Cow pea

Vegetables play an essential role in human life. They are the most important source of vitamins and mineral substances, and bean, besides, are rich with full-fledged proteins. The family bean is presented by different types of vegetable cultures. There are among them also little-known plants, for example, a cow pea. Vegetable, very useful to the person, is behind the exotic name.

Haricot cow pea

Haricot concerns to family of bean and contains more than 230 versions. She is a native of Central and South America. However the cow pea which is also called haricot by and large is not that, its homeland – Africa. Nevertheless amazing similarity of these two vegetable cultures promoted loan of the name.

Haricot a cow pea is an annual plant, it can be bush or curling. It is grown up only in culture, she cannot be met in the wild nature. Fruits in the form of beans which can reach length of 1 m are considered special. Use their immature, in a stage of milk ripeness when length of a pod does not exceed 50 cm. At the same time shutters of the bean which does not have a pergament layer differ in very gentle taste.

There are three main kinds of haricot a cow pea, it:

• The Japanese;
• The Chinese;
• Bush.

The first two from them are curling, they differ in color of seeds and width of a pod. The Japanese cow pea has black seeds and wider pod. At the Chinese haricot seeds brown. Lack of a rough fibrous layer on shutters of a bean allows to eat it entirely. In this regard these species of plants call a cow pea asparagus. At a sectional shape of a shovel rather rough are also not eaten.

Also it is useful, and it is beautiful

Siliculose haricot contains many useful substances. On caloric content it wins first place among vegetable cultures. The regular use of a cow pea promotes regulation of level of hemoglobin in blood as on the content of its major protein – albumine – this vegetable is comparable with fowl. Haricot is well acquired and contains all necessary amino acids, many of which are absent in livestock products.

High nutrition value of this vegetable culture is connected with the high content of protein, mineral salts and vitamins. From mineral substances potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, iodine prevail. The cow pea asparagus is a dietary product, it is recommended at diseases of a liver and a nervous system. Shutters contain the substance lowering sugar level in blood.

Advantages of haricot are not exhausted it by useful food properties. Many are attracted by decorative effect of this plant. Climbers with beautiful light-violet often decorate arbors, fences, verandahs with flowers.

Cow pea – recipes

Haricot – a nutritious and at the same time dietary product therefore its use in food is very useful. The cow pea is eaten both in fresh, and in a tinned look, it is fried, boiled, extinguished. Haricot is used in kitchens of the different people. For preparation of tasty dishes from a cow pea, recipes exist the simplest. For example, the Georgian lobio from siliculose haricot.

For this purpose it will be required the following ingredients: a cow pea, onions, tomatoes, sunflower oil, garlic, greens of parsley and cilantro, basilicas, the black pepper ground salt. Way of preparation:

• To boil the haricot pods cut on pieces in the boiling water within 3-5 minutes;
• To scald tomatoes and to husk with them;
• To fry onions;
• To mix haricot and tomatoes with onions, to fill in with broth in which the cow pea cooked and to extinguish;
• To add greens and the garlic pounded with salt, to pepper.

The lobio is an independent dish, also it can be given as a garnish for meat.

The cow pea which recipes of preparation are rather simple can be prepared at any time.

For breakfast asparagus haricot in batter – very nutritious and easily acquired dish perfectly will approach. Are necessary for it: siliculose haricot, eggs, greens of parsley and fennel, vegetable oil, flour.

Way of preparation:

• To boil a cow pea in the added some salt water, to cool, then to dry a little;

• To shake up eggs, to salt and mix with the crushed greens of parsley and fennel;
• To dunk pods of asparagus haricot in egg sauce, to roll in in flour and to fry on vegetable oil.

Haricot a cow pea – interesting and that the most important – very useful vegetable culture. In addition to the high nutrition value, it is also very decorative. Familiar only to a certain circle of fans, the cow pea asparagus gradually expands the positions. It allows an increasing number of people to diversify significantly the diet, doing it nutritious and useful.