Ecnerwal wrote:
songbird wrote:

have you ever grown adzuki beans?

I haven't grown them, but when I bought some bulk it was an
illusion-crushing experience to find that all they are is a small red
kidney bean that tastes pretty much the same as a large red kidney bean,

i suspect you didn't actually get azuki beans
as they have a distinctly different texture, taste
and look quite different from a small red bean.

i have both small red beans and azuki beans here,
the small red beans are indeed similar to dark red
kidney beans in shape (but smaller). i haven't
eaten a batch of them alone yet to check the flavor.
(http://www.foodsubs.com/Beans.html seems to be a
decent reference for seeing what different beans
look like, alas they do not control for size or
color so you aren't always sure the scale or
color of the various beans, but it's a start).

azuki beans are more similar to taste and texture
of lentils (to me ).


and the sweetness of the red pean paste associated with them has nothing
to do with the red bean used and everything to do with a lot of sugar...

i've never had red bean paste but i have heard of
red bean ice cream (haven't tried it yet).


Or at least that was my impression upon cooking a batch up.

if you like lentils, get the right beans and give
'em a try again.


songbird