It's quite rare to find pearl beans at the supermarket. In fact, I have never seen any before. Often, i will spot it at the wet market. Marketing is extremely therapeutic for me coz it's a kind of me-time. However, most of the time, I have to wait till the hubs is in town before I can do that. Just last week, I had such an opportunity! And yipee! I found me some pearl beans!
This is how the beans look like. I wanted to boil them with lotus roots however, with recent reports on lotus roots being bleached, I stayed away from them whenever I deem them too white.
It's great motor skills training for the kids. They enjoyed taking the beans out of the pods.
Pearl Beans have a nutty and creamy taste to it. It is packed with nutrients as well. Each cup of beans provides 241 calories, 0.8 grams of fat, 16.5 grams of protein and 43.3 grams of carbohydrates. These pearl beans, otherwise known as Cranberry beans, do not contain any cholesterol and only have trace amounts of sodium, making them a heart-healthy protein choice. Perfect for the whole family! It also contains loads of fiber. Fiber adds bulk to your diet and since it isn't digested, it makes it beneficial for those who are trying to lose weight. It also decreases your risk of getting constipation and haemorrhoids.
Here's how I incorporate it into my soup -- Corn, Carrot & Pearl Bean Soup:
INGREDIENTS
- 200g of pork ribs
- 2000ml water
- 1 carrot
- 1 cob of corn
- A handful of pearl beans
- Salt to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Blanch the pork ribs in boiling water for about a minute. Scoop it out and wash away the scum.
- Bring water to a boil in a separate pot or slow pot. Add the blanched pork ribs, corn and carrot. Let it boil for an hour or so over small flame or in the case of a slow pot, i boil it for 3hours. It could be less probably, but i typically boil it the night before so i can get my 老火汤
- Add in pearl beans and continue to boil for about 20 minutes.
- Add salt to taste and serve. Most of the time it is sweet enough such that no salt is actually needed. However, a pinch is good to bring out the flavour.
It's a great hearty soup for the whole family and not difficult to prepare. So why don't you try it today!
