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Winged beans actually taste more like asparagus.

Winged beans actually taste more like asparagus.

When faced with a word that could be one syllable or two, why waste your breath? Work smarter, not harder.

When flipping through the gorgeous Baker’s Creek seed catalog at a friend’s house, I pointed to a photo of the frilly-edged winged bean and let it be known I was growing them with great success. As one who grows things knows, this is not always the case and deserves acknowledgement every time.

A ne’er-do-well supposed friend suggested that I meant to say, “wing-id” bean when I pronounced it “wingd.” You see, one syllable versus two. Efficiency versus pretentiousness.

It’s neither here nor there because the winged bean deserves its time in the proverbial sun regardless of the number of syllables we choose to use in its name. Bonus: All parts of the plant are edible. Talk about efficient.

Seed catalogs are packed with all sorts of heirloom glories such as these. Go for it. Order the seeds for the winged beans and red carrots and tiny ridiculous melons, if only because it will be fun to watch it grow.

Branch out, try new things, keep learning and growing. Otherwise you’re going to get bored, and you know what that means. Bored people are boring. Order the weird seeds. They’re only a couple of bucks if it’s a total failure, but it’s likely you’ll at least have something to argue about the pronunciation of. It truly is the little things.

If you grow your own winged beans or happen across them at a market, know that your brain will try to trick you into thinking they taste like green beans because that’s what they most closely resemble. But they actually taste a lot like asparagus. Your brain can’t always be trusted.

As part of the fun experiment, I let a couple of them grow pretty big just to see what would happen. Although they were tough and inedible — how would I know unless I tried? — I started picking them smaller, and now all is well. Live and learn through the winged bean.

After a particularly brutal few days of living a teenage life, I whipped up some baked macaroni and cheese comfort food with my child in mind. Because I’m compulsive about adding an element of nutrition to every blessed thing I make, even fatty boombalatty mac ’n’ cheese, I stirred in a bunch of broccoli and on a whim, a whole bunch of sliced winged beans.

The pods are really neat-looking whole, but sliced, they look like little four-pointed stars. Absolutely precious. Sprinkle them raw on top of a salad or a charcuterie board to impress, or saute them in a stir-fry for a veggie that’s different than the usual suspects.

Reach for the stars. In growing new things, you’re growing yourself. It doesn’t matter how you pronounce it. Just try.

Try these recipes with your own winged beans — or green beans or asparagus for a similar texture and flavor.

15 winged beans (substitute asparagus or fresh green beans)

1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste

Wash winged beans. Pluck off stems, then slice the beans into thirds. Peel garlic.

Reserve one garlic clove and mince the rest. Smash the reserved garlic clove with the side of your knife.

Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Heat wok over high heat. When you can see the heat rising from wok add in the oil. Add in the smashed garlic clove and use spatula to move it around, pressing against the wok. This will help infuse the oil with garlic flavor. This will only take a few seconds.

Add salt and then the winged beans. Stir and flip for 30 seconds then splash in rice wine. Stir another 30 seconds then add in minced garlic. Stir for another 30 seconds, then turn heat to low, cover the wok, and let cook covered for 30 seconds. Check taste and adjust salt if necessary.

Give the cornstarch and water a good stir, pour into the wok and stir briskly until the sauce thickens and clings to the beans, 5-10 seconds. Remove immediately from wok to serving dish.

Recipe source: thehong kongcookery.com.

½ pound wing beans or green beans

1 tablespoon roasted peanuts, finely crushed

3 eggs (estimate about 1 egg per person), hardboiled

1 clove garlic, grated or minced

2-3 Thai chilies, finely chopped

Poaching chicken and shrimp: Heat a pot of salted water until steaming. Add chicken and poach until done, about 7 minutes or longer if poaching a whole breast. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach 165 degrees. Remove chicken and cool.

Add shrimp and poach them until done and opaque; remove from water and cool. When chicken is cool enough to handle, pull the meat into shreds.

Blanching beans: Bring a large pot of water to a full boil and add enough salt until the water tastes like a well-seasoned soup. Add the winged beans and cook for 1 minute — it’s important to use a large pot of water so that the water temperature doesn’t drop drastically; if not using a large pot, cook in batches.

Remove from water and immediately add them to a big bowl of ice water. Drain well and slice beans into ¼-inch slices crosswise. If using green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces on a bias.

Assembly: Combine all dressing ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until the chili paste is dissolved. Add winged beans, chicken, shrimp, shallots, toasted coconut, peanuts and mint; toss to mix well. Transfer onto a serving plate and serve alongside halved boiled eggs.

Recipe adapted from hot-thai-kitchen.com.

Amanda Stone is a food and gardening columnist for The Joplin Globe. Email questions to amandastone31@gmail.com or mail her c/o The Joplin Globe, P.O. Box 7, Joplin, MO 64802.

Amanda Stone is a food and gardening columnist for The Joplin Globe. Email questions to amandastone31@gmail.com or mail her c/o The Joplin Globe, P.O. Box 7, Joplin, MO 64802.

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