Yardlong bean

Haricot kilomètre

What it is

It is not a green bean at all but a cowpea, the same species as the black-eyed pea, grown for pods instead of seeds; sesquipedalis means a foot and a half, which is roughly honest. The difference is in the wall, dense and dry where a haricot vert is juicy, and that wall is why it behaves so differently in a pan.

In the kitchen

Dry-fry it: cut into finger lengths, then six to eight minutes in a wide dry pan or shallow oil over high heat until the skin blisters and wrinkles, and only then add garlic and seasoning. Blanching it like a green bean is the classic mistake — it comes out squeaky and grey-green, with none of the sweetness the blistering brings.

Goes with

Garlic Chili pepper Fish sauce Pork Fermented shrimp paste (belacan) Toasted sesame oil

Same species

Adzuki bean Black-eyed pea Harusame (mung bean vermicelli) Mung bean Urad dal

In season alongside

Broccoli Broad bean Molokhia Red amaranth leaf Spinach Swiss chard

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