Tag: beans

Honey for the Beans

“Sweet” is one of the last ways most people would think of describing a plain legume, and yet that’s exactly how ewa oloyin got their name. Otherwise known as honey beans, these humble cowpeas are a beloved Nigerian staple, indispensable to the national cuisine. Reasonably, the name comes from the Yoruba language, where ewa means “beans” and oloyin means “honey.”

Don’t let their modest appearance fool you. Beneath those unassuming beige skins lies some of the creamiest, most versatile legumes you’ll ever cook with, ready to earn a permanent place in your pantry.

What Are Ewa Oloyin? Meet Nigeria’s Beloved Honey Beans

As you might have guessed from their short, ovoid shape and signature “eye,” ewa oloyin are closely related to black-eyed peas, but they’re a distinct variety of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata). They’ve been cultivated throughout West Africa for centuries, thriving in hot, dry climates where other crops struggle. It’s the kind of tenacious plant you can count on when times are tough, asking for little in return while even improving the soil by fixing nitrogen as it grows.

Sweet Beans: What Do Ewa Oloyin Taste Like?

As one might expect from a nickname like honey beans, these legumes have a natural sweetness that’s more pronounced than you might expect based on looks alone. Comparable to roasted sweet corn or toasted chestnuts, they’d give adzuki beans a run for their money, should their paths ever cross. Mellow, mild, and perfect for winning over picky eaters, a properly cooked pot of ewa oloyin can make a bean believer out of anyone.

As they cook, their starches convert to sugar, creating a viscous, amber potlikker that’s genuinely honey-like. The beans become remarkably creamy, striking that sweet spot between buttery and hearty. They can melt into a velvety stew or mash effortlessly into dips and fritters. Every spoonful feels rich and luxurious, even when made with minimal ingredients.

Nutrition For Days

Like most legumes, honey beans are nutritional overachievers hiding in plain sight. They’re naturally rich in plant-based protein and dietary fiber, making meals more satisfying while providing slow-burning energy that sticks with you long after you’ve left the table.

They also deliver an impressive lineup of vitamins and minerals, including folate, iron, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus, all while remaining naturally low in fat, cholesterol-free, and gluten-free. Pair them with rice or another grain, and together they provide a complementary amino acid profile that’s greater than the sum of its parts.

How to Cook Honey Beans, Quick and Creamy Every Time

Ewa oloyin have thinner skins than most cowpeas, so soaking isn’t strictly necessary. What you can’t skip is sorting them first. Always pick through your dried beans to check for stones before getting started.

  • On the stove, cover them with fresh water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil before reducing the heat to a gentle simmer. Depending on the age of the beans, they’ll be ready in about 40 – 60 minutes. Resist the urge to add salt too early; seasoning toward the end of cooking helps ensure the skins stay tender.
  • In a a pressure cooker, cook the beans on high pressure for about 20 – 30 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally for the creamiest results.

One of the best parts of cooking honey beans is the broth they leave behind. As they simmer, the cooking liquid thickens into a glossy, amber potlikker with a subtle sweetness all its own. Don’t you dare pour it down the drain! It can be stirred back into the beans for extra richness, used to thicken soups and stews, or simply spooned over rice to soak into every grain.

Whether you cook them until they’re just tender or let them soften into a velvety mash, ewa oloyin are remarkably forgiving. In fact, many of their most beloved recipes celebrate beans that are cooked well past al dente, embracing their creamy texture rather than fighting it.

Akara (African Bean Fritters)

Perfect Pairings

Simple stews are where you’re most likely to find ewa oloyin in Africa. Ranging from mild to fiery, brothy to thick enough to eat with a fork, these hearty bean dishes are everyday comfort food, stretching humble ingredients into meals that are deeply satisfying and remarkably nourishing. The most popular pairings include:

Ewa Riro (Nigerian Bean Porridge)

Time-Honored Dishes and Contemporary Ideas

Honey beans are wonderfully versatile, making themselves at home in both traditional Nigerian cooking and modern plant-based kitchens.

They’re best known for starring in dishes like ewa agoyin, where impossibly tender beans are served beneath a deeply savory, smoky pepper sauce, or ewa porridge, a one-pot meal simmered with tomatoes, onions, peppers, and warming spices. Ground into a smooth batter, they become moin moin, a savoy steamed bean pudding, or akara, irresistibly crisp fritters with fluffy, creamy centers.

Beyond those classics, these beans are happy to improvise. Swap them in anywhere you’d normally use black-eyed peas; fold them into soups and stews, scatter them over salads, blend them into dips, or mash them into burgers and patties. Their mild flavor plays well with everything from fiery chiles to fragrant herbs, making them the kind of pantry staple you’ll find yourself reaching for again and again.

Akara (African Bean Fritters)

Sweet Beans, Sweet Dreams

In Nigeria, ewa oloyin have become so deeply woven into everyday life that you’d be hard-pressed to find a household without them. More than merely filling a bowl, these beans have completely won me over. Creamier than black-eyed peas, sweeter than adzuki, and so naturally delicious, they’ve made me reconsider my usual legume rotation entirely. Putting “honey” in the name isn’t just poetic, it’s a promise they actually keep.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)8 Comments

Playing Favarites

Why would a dip called “fava” not be made from fava beans? Language is a funny thing, especially when trying to transpose a different one with your own. Quite simply, the Greek word fava refers to what we know as yellow split peas in English. If you wanted the broad, flat legumes instead, those would be koukia; another beloved staple across the Greek islands.

Peas and Thank You

After my initial confusion, the attraction was immediate. Yellow split peas have long been a favorite for cozy soups and stews, and I’m certainly no stranger to creamy bean dips the world over. Continuing life without a suitable recipe under my belt was unthinkable.

Certified Inauthentic

Don’t call the authenticity police on me. I’m well aware that this is far from a “legitimate” fava dip, as the genuine legumes are highly regulated to maintain their distinctive terroir. As a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) food, only yellow split peas that are grow in Santorini can legally be labeled as such. I’ve heard tales that Santorini fava are sweeter and have a smoother texture than other split peas thanks to the mineral-rich volcanic soil of the island, though I’m not fortunate enough to personally confirm nor deny such a statement. I can promise you, however, than regular old, unprestigious split peas make a damn fine dip. You could really rock the boat and use green split peas, too. Just don’t blame me if officials find out and you’re banned from entering Greece at a later date.

Split Decision

Maybe the golden color is playing tricks on my mind, but I swear each velvety dollop, dip, and spoonful has an almost buttery finish. Topping with capers and diced red onion is essential to create the perfect bite, lending a briny, salt, and sharp highlight to what might otherwise fall a little flat. Wrapped in soft, warm pita bread or scooped up with crisp veggies, even this large batch will go fast. It could definitely give the average hummus a run for its money.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)4 Comments

Like A Moth To The Flame

Like a moth to the flame, I’m inexorably drawn to foods that elicit more questions than answers at first blush, for better or for worse. Moths, though a vital part of our natural ecosystem, are typically not associated with culinary greatness. That’s why the name “moth beans” immediately gave me pause, and soon after landed in my cart.

Fear not: these little legumes have absolutely nothing to do with dusty winged insects. Vigna aconitifolia, also known as matki, mat beans, or dew beans, are named for the lobed shape of their leaves when growing, which supposedly resemble a moth’s silhouette. I’d say that’s a real stretch of the imagination, but maybe my creativity is merely lacking. No matter how you look at it, moth beans have already proven themselves as far more than just a taxonomic curiosity.

What Are Moth Beans?

Native to the hot, arid regions of South Asia, specifically India and Pakistan, they have been a staple food for centuries. Because they can grow in sandy, bone-dry soil where other crops would wither, it’s there that they earned the nickname “dew beans,” seeming to subsist on nothing more than the morning mist. Preventing erosion by locking in what scant moisture remains in the soil, they’re vital for maintaining productive land in difficult climates.

What prevents moth beans from becoming more widespread across the globe is the difficulty of harvesting them. Laboriously cut by hand with a sickle, current mowers aren’t built for their unique shape and size, so they remain out of reach for industrial production.

What Do Moth Beans Taste Like?

If you’re familiar with green lentils or mung beans, you’ve already gotten a taste of what to expect from moth beans. Deeply earthy and nutty, with a savory undertone that hints at mushroom-like umami, there’s a faint sweetness on the back end, making them much more complex than your standard kidney or navy bean.

Even when fully cooked, they maintain a distinct, slightly firm bite between your teeth. They refuse to turn into mush unless you go out of your way to intentionally overcook them, making them ideal for salads, soups, stews, and most traditionally, curries.

Moth Bean Nutrition: Tiny But Mighty

Don’t let their diminutive size fool you. In the world of plant-based protein, moth beans are heavy hitters. Incredibly protein-dense, to the tune of roughly 23 grams of protein per 100 grams of dry beans, they make a compelling case for doing away with meat. They are an excellent source of zinc, which is great for the immune system, and iron for keeping energy levels high. Like most legumes, they are packed with dietary fiber, which keeps things moving smoothly and keeps you feeling full longer.

Soak, Sprout, or Simmer: Cooking Moth Beans

Sold both whole and split, the moth bean offers two distinct paths toward enjoyment. Whole moth beans necessarily take longer, they have more structural integrity, and have the added benefit of being sproutable. Sprouted moth beans have been especially crucial for those who may not have easy access to fresh vegetables, since the dried beans are shelf stable for months, if not years, and erupt with little white tails in 1 – 2 days.

  • To sprout whole moth beans, soak them overnight, drain, and keep them in a damp cloth or sprout jar for 24 – 48 hours. Once those tiny white tails appear, they can be eaten raw in salads, stir-fried, or steamed for just a few minutes.
  • To cook whole moth beans, while not strictly necessary, soaking them for 4 – 6 hours reduces cooking time and improves digestibility. On the stove top, simmer in plenty of water (about a 3:1 ratio) for 20 – 30 minutes until tender but firm. In a pressure cooker, cook on high for 10 minutes and quick release the pressure. Let stand in unsealed pressure cooker for another 10 minutes, then drain.
  • To cook split moth beans, simply rinse them under cool water and simmer on the stove top for 15 – 20 minutes. The ratio shifts slightly because they act more like red lentils, absorbing water as they break down into a soft, porridge-like consistency. Use a 2:1 or 3:1 water-to-bean ratio, depending on how thick you want the final result.

Traditional Moth Bean Dishes

In India, moth beans need no introduction. They’re the backbone of some of the most iconic comfort foods, including:

  • Matki Chi Usal: A spicy, sprouted bean stir fry tempered with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and a generous amount of goda masala.
  • Misal Pav: Perhaps the most famous use, this is a spicy sprout curry topped with farsan (crunchy snack mix), onions, and lime, served with buttery rolls.
  • Moth Dal: A simple, comforting stew tempered with cumin, ginger, and green chilies.
  • Moth Kachori: Tucked away inside flaky, fried pastries, the beans are seasoned and mashed into a coarse paste, providing a hearty, savory center that balances the buttery crunch of the crust.

Having a Ball with Moth Beans

While I’ll always carry a torch for the classics, I can’t keep away from a good pun, especially if it leads to even better food. I’ve never once in my life used moth balls, but I had to try my hands at making them from scratch… That is, moth bean meatballs.

If the name turns heads and grabs your attention, then that’s the point. How enticing does a “bean ball” sound in the first place? Might as well play up the weird and wonderful branding nature already provided. Rest assured, these savory spheres won’t make your kitchen smell like a nursing home. Instead, these vegan meatballs capitalize on that signature nutty umami, accentuated by sun-dried tomatoes and nutritional yeast. Seared, baked, or air fried, they’re sturdy enough to withstand a wave of marinara without dissolving into an accidental, extra-chunky ragu.

Fly Straight to Moth Beans

They may take a bit more effort to source in the US than the usual garbanzo, pinto, or kidney bean, which only adds to the appeal, if you ask me. Moth beans are special, to be celebrated and respected. Even without such an arresting name in English, moth beans warrant your attention, and intrigue. Give them a chance; your first taste of moth beans may just make your heart flutter.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)7 Comments

Stick To It

As much as I love edamame, I’m loathe to order them at a restaurant. They have to be something really special, perhaps charred with a smoky kiss from the wok, anointed with enough garlic to ruin any date, to merit real consideration. The fact of the matter is that in most cases, they’re merely the same green pods anyone could grab from the freezer, barely thawed enough to melt the ice crystals, and seasoned either with too much or too little salt; there’s never any middle ground.

Edamame, though admittedly perfect beer snacks as is, deserve so much more care. The bar is so low that the bare minimum of creativity hooks me like a hapless, hungry fish. “Edamame Sticks” did the trick, in just that one line. It was printed on a menu online with no further description, and no means of ordering, but when has that ever stopped me before?

Wrapped up in a thin sheath of wheat-based egg roll skin, chopped edamame are granted the thoughtful application of spices and aromatics that quick serves can never afford. Far from groundbreaking, the complement of garlic, ginger, soy sauce, and sesame oil are simply playing the hits that the crowd most wants to hear. Once fried, bubbling surface of the wrappers bronzed and resoundingly crisp, no one could deny these beans.

The only problem with edamame is when they’re served as a placeholder, something to keep your hands busy while you wait for anything better. Given even a modest intervention, sealed, spiced, and sent through hot oil, they snap out of their stupor. Apparently this is still too much to ask of restaurants sending out plain pods at exorbitant prices, but at least we have all the tools at our disposal to do better at home.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)11 Comments

Crowd Control

I can’t lie: I’m a sucker for a good pun. My sense of humor vacillates between dad jokes and caustic wit, but I can never resist a solid groaner. That brings me to the obvious need to turn crowder beans into chowder. The moment I started cooking with them, I knew that Crowder Chowder was inevitable, if only for the irresistible name.

Don’t worry, it’s more than just a fun rhyme. As with any proper chowder, the base is thick and creamy, making for a hearty bowl-in-one type of meal. Packed with potatoes and sweet corn, the crowder beans contribute an earthy meatiness, to say nothing of all their protein and fiber, without a single clam in sight.

Plenty of chowder recipes employ beans, especially white beans for their fairly neutral flavor, so it’s not like I’m breaking any new ground here. Crowder peas, however, may take some eaters by surprise this unconventional setting. Since they usually show up in straightforward company, simmered with onions, maybe a hunk of cornbread nearby, seeing them in more composed recipes could turn some heads. Lack of mainstream recognition further limits their range, unfairly, if you ask me. Anything white beans can do, the humble field pea can do, too.

Fully validated by the success of this experiment inspired by word play, Crowder Chowder is exactly the sort of recipe that makes a terrible pun feel justified. The name might make you roll your eyes at first, but one spoonful quickly changes the tone of the conversation. Sometimes the best ideas just sound silly on paper.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)7 Comments

Pea’s A Crowd

Staring down the bag labeled blandly as “field peas,” culled from the brightly lit grocery store shelf, I knew there was more to the story. Encompassing dozens of different legumes, field peas are a catch-all term for any Southern bean grown amongst the crops, as opposed to the home garden. That means you could grab a package of so-called field peas and find black-eye peas, lady peas, cream peas, purple hull peas, or zipper peas staring back at you, all under the same label.

This particular bundle was different though, which is why it caught my eye. Tiny as grains of uncooked brown rice, unlike any bean I had cooked before, I decided to buy first, ask questions later. Only after exhaustive research could I give my new prize a more accurate name: Crowder Peas.

What Exactly Are Crowder Peas?

As part of the field pea family, also known as cowpeas or Southern peas, crowder peas hail from Africa, brought to the US along with enslaved peoples. Through their skilled hands, agriculture thrived, using these heirloom beans to add nitrogen to the soil, enduring through extreme heat and drought alike.

Crowder peas come by their name quite literally, each pod being “crowded” with many peas as they grow. There are many varieties of crowder peas, too, including Mississippi Silver, Dixie Lee, Cream Peas, Zipper Peas, and more; some are rounded while others are fairly flat, varying from brown to white but shades may vary. If you’re looking for a single definitive example of the legume, you’re going to be disappointed. Harvested in the late summer, you’re unlikely to find them fresh, unless you live within a few miles of where they’re grown. More likely than not, you’ll find them dried year round, and occasionally canned.

Crowder Peas: Always In Good Taste

The mysterious crowder peas that I purchased reminded me visually of tiny tepary beans; dark, firm, and robust. They’re a bean-lover’s bean, loud and proud, earthy, starchy, sometimes nutty, and always savory. Where black-eyed peas can taste bright and grassy, crowders are deeper and more grounded. The rounder varieties may be a bit creamier, but all are built to withstand long stews and braises. That potlikker is a prize all by itself, slightly thickened and dark as red wine. Traditionally seasoned with a simple array of onions, garlic, paprika, and often ham, you’d be crazy to think about draining it away.

Crowder Pea Nutrition? Bean There, Done That

Between you and me, I wish we could skip the section on nutrition for these bean deep-dives because they’re all starting to read the same. Unsurprisingly, they’re high in protein and fiber, B vitamins, folate, magnesium, and iron. Spoiler alert: there is no such thing as an unhealthy legume. Next!

Cooking Crowder Peas

Dried crowder peas are a pantry gift, especially in cooler months when fresh produce feels scarce. Soaking them for several hours, or overnight, shortens the cooking time and encourages even tenderness, though it’s not strictly required.

  • Stove Top: If soaked in advance, crowder peas take about 1 – 1 1/2 hours to cook, covered by at least 1 inch of water and gently simmered. Check on the water level and add more if too much evaporates during the process. If unsoaked, it can take closer to 2 hours on the heat.
  • Pressure Cooker: This is my method of choice because it requires no soaking and is still done in less time. Cover crowder peas with at least 2 inches of water and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally.

Only after cooking should you add salt. Drain or enjoy along with the potlikker, as is most traditional. Note that those who sometimes have trouble digesting beans would be better served to drain the liquid, which contains a considerable amount of the oligosaccharides (raffinose and stachyose) responsible.

Crowd-Sourcing Serving Suggestions

Crowder peas would be out of place on a complex plate. They’re at their best when seasoned simply, nestled besides humble staples like stewed greens, rice, mashed potatoes, cornbread, or even plain old buttered white bread. Made for big pots, long simmers, and recipes designed to stretch across days, they’re deeply rooted in Southern culture, especially in rural and agricultural communities where field peas were a staple crop. A few traditional uses include:

  • Field Peas & Snaps: Contrary to the modern interpretation that employs green beans, “snaps” refers to the whole pea pods that are too tender to shell, simply snapped in half and cooked together with the peas.
  • Hoppin’ John: While black-eyed peas have become the favored bean for this fortuitous dish, older recipes made no qualms about using whatever field pea was at your disposal. The beans are meant to represent coins, paired with the greens for money, coalescing into a blessing for wealth in the New Year. That wouldn’t change whether your beans had black eyes or not.
  • Chilled Summer Salad: Be it a picnic or potluck, the humble crowder pea will serve you well. Since they hold their shape after cooking, they’re prime candidates for the salad treatment, often tossed in a mustardy vinaigrette with tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, and more.

For more inspiration, look to the ever-popular black-eyed pea. It’s the most common field pea on the market, leading to a great wealth of recipe ideas. From soup and chili to more modern veggie burgers, meatless loaves, and stuffed peppers, there’s almost no preparation that wouldn’t welcome a swap. Crowder peas can step in seamlessly, bringing a slightly creamier texture and deeper, earthier flavor to the same familiar formats.

Playing the Field

Given that I don’t have access to fresh crowder peas and can only dream of snapping their delicate little pods in two, I did have to resort to using garden-variety green beans to make my own version of field peas and snaps. On the bright side, this approach is much less labor-intensive, since you can buy bags of cut green beans ready to go. Since we’re not prisoners of tradition here, I have no qualms swapping out the conventional bacon or ham hock for the one-two punch of mushrooms and liquid smoke. Meat was always meant to be the seasoning, not the focal point, in any event.

Between the onions and garlic, you’ve got a classic starter pack for “what smell’s so good in here?” before the umami mushrooms even enter the picture. The crowder peas, ever reliable, stay creamy at the center yet intact, thickening the broth ever so slightly as they simmer. Served with liquid and all, nothing goes to waste, especially the leftovers.


Join The Crowd

Crowder peas may not have the name recognition of their fellow field pea cousins, but that only means there’s more room on the table for discovery. Sturdy, soulful, and reliably versatile, they’re equally at home in a Southern stew or a weeknight plant meat remix. If anything, their underdog status works in your favor; they arrive without expectations and leave with converts. Next time you see that vague little bag labeled “field peas,” don’t walk past it. There’s a whole new crowd worth getting to know.

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Hannah (BitterSweet)9 Comments