Hello friends! I have an Adzuki Bean Hummus recipe for you today. Why adzuki beans? Why not! One of the things I’ve learned through my nutrition studies is that the diversity of plants in our diets, is a strong predictor of good gut health. More plants = more good gut bugs = better overall health. So as much as I love chickpeas (have you seen my “Team Chickpea” shirt?), I also love mixing it up a bit.

Adzuki beans look like this:

They’re super popular in Asia where they’re used in lots of sweet treats. I like them because they’re quick-cooking, pretty, and well, because they’re good in sweet treats like these Adzuki Bean Brownies 😉

Look for them in bulk stores, grocers who have great bean inventories, and Asian markets. If you’re in Montreal, I know that they can be found in the Jean-Talon Market at the Michaca Organics stand, as well as Mega Vrac in Rosemont.

How to Cook Adzuki Beans

First up, it’s a good idea to soak your beans if you can, but it’s not required. You can just throw these beans in a pot, bring that pot to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until your beans are tender. Adzuki beans are relatively quick-cooking, so they’ll be done in 45 minutes to an hour.

Your beans are done when you’ve tasted 5 CREAMY BEANS. Don’t get tricked by 3 creamy beans, only to find that half of them are still tough! Taste 5. You’ll thank me one day.

Soaking will cut down your cooking time to about 25 minutes. If you’d like to soak, you have two options.

The first option is the long soak method.

For the long soak, you’re just gonna cover those babies with water and walk away for a few hours. Lots of people soak overnight to cook in the morning, but you also have the option of soaking in the morning to cook in the afternoon. For this method, I shoot for a minimum of 4 hours.

Next up we have the quick soak method.

For a quick soak, cover the beans with boiling water, cover the pot to trap the heat, and leave for one hour.

After you’ve soaked your beans, you can drain them and then boil until tender. Please note that you don’t HAVE to drain them and change the water. Some people say, “There are farts in that water! It must be drained.” Others say, “There is flavour in that water, keep it!” You decide for you. What I WILL say is that if you’re new to beans, draining the water is a good idea. If you haven’t yet built up the gut bacteria that loves beans, you could get into some gassy trouble. Once you’re used to beans, however, there’s less incentive for water changing.

On with the Adzuki Bean Hummus Recipe!

Adzuki Bean Hummus – Version 1: Classic

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups cooked adzuki beans (see head notes)
• Tahini 1/4 cup
• Lemon Juice 1/4 cup
• Water 1/4 cup
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
• Sumac for serving – optional

METHOD

1. Using either a blender or a food processor fitted with an S blade, process all ingredients together until smooth.
2. Taste and adjust seasoning. I like to serve with a dusting of sumac.

Adzuki Bean Hummus – Version 2: With Kale

The ingredients are the same as above + 2 leaves of kale and 1 tbsp flax oil or olive oil. The method is the same, just add the additional ingredients! If you’re feeling fancy, make the classic version, transfer 1/2 to a bowl and then make the second half green. Now you’ve got two kinds of hummus for one session with your food processor. I like to garnish the green version with some fresh parsley or chives.

That’s all folks! Please also note that these beans make great salad beans. Here I’ve tossed them into some Hemp Seed Tabbouleh. Enjoy!