Rice bean

The dried seed of the rice bean (Vigna umbellata), slimmer, darker and harder than the culinary red bean it resembles. It stays comparatively firm even after long boiling and is used for its function rather than its eating quality, forming the backbone of damp-clearing pots like kudzu and old cucumber soup.

TCM properties

Nature · neutral　Flavour · sweet、sour　Meridians · heart、small intestine

Traditional food therapy

In Cantonese food therapy rice bean is used to promote water flow, dispel dampness and ease puffiness; tradition treats it as an occasional soup bean rather than an everyday one.

Cautions — read first

• Strongly water-draining, so take care if you already pass water often.
• Pregnant women should check before drinking it.
• Long use is traditionally said to make people thin, so it is not for drinking every day.

Preparation

Soak for at least an hour; it takes a long boil and cooks down floury (起沙, the sandy texture of a bean that has gone all the way).

Origin

廣東、廣西、江西為主產 — AU packs are labelled 'adzuki' (Henghui); the retail survey flags unresolved 赤小豆/紅豆 labelling ambiguity

Availability in Australia

Common at Asian grocers · A$2.73–2.73 / 100g
Henghui 'Premium Red Adzuki Beans' 150g $4.09 — labelled adzuki; Chinese-brand packs of this type are usually 赤小豆 but the listing does not prove it (survey's labelling-ambiguity flag carried)

Pairs well with