White cowpeas, also known as southern cowpeas, hyacinth beans, or white hyacinth beans, are a common crop in regions like Liaoning, Hebei, and Shanxi. After drying, they can be stir-fried and eaten. There are many ways to cook white cowpeas, which are rich in nutritional value and often used medicinally. Of course, they are also indispensable in culinary dishes.
Cooking White Cowpeas: Beijing-Style Stewed White Cowpeas
Beijing sauce is relatively famous; there is a dish called Beijing-style shredded pork with sauce that many people may have heard of.
Preparation of Ingredients
White cowpeas, pork belly, green onion, ginger, Liu Bi Ju diluted yellow soybean sauce, fresh soy sauce, sugar, monosodium glutamate, water, cooking oil.
Cooking Steps
1. First, dry-fry the cowpeas in a pot over low heat. Once the moisture in the beans has been dried out, drizzle in a little oil and continue to stir-fry until the cowpeas are 80% cooked, then remove from the pan.
2. Add a small amount of base oil to the pan and stir-fry the slices of pork belly. Once the meat has rendered its fat, add chopped green onion and ginger to release their fragrance. Then add cooking wine and soy sauce, stirring well.
3. Add the yellow soybean sauce and stir-fry over low heat.
4. Stir the yellow soybean sauce and meat until fragrant, then pour in an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil, and add the stir-fried cowpeas, mixing well.
5. Cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes.
6. Once the cowpeas are soft and tender, sprinkle in a little sugar and monosodium glutamate to enhance the flavor. Boil over high heat to reduce the broth, then serve.
Tips
1. When stir-frying the white cowpeas, do not add oil to the pot at first. Dry-fry over low heat while continuously stirring. Once the moisture has evaporated, add a small amount of oil. This method uses less oil than deep-frying and makes it less likely for the beans to pop due to reduced moisture content during frying.
2. If using sauce, there is no need for salt. If you don't like this sauce, you can use other types such as bean paste, chili sauce, or sweet sauce instead.
Detailed Cooking Method: Papaya, Cowpea, and Pork Trotter Soup
White cowpeas are also widely used in soups. Paired with papaya, it's sure to be loved by many.
Preparation of Ingredients
1 papaya, half a bowl of white cowpeas, 1 piece of old ginger, 1 pork trotter, 1 teaspoon of cooking wine.
Cooking Steps
1. Soak and clean the pork trotter, then blanch in boiling water and rinse thoroughly.
2. Soak the white cowpeas overnight, approximately 10 minutes before cooking.
3. Prepare a green papaya. Make a few cuts on the skin to allow the white sap to flow out, making the papaya sweeter.
4. Add the pork trotter, white cowpeas, and ginger to the pot. Once the water boils, the old ginger will float. Skim off the ginger pieces and foam.
5. Transfer the soup to a clay pot and continue simmering. When the water starts boiling again, add the papaya. Once it comes to a boil, simmer over low heat for about 90 minutes, adding salt 5 minutes before serving.
Home-Style White Cowpea Recipe: Cowpea, Job's Tears, and Green Mung Bean Porridge
A refreshing green mung bean porridge in summer becomes even better with the addition of white cowpeas.
Preparation of Ingredients
50 grams of white cowpeas, 50 grams of job's tears, 50 grams of green mung beans.
Cooking Steps
1. Clean the ingredients, then soak the white cowpeas and job's tears for 2-4 hours.
2. After soaking, mix all the ingredients and place them in a clay pot.
3. Pour 6-8 times the volume of water into the clay pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 1 hour, or until the job's tears and cowpeas are soft and tender.
Tips
1. The cowpeas should be purchased from a Chinese medicine store. They are a commonly used ingredient in both medicinal and culinary dishes and are generally available in most Chinese medicine stores at an affordable price.
2. When serving, you can also add a small amount of broth and honey.
Nutritional Benefits of White Cowpeas
Nutritional Value
1. White cowpeas contain more minerals and vitamins than most root vegetables and gourds, and they are also delicious and tender.
2. A porridge made with white cowpeas has a slightly sweet and moist nature, entering the spleen and stomach meridians. It can tonify the spleen and stomach, harmonize the center and transform dampness, and help to cool the body and detoxify.
3. Cowpeas contain components that inhibit viruses. These active components are found in both the water-soluble high-molecular and low-molecular parts and effectively inhibit viral growth.
4. Cowpeas contain various trace elements that stimulate bone marrow hematopoietic tissue, reduce the destruction of granulocytes, improve hematopoietic function, and are effective for leukopenia.