I became interested in the winged bean when I was at a retreat in Malaysia in a place called Janda Baik. At this retreat, everything was organically grown and picked for lunch and dinner.
We were served a big basket of the winged beans with a condiment on the side. I saw my friends taking each bean, dunking it into the sauce and eating with relish and gusto! That was many moons ago!
But I have grown to like and enjoy this angled vegetable as it is eaten raw.
It is low calorie, and is a great source of vitamins such as folates and Vitamin C, as well as minerals. Surprisingly, it has proteins too.
Not many people know about the goodness of this vegetable and I thought to introduce you to this by making a salad.
You can eat it on its own or as a side dish to fish or chicken. It goes well with lamb biryani too.
INGREDIENTS
1 raw mango, skin removed and coarsely grated
12 winged beans, rinsed and cut into slices (you can use more if you like)
1 small onion, sliced finely
1 green chilli, sliced finely
1 tsp fine sugar (optional)
Lime juice (optional) (if the mango is sour then you do not need this)
Salt to taste
METHOD
Mix all the ingredients together. Leave aside for 5 minutes for all the ingredients to marry together well.
Enjoy!
