Is it really so HARD to label a somewhat unusual (for this market at least) vegetable sold in the grocery? I ran across these very small beans (or are they peas) at the SM grocery, distributed by Dizon farms, and they had no name on them, there was no name on the display cases, and no one in the vegetable section seemed to know what they were. At PHP17 a pack, I figured I would take the risk and buy two packs to try. But it would be nice to know what they are called…
We have several vegetable reference guides/books, but none seem to have this bean at this size and stage of development. So next is the process of elimination. I am pretty sure these aren’t fava beans, chinese long beans, romano beans, french beans, purple or yellow wax beans (which I wish Dizon would grow soon), green beans or snap beans. They also don’t seem to be peas, like sugar snap peas or snow peas…
From the photos in our books, they COULD be very young soy beans, or young runner beans, or some other variety I have not come across before. So if you know what they are, please leave a comment. They are about 3-4 inches long, very thin, a bit fuzzy, just a vaguely discernible bean or pea inside yet, and are rather soft/limp. I intend to use them in a salad this evening. Photo above shows the unidentified veggies BESIDE a snow pea, mangetout or chicharo.
At nearly PHP200 a kilo, they were surprisingly pricey, but this little packet of 75 grams is probably enough for one or two people and this only cost PHP17… Your help in identifying this grocery find is greatly appreciated. :)
59 Responses
Looks like a runner beans as I think soya beans are quite bulky already even if they are young?
Mr. MM those are called samsamping by the Ilocanos. I do’nt know how they call this by the Tagalogs. The flower of this has a royal blue color and is being used by Ugo Bigyan as garnish for their ensalada You can use this for Pinakbet , Dinengdeng or blanch it for ensalada but be sure not use the mature ones.
these look like the soy beans…
If they have purple flowers, would it be as we Tagalogs call it patani? a hybrid mini patani perhaps?
C’mon BettyQ, help!
Uggh. Just blanched them for a minute or two and was going to add them to a salad. But it was tough and lacking flavor. Kinda like chewing thin wet cardboard. So I quickly stir fried it with corn, tomatoes and onions… but it still wasn’t good. So maybe I don’t even need to know the name of it. :) I can see it in pinakbet, however.
I am an Ilocano. My Aunt calls those “kumpitis”. I love them in dinengdeng cooked with sweet potatoes.
early early stage of sword beans? i remember having plants in the garden as kids. the pods are flat as a sword, grows about a foot long, 2-3 fingers in width. julienned on the diagonal and sauteed. tasted and smelled a lot like bataw when cooked.
We call it as “Bataw”.
those look like young bataw.
those look like young bataw. but then again, i can never remember the difference between bataw and patani. it doesn’t help at all that they’re “neighbors” in the Bahay Kubo song :-)
I think this is called “parda” in ilocano. I’m not sure though.
I think this is called “bunga ti singkamas” in ilocano. I’m not sure though.
I would call it bataw; there is a smaller variety lighter green with the purplish edges; love it with diningdeng and pinakbet—my maternal grandmother used to plant those along with patani.
Tess may be correct as the sticker has an abbreviated version of “samsamping” – on the 4th photo, it says “global smsampi” right where they usually put the product name…
Check this out, a photo of samsamping, or butterfly peas:
https://www.hear.org/starr/plants/images/image/?q=090806-3834
This vegetable is called samsamping. The Ilocanos cook it with bagoong (like pinakbet).
…and I’ll let you discover it’s naughty tagalog name by yourself, MM. I’m sure you’ll have a good laugh.
I guess the pinoy and foreign nomenclator (who gave its scientific name) had the same thing on their minds
Why not try putting it in stews? Put it in the last 30 minutes of the cooking :D
calorie-shmalorie, Philippines says:
“julienned on the diagonal and sauteed. tasted and smelled a lot like bataw when cooked”
That is exactly how we Goans from Goa, India cook it. We saute it with onions, garlic and tomatoes and add a bit of turmeric powder. But they do have a distinct flavour. We sometimes do also add them whole, after pulling out the fibrous edges, to our Mutton Stew along with Potatoes.
bataw…
@Chip, I used to pick the flowers when I was a kid and it sure has a naughty name…I am not going to spill the beans…
ah yes, I agree with Tess. This is sam-samping! My lola likes to add this to dinengdeng and pinakbet.
I have to agree with Gigi, they are called kumpitis in Ilocano and they are good in dinengdeng. Just like when you clean some beans or chicharo, you have to remove the stringy part on the side by snapping the top. They are best when they are very young with no trace of the seeds yet.
i like this in pansit canton which my tita used to cooked when i was a kid.. she calls it ” chitcharu”..
Kumpitis and samsamping/samping/sampi is one and the same.
we call that patani. you can add it in dinengdeng.
They look like snow peas to me MM. French like to call them mange-tout, “eat all”
Mother says it’s bataw (baby bataw mayhaps?). I’ve eaten it mostly in sinigang.
i think it is bataw.
No, definitely not chicharo, snow peas, and not bataw per se either. Definitely not patani. I like the samsamping option so far…
Yeah, it’s samsamping, cooked in addition to the vegetables in pinakbet. It’s considered a weed, really, growing wild in the fields and untended lawns.
It could be Soy bean or bataw. For further reference it is best to contact Dizon farms just to make sure.
Your right it’s kinda pricey but is the taste worth it?
It could be clitorea (called kumpitis and samsamping by Ilocanos) but it could also be baby bataw as some mentioned (some bataw varieties are not lined purple).
Perhaps you should have gone for the bean inside
bunga ng singkamas po tingin ko nyan.
They are called kumpitis in Ilocano. They’re a great as a component of dinengdeng.
Silly Lolo, anong say mo if a vegetable or even a person is named Clitorea? Exotic, eh?
yes, this could be “samsamping” or “kumpitis” (scientific name is clitorea ternate; the name might be attributed to its flower which resembles the female sex organ; its tagalog name is “pukinggan”) . it grows wild in the ilocos region. it’s good for dinengdeng or inabraw and it can also be an ingredient in pinakbet.
the pods pictured are somewhat matured, from the looks of it, so that’s explain the toughness/hardness. samsamping is good when it’s picked young.
parda (bataw) is different. i have pictures and a preparation of parda here: https://pinakbet.wordpress.com/2010/01/24/parda-salad/
@rva, thank you very much for the info—I love bataw! Ang buto ng pukinggan na wild ay ginamit naming bala sa sumpit noong maliliit pa kami. Tapos, ang tawag namin sa bulalak ay kantutay.
@Connie C, excited akong malaman ang sagot ni Silly Lolo.
Nice name-guessing game–well silly lolo…what do you think..i’m giggling….waiting for your answer….
haaay, yan na nga ba ang sinasabi ko pati si MM nalilito na tuloy, pwede ba syang hybrid ng patini @ bataw? mga tagalog kasi kami..kaya yun ang tingin ko..hehehhehehe
sansamping para sa aming mga Pangasinense hehehehe
It looks like Romano bean (Roma II) – the italian bean variety.
Hello Marketman,
I agree with Noes answer. The local Ilocanos here in the SF/Bay Area call them Bunga ng Singkamas from the vine. During spring to summer time, this vegetable shows up in “Alemany Farmer’s Market located betwen Interstate 101 and 280 which I frequently visit. It’s a good component for Pinakbet.
for the ilocanos this pod is called samsamping. goes well with dinengdeng na upo with kadyos, bunga ng malunggay and pritong isda. i miss this veggie. i don’t think it is harvested for its beans.
Ditto to jdawgg, those are pods from singkamas. Didn’t know they were edible back then.
Nope, these are NOT bunga ng singkamas, I did a post on those several years ago, here.
bataw. good for sinigang with kamatis, tinapa and gabi.
Yes, I think it’s bataw.
those look like young ipil-ipil pods.
Definitely … samsamping, its different from bataw, patani, bunga ng singkamas, sitsaro or ipil. A common Ilocano vegie. Good for pakbet or even plain dinengdeng, get the youngest you can find, the ones with strings on the sides are already too mature for cooking.
I live in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I grew up in San Miguel, Bulacan. My mother used to grow them in our backyard. If I remember correctly, these are called bataw. It is winter here and I miss the fresh vegetables you can buy at the local farm stands.
Previous post on sitaw, bataw at patani here. Bunga ng singkamas here.
HI there! Would you know where to buy haricot vert in Manila?
thanks!
Okay, I am beginning to feel quite confident this is sam-samping or butterfly pea or clitorea ternatea. Different from bataw, bunga ng singkamas or patani. Thanks everyone for your comments…
Zharmagne, I khave a couple of posts on haricots vert in the archives. I just bought some at S&R yesterday. They don’t always have them, but I find them every once in a while. And they are a little older than true haricots verts.
Zharmagne, french beans are availlable at Landmark Trinoma. Supplier is Malagos Farm ( Puentespina) in Davao
ConnieC, not only exotic but dare I say, right on the spot.
Rva, that´s exactly how we call the blossoms too in Bataan. Though we admired their suggestive structure, we never suspected that the pods would be edible.
I love this new edit function.
thanks marketman and connie =)
I meant thanks Tess!
Do you have any information to market this beans? Hoping any response. Thanks