Oriental Long Bean

Oriental long beans are grown in the tropics throughout Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, and Southern China. They are sometimes called yard-long beans, though they generally only reach a half yard in length. The subspecies of the plant is named sesquipedalis, which means 1.5 foot long, and best describes the beans' length. The beans taste best when they are young and slender and the pods are eaten both fresh and cooked. The long pods are very crisp and tender and when Oriental long beans are cut into shorter segments for cooking, they look similar to common green beans. The beans are used in a variety of Asian cuisines. In Chinese cuisine, they are used in a variety of stir-fries. In Malaysian cuisine, they are used in cooked salads (kerabu) or stir-fried with chiles and shrimp paste (sambal). Long beans are also commonly chopped and used in an omelet.