Dried Kadyos or Fresh Pigeon Peas? Cook the Bean Before Building an Ilonggo Stew

The best kadyos stew starts by identifying the bean on the counter. Fresh pigeon peas in their green stage, mature dried kadyos and cooked canned pigeon peas do not share the same timetable or weight. An Ilonggo bowl such as kadyos, baboy at langka depends on a soft pea, well-cooked pork and bright sourness. The bean should be made ready on its own terms before the cook decides when to add the jackfruit, batwan or leafy finish. That single planning decision often saves a pot of overcooked vegetables. Source 1

Know the ingredient

Kadyos is pigeon pea, Cajanus cajan. In the Global Bean Project’s interview, Negros farmer and restaurateur Ramon Uy Jr describes its place in kadyos, baboy at langka and soaking dried peas overnight. Fresh shelled peas, dried peas and canned cooked peas contain different amounts of water and cannot be swapped by equal weight with an identical cooking time. Use the product in front of you to plan the pot. Source 1

Ingredients and equipment

For a make-ahead bean batch, use 200 g dried kadyos, at least 1 litre of water for refrigerated soaking and fresh water for cooking. For fresh peas, begin with 200 g shelled peas in enough water to cover by about 3 cm. Canned cooked pigeon peas only need draining and heating. A large saucepan, colander and clean spoon are the main tools.

How to prepare it

1. Sort and rinse dried kadyos, then cover generously with water and soak overnight in the refrigerator. Drain and replace the water.
2. Bring the beans to a full boil, then maintain a steady simmer. Keep them submerged, topping up with hot water as needed. Follow any package preparation directions.
3. Begin checking soaked dried peas after about 45 minutes, allowing 60–90 minutes or longer for older beans. Crush several beans against a plate: they should have no hard or gritty centre.
4. For fresh shelled peas, simmer separately and start checking after about 20 minutes. Continue until tender; fresh mature peas can still take substantially longer.
5. For KBL, cook the pork in its own broth until safe and tender. Add the prepared peas and young jackfruit according to the chosen stew recipe; add souring fruit after the peas have softened.
6. Finish tender greens last. Taste the completed broth before adding more salt or patis, and serve hot.

What success looks like

Cook several peas before assessing a batch: one soft bean does not mean all are ready. If the peas are still hard, keep them in their cooking water and delay the vegetables. Old dried beans can take much longer than a recipe estimate, so make them ahead when timing matters.

• Peas stay hard after the expected time: Old dried beans or insufficient simmering. Keep cooking in water and test the centre.
• Jackfruit turns soft before beans: All ingredients began at the same time. Precook beans before the main stew.
• Broth is overly salty: Seasoning set before sour fruit and patis. Season gradually after adding the souring component.

Substitutions and value

Compare dried, fresh and canned peas by cooked edible weight, allowing for fuel and preparation time. A bean-and-jackfruit soup can be made without pork, while KBL includes baboy. Tamarind gives a different sour finish when batwan is unavailable.

Handling and storage

Keep overnight soaking beans refrigerated. Whole pork cuts require at least 63°C with a three-minute rest; a KBL braise normally cooks much longer for tenderness. Ground pork, if used in another preparation, needs 71°C. Keep raw pork away from cooked beans. Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within two hours, or within one hour when the surroundings are above 32°C. Keep the refrigerator at 4°C or colder. Source 2 Source 3