Parkia speciosa

Parkia speciosa, thebitter bean,twisted cluster bean,sator bean,stink bean, orpetaiis a plant of the genusParkiain the familyFabaceae.  It bears long, flat edible beans with bright green seeds the size and shape of plump almonds which have a rather peculiar smell, similar to, but stronger than that of theshiitakemushroom, due to sulfur-containing compounds also found in shiitake, truffles and cabbage.
The petai tree can grow to about 30 metres. It bears flowers in a light bulb-shaped mass at the end of long stalks. The flowers secrete a nectar that attracts bats and other pollinators. The fruits emerge as long, twisted, translucent pods in a cluster of seven or eight pods. When those pods are mature, within them will reside the petai beans or seeds.
The beans of otherParkiaspecies (for example,Parkia javanicaandParkia singularis) are also popular as culinary ingredient inIndonesia,Malaysia,Singapore,Brunei,Laos, southernThailand,Burma, and northeasternIndia, especiallyAssam,Nagaland,Manipur,MizoramandTripura(consumed mostly by theTiprasa people).  They are sold in bunches, still in the pod, or the seeds are sold in plastic bags. Pods are gathered from the wild, or from cultivated trees: they are exported in jars or cans, pickled in brine, or frozen.
The vegetable is known aspetai,petein Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. In the marketplace, depending on the country of origin,Parkiaspecies may be labelledWakerec,Petai, inAssameseGachhua uri, inMeiteiYongchak, inThadouJongla. They are best when combined with other strongly flavoured foods such asgarlic,chili peppers, driedshrimporshrimp paste, as insambal petai. When young, the pods are flat because the seeds have not yet developed, and they hang like a bunch of slightly twisted ribbons, pale green, almost translucent. At this stage they may be eaten raw, fried or pickled. Young tender pods with undeveloped beans can be used whole in stir-fried dishes.
The seeds are also dried and seasoned for later consumption. When dried, the seeds turn black. Petai beans or seeds look like broad beans. Like mature broad beans, they may have to be peeled before cooking. Petai has earned its nickname 'stink bean' because its strong smell is very pervasive.  It lingers in the mouth and body. Likeasparagus, it contains certainamino acidsthat give a strong smell to one'surine, an effect that can be noticed up to two days after consumption. Like otherbeans, their complexcarbohydratescan also cause strong-smellingrectal gas.
In Indonesia,petaiis very popular in the highlands ofJavaandSumatra, especially amongSundanese,Minangkabauand many other people in different cultures of the island. InSundanese cuisinepetaimight be eaten raw withsambalas part oflalab, fried or grilled. It also can be stir fried and mixed withoncom. In Java and Sumatra, it also might be added tosayur lodehorsambal goreng ati petai(fried diced beef or chicken liver insambalandpetai).Nasi goreng kambing petaiis popular variant ofnasi goreng(fried rice) with goat meat and petai. InMinangkabau cuisineit usually become part oflado(Minang sambal) forayam pop(Padang style fried chicken).
InManipur, it is calledyongchak. It is grown mainly on all the hilly areas and some other parts ofManipurvalley.Varieties found here are somewhat harder than the counterparts of Thailand or Malaysia. The wild variety from the hills is more commonly sold in market. Some species ofParkiaare grown in small scale by farmers in northeast India. In mainland India, it is grown as an ornamental plant, shade tree and border tree. This bean has become an important ingredient in many food items inTripuratoo.
InManipur, the seeds or the bean as a whole are eaten by preparing a local delicacy calledHmarcha dêng,Eromba(a traditional Manipuri chutney) or Yongchaksingju(a traditional Manipuri salad).Erombais a very common cuisine in Manipur made with boiled potato, fermented fish, chili and other vegetables, in this case, Parkia.Yongchak singjuis another favourite side dish made withParkiacut into small pieces and then mixed with red hot chili paste. Parkia is also used for making various other dishes with fish and vegetables. TheKukiTribe in North-East India, call it "Jongha".RongmeiTribe of Manipur, Nagaland and Assam call itGachhua uriwhich is cooked with meat or prepared as salad, and sometimes seeds are eaten withChattnimade of dry fish or Gankhiang khui (local fermented dry seed). TheHmar tribeof Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur call itZawngṭa(pronounced Zongtra) and mainly prepare it with chilli, Sodium Bi-carbonate, little amount of salt and a special fermented pork called "Saum"(sa means meat, um means fermented) and called itZawngṭa-râwt.
InMizoram, theMizo peopleare also very fond of it, and call itzawngṭah. They eat the whole bean by removing the outer layer of the skin and also eat the seeds. It is eaten raw as a side dish or used as a recipe for chutney. It is also served as a side dish, mixed with chili and fermented pork fat calledsaumwhich is the same assathuof Manipur. It is a very common side dish among the peoples ofnaga,Mizo(Zohnahthlak) like Mizo in Mizoram,Hmâr,Kuki,Chin,Zomietc. in neighbouring states and countries.  InManipur,Assam,Tripura, the (Tripura people call itWakerec mosedang) andBangladeshManipuris call ityongchakorwakerecin the local Manipuri dialect and consume it as a salad mixed with fermented fish or, the boiled or roasted seeds either alone or in a mash of boiled vegetables laced with fermented fish.
In Malaysia and Singapore, petai is also commonly served withsambal, or mixed withdried shrimp,chili peppers, red onions,belacan(prawn paste), soy sauce and prawn. Another popular side dish to nasi lemak or plain rice is petai beans cooked with fried dryanchoviesand sauteed chili sambal (sambal tumis).
In Thailand it is calledsah-taw(Thai:สะตอ,RTGS:sato), as inmu phat sah-taw, stir-fried pork with stink beans.