Legumes are a family of flowering plants of more than 18,000 varieties, including peas, beans, lentils and peanuts. They grow on almost every continent except Antarctica and range from dwarf herbs in alpine climes to massive trees in the tropical forest. The species that are rich in fiber, protein, iron and folic acid include chickpeas, soybeans and alfalfa. As a family, legumes or pulses are second only to grasses (cereal grains) in their economic importance in the world — and surpass grains in their nutritional value.

In Japan, the king of the legumes is the soybean, which is generally processed — into tofu or another soy product — before being eaten. However, there are several important legumes that are consumed as fresh vegetables, from late spring on through the end of the summer. The five most important are the garden or snap bean (ingenmame), the snow pea (kinusaiya), the broad or fava bean (soramame), the pod pea (endo) and the young soybean still on the branch (edamame).

The ingenmame gets its name from the priest Ingen who brought the mame (bean) from China in the 16th century. Related to the French haricot vert, snap beans are one of only two major varieties — along with the kinusaiya — of vegetable legume where the pod is consumed along with the seed. In Japan these beans are generally blanched quickly and then poached in a dashi flavored with usukuchi shoyu (light soy sauce) and a touch of mirin.

Kinusaiya, native to China, became popular in the United States in stir-fry dishes. These thin, tender snow-pea pods have a fibrous rib that must be removed before cooking quickly in a seasoned stock. Often used as a garnish, kinusaiya also show up frequently in sushi dishes such as chirashi-zushi.

Soramame are relatively large and have a thick pod that is usually removed before cooking, the exception being when grilling the beans in the pod. Once removed from the pod and cooked, however, there is still a tough skin surrounding each bean that must be peeled before eating. While a hassle to prepare, soramame are one of the most delicious and nutritious vegetables of early summer.

The pod pea — also called English pea or sweet pea in the West and often referred to as usuiendo in Japanese — is usually eaten fresh in Japan. After they are removed from the pod, the raw peas are rubbed well with salt, rinsed and blanched quickly before use. While commonly eaten cold as an appetizer or, as side dish, simmered quickly in a lightly seasoned dashi, the most popular recipe for endo is mame-gohan, a rice dish studded with fresh peas.

The fourth major fresh legume consumed in Japan is the edamame. An immature green variety of the soybean, the edamame is often sold on the woody branch that it grows on. As eda, in Japanese, means branch, edamame literally means branch bean. Most commonly washed, rubbed with salt and then cooked in salted boiling water, edamame are served in the pod as an accompaniment to beer or sake. Removed from the pod, the thin skin on each bean is generally soft enough to be eaten. There are more than 200 kinds of edamame, several of which command a premium price at the supermarket. Recent popular varieties include itsuba, hitorimusume, yunayo and a variety called dadacha that actually tastes like buttered popcorn.

Paired with a cereal grain or any member of the nut family, fresh vegetable legumes become not just part of a tasty meal, but a vital source of the complement of proteins that are necessary for human survival.

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Hiyashi endo

2 cups pod peas, hulled
3 cups dashi
1 tablespoon usukuchi shoyu
1 teaspoon mirin
salt

1) Rub hulled peas generously with salt, rinse in cold water and then drain.

2) In a small pot, bring dashi, shoyu and mirin to a simmer.

3) Add drained peas and cook at a light simmer for 5 minutes.

4) Remove from the heat and let cool before placing peas and dashi in a container to be chilled in the refrigerator.

5) Serve chilled with a small spoon. Makes four generous appetizer portions.