Rangoon vaal

Rangoon vaal or field beans is a species of bean (Fabaceae) native to north Africa and southwest Asia, and extensively cultivated elsewhere also. It is a rigid, erect plant 0.5-1.7 m tall, with stout stems with a square cross-section. The leaves are 10-25 cm long, pinnate with 2-7 leaflets, and of a distinct glaucous grey-green color. The fruit is a broad leathery pod, green maturing blackish-brown, with a densely downy surface. Each pod contains 3-8 seeds; round to oval and 5-10 mm diameter in the wild plant, usually flattened. The young leaves of the plant can also be eaten either raw or cooked like spinach. The vaal beans can be fried, causing the skin to split open, and then salted and/or spiced to produce a savory crunchy snack. They provides you with the much needed protein, calcium and folic Acid.