Winged bean (Psophocarpus tetragonolobus), also known as the Goa bean, four-angled bean, is a tropical legume plant native to New Guinea. It grows amply in hot, humid nations such as the Philippines and Indonesia to India, Burma, Thailand and Sri Lanka. Almost all the parts of the plant including immature pods, mature seeds, tender leaves and shoots, flowers and tubers are used in the East-Asian cuisine. Wing beans thrive in tropical climates with warm weather, humidity and abundant rainfall.
| Name | Winged beans |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Psophocarpus tetragonolobus |
| Native | Mauritius to New Guinea |
| Common/English Name | Asparagus Bean, Asparagus Pea, Princess Bean, Princess-Pea, Four-Angled Bean, Goa Bean, Manila Bean, Supermarket Bean, Short Day Asparagus Pea, Winged Bean, Four-cornered bean, Mauritius bean |
| Name in Other Languages | Japanese : Sikaku Mame Burmese : Hto-Pong Malaysia : Kacang Belimbing Swedish : Vingböna Chinese : Si Jiao Dou Portuguese : Fava De Cavalo Dutch : Ketjipir Papua New Guinea : Asbin Finnish : Goanpapu Indonesia : Kelongkang ( Bali ) French : Haricot Ailé Vietnamese : Ðậu Rồng India : Charkoni Sem ( Hindu ) Russian : Psofokarpus Chetyrekhkylyi Italian : Fagiolo Quadrato Sri Lanka : Dambala Laos : Thwax Ph’uu Cuba : Calamismis Philippines : Kabey Czech : Prskavec Ledencový Spanish : Calamismis Khmer : Prapiey Thai : Thua-Phu Danish : Goabønne German : Flügelbohne |
| Plant Growth Habit | Climbing, twining perennial vine |
| Growing Climate | Thrives in the hot, humid equatorial zone and humid tropics with short day light, good moisture |
| Soil | Well-drained, friable soil types |
| Plant Size | 2–4 m long |
| Root | Fleshy, fusiform, tuberous roots |
| Stem | Ridged, glabrous stem |
| Leaf | Trifoliate on long petioles ( up to 12 cm long) grooved on the upper side and with a pulvinus at the base, color appearing as different shades of green. |
| Leaflets | More or less triangular or rhomboid, tapering to an acute point, base obtuse 8–15 by 4–12 cm entire and light green. |
| Flower | Bisexual, papilionaceous and of varying colors pale sky blue, white, reddish brown depending on cultivars. |
| Pod Shape & Size | Oblong linear, straight, curved to long and flexuous, 15–30 cm long and 2.5–3.5 cm wide, with four longitudinal serratedentate or sinuous leafy wings cross section, the pod is square with the four corners tapering out into the thin wings. |
| Pods Color | Green, yellow-green or purple or green with purplish- red wings and turns brown when fully ripe. |
| Skin | Waxy |
| Flesh Color | White |
| Flavor/Aroma | Pleasant nutty flavor. |
| Taste | Sweet |
| Seed | Sub globose about 0.5–1 cm across, white, yellow, brown or black, or mottled with a small aril and non-endospermous. |
| Major Nutrition | Copper, Cu 5.242 mg (582.44%) Tryptophan 1.387 g (315.23%) Iron, Fe 24.46 mg (305.75%) Manganese, Mn 6.772 mg (294.43%) Isoleucine 2.672 g (159.81%) Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 1.875 mg (156.25%) Valine 2.785 g (131.87%) Total dietary Fiber 47.1 g (123.95%) Leucine 4.545 g (122.97%) Threonine 2.146 g (121.93%) Phosphorus, P 821 mg (117.29%) Histidine 1.438 g (116.72%) Lysine 3.888 g (116.27%) Protein 53.96 g (107.92%) Total Fat (lipid) 29.7 g (84.86%) Calcium, Ca 801 mg (80.10%) Magnesium, Mg 326 mg (77.62%) Zinc, Zn 8.15 mg (74.09%) Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.819 mg (63.00%) Carbohydrate 75.91 g (58.39%) Potassium, K 1778 mg (37.83%) Vitamin B3 (Niacin) 5.624 mg (35.15%) Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) 1.447 mg (28.94%) Selenium, Se 14.9 µg (27.09%) Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 0.318 mg (24.46%) Vitamin B9 (Folate) 82 µg (20.50%) |
| Health Benefits |
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| Calories in 1cup (182gm) | 744 Kcal |