cowpeas (dried beans).