Broad Beans In Your Home

April 18, 2008 – 2:47 pm

by Kathy Bea

It is inopportune that broad beans which is also know as fava beans, tic beans and field beans have not been given the credit its due in the United States, despite their exposure in various media and cookbooks. This plant serves a range of functions when it come to the way you can eat them or what dishes you can use them in, as is anticipated from such an astoundingly well-traveled plant, which is largely eaten and found in various types of dishes and cuisines in North Africa and southeast Asia.

Broad beans is used as a primary ingredient in a tasty Greek recipe. Broad beans, olive oil, chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, spring onions, as well as sugar, salt, pepper and dill for taste are the ingredient for the dish, Koukia. Onions are roasted in heated oil while the broad beans are cleaned and washed in water.

The dish is then cooked, by adding in the rest of the ingredient along with the beans and some water, until its becomes soft. To bring it the complexity of its taste, the dish is served with a side dish of pita bread, although it is also great served on its own.

In spite of its different varieties, broad beans are normally consumed while they still young and tender, either fried or after having it steamed and soft. It also made a lot of sense when the Thai’s named this bean, the “open-mouth nut”, given the way it slits open when they are fried. If you’re in a rush to get somewhere, adding some salt or spice over the beans will give you a great snack. If you have a special event coming up, you can serve them as the main course or as a side dish to enhance the flavors of the more weaker tasting foods.

Broad beans can be an excellent way to complete a dish and you will discover that the beans are also best eaten fresh. Eating them with a salty cheese or a hard one like parmesan, gives it a continental flair. Another tasty method is to sprinkle some salt and pepper lightly over the beans.

The beans can also be stewed in a pot with butter and oil after their skin is removed by cooking them in water. Seasoning the dish with herbs like parsley, mint, basil and thyme is a good way of mixing it up but it has to be done carefully as to not overpower the beans.

If you want to add a little bit of protein in your diet, broad beans are a great way to do that, and finding a way to integrate these delicious indulgence will be a tasty accompaniment to your dishes!

About the Author:

To learn more about Cooking please visit her new website, which has thousands of cooking ideas for you to try!

Tags: Cooking