Bizarre Bean: Adzuki

Remember yesterday’s post about cheap vegan eats? One suggestion was sticking to staples, like dried beans, so today I’m featuring a bean not commonly used in American cuisine—the adzuki bean.

The adzuki is a small red bean popular in Japan. In the U.S., it’s most commonly found in macrobiotic cuisine, which is exactly why I was first introduced to it. A few years ago, I worked at the L.A. vegan eatery Real Food Daily, which features macrobiotic meals, and the adzuki was often the “bean of the day.” I can’t say I fell in love with it, but I definitely like it.

It’s a great option if you are someone who normally sticks to just black beans and chickpeas but are looking to shake things up a bit. It’s also a very inexpensive meal option, and with money tight for just about everyone right now, that’s definitely not a bad thing.

Here is a simple preparation for adzuki beans, but you’ll definitely need to add some seasoning before eating. Enjoy!