Winged bean

Psophocarpus scandens, P. tetragonolobus

legume

A climbing plant 3 to 4 metres tall from Papua New Guinea, of which almost everything is eaten: pods, seeds, leaves, flowers and tubers. 100 g of fresh seeds provide 7 g of protein and 84 mg of calcium.

Origin

New Guinea and Southeast Asia

Season (United States)

all year round

Preparation

The young pods are sliced on the diagonal and eaten raw in salads or stir-fried for two minutes; the ripe seeds, like soybeans, are soaked then cooked at length; tubers, leaves and flowers are cooked.

Did you know?

Its pods, 15 to 22 cm long, bear four toothed wings along their whole length — hence its names of winged bean and four-angled bean.