Adzuki and pumpkin stew

A vegetable stew of legume and pumpkin with aged tangerine peel, between sweet and savory.

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 1 cup adzuki beans, soaked 4 hours Adzuki bean
• 400 g pumpkin, in large dice Pumpkin
• 1 small piece aged tangerine peel Aged tangerine peel
• 5 cups water and a pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Simmer the beans with the tangerine peel in the water for 40 minutes.
2. Add the pumpkin and cook 20–25 minutes more until everything is tender.
3. Remove the peel, season, and rest 10 minutes.
4. Serve as a light main dish with rice or millet.

Traditional reading

Adzuki is traditionally associated with transforming dampness and pumpkin with the center; tangerine peel plays the role of the aromatic that "moves" a dense dish.

Variations

• Sweet version: no salt, a little rock sugar, as a late-summer dessert.
• Use sweet potato instead of pumpkin in midwinter.

Precautions

Soak and cook legumes thoroughly; increase them gradually if they cause digestive discomfort.