Red kidney bean

Phaseolus vulgaris

legume

Red, kidney-shaped seeds of the common bean, a plant from Mesoamerica; the backbone of chili and Creole rice and beans. 100 g dry provide 23 g of protein, 15 g of fibre and 7 mg of iron.

Origin

Mesoamerica

Season (United States)

all year round · grows in your region

Preparation

Soak, discard the water, then at least ten minutes at a full boil: undercooked, it contains a lectin that makes you seriously ill. A long gentle simmer is not enough, it needs the hard boil. Soaking, sprouting or sourdough bring its phytates down — and release the zinc and iron they were holding. High in purines: to rotate rather than stack, if the ground is sensitive.

Molecules

Resistant starch RS1 · GOS (galacto-oligosaccharides) · Saponins · Folates (B9) · Plant iron · Protein · Lysine · Molybdenum · InositolIn small amounts, not counted Isoflavones · Ergothioneine · CholineWhat slows things down Phytates · Purines

Did you know?

The Aztecs called it exotl and the Incas purutu — hence poroto, the word for bean in Chile.