Guar bean

Cyamopsis tetragonoloba · Legume

40 pairings

The guar bean, or cluster bean (Cyamopsis tetragonoloba), is a hardy, drought-tolerant legume of the arid tropics, grown both as a green vegetable and as the source of guar gum. Slender young pods, borne in dense clusters, are cooked as a vegetable across India and Pakistan, while the seed's endosperm is milled into a powerful food-thickening gum used worldwide.

Picking a good onedrag

Slim, snapping, just pickedSwollen, stringy, limp

Market freshThe standard gawar phali. Top and tail, then cook through thoroughly with fat and spice, which carries the faint bitterness.Everyday best

Colour and skinGood green, the down rubbing off in places

The snapSnaps, the break face already drying

How the seeds showFilling out, small firm bumps along the pod

SmellQuietly green, the grassiness faded

What to look for, from slim, snapping, just picked to swollen, stringy, limp.

Preparing