Rice bean

Vigna umbellata · Legume

40 pairings

The rice bean (Vigna umbellata) is a warm-season, fast-growing legume of South and Southeast Asia, grown for its small, glossy seeds that come in red, green, yellow, brown, black or mottled coats. A minor but nutritious pulse, the cooked beans are eaten with or in place of rice, boiled into dals and soups, sprouted, or grown as fodder, cover crop and green manure.

Picking a good onedrag

Glossy new-crop seedDull and hard, musty or holed

Cupboard stockDal, soup, or beans cooked among rice, which is the dish it is named for. Cook until soft and mealy right through. Gassy for some people, not for all.Everyday best

Coat and shineColour clear still, the gloss gone quiet

Seeds and hilumAn odd split coat or loose skin among them

In the handHard still, the rattle a shade duller

At the mouth of the bagPapery and neutral, nothing off in it

What to look for, from glossy new-crop seed to dull and hard, musty or holed.

Preparing