How and how much chickpeas should be soaked before cooking different dishes

Until now, many housewives do not know how and how much to soak chickpeas before cooking. After all, before he was a rare guest on the table of the Slavs. Our mothers and grandmothers mainly used other legumes for cooking: peas, beans, lentils. Chickpea was popular in the Middle East. The fashion for proper nutrition has led Turkish peas to penetrate the kitchens of Russians. Those who monitor their health and control weight, it will be useful to learn how to soak and cook a valuable protein product.

Is it necessary to soak chickpeas before cooking?

Before cooking, chickpeas must be soaked. Even in recipes of oriental dishes, the list of ingredients sometimes explicitly states “soaked”.

In the process of soaking, the beans absorb moisture and swell. Therefore, they need less time to boil. Not 1.5–2 hours, but 30–40 minutes. And the shorter the duration of the heat treatment, the more vitamins and trace elements are stored in the finished dish.

Unboiled legumes after boiling inside are stiff, and outside boil. In salads and pilaf they look unaesthetic, they are not suitable for mashed potatoes.

If the chickpeas lay for a long time in storage and dried up, then when cooked without preliminary soaking, it will turn out tough and tasteless.

General soaking rules

Most housewives know how to soak cereals for the night: buckwheat, rice, barley. But in the case of chickpeas, other rules apply. It is undesirable to leave it in the water for longer than 5 hours. And there are two reasons for this:

• with prolonged soaking, the structure of the vegetable protein changes, so the seeds are hard;
• fermentation processes may begin, and the product will become unusable.

The ideal soaking time is 3-4 hours. Previously, the seeds must be cleaned of debris and washed under running water. You can leave Turkish peas for the night, for 7-8 hours, but then it will not work quickly.

If the apartment is hot, remove the beans in the refrigerator.

In which water to soak chickpeas: cold or hot? Both extremes are harmful, as they lead to a change in the structure of the protein and the stiffness of the product. Water should have room temperature. It is advisable to take settled boiled or filtered.

Chickpeas are poured with water in a ratio of 1: 4. When soaked, the seeds increase in volume by almost 2 times. If there is little liquid, the beans will remain dry in the center, and the cooking time will increase.

If your house has hard water or Turkish pea seeds are too old, soak chickpeas with soda. It softens the product and speeds up the cooking process. Just add no more than 0.5 teaspoon, otherwise the finished dish will have a specific aftertaste.

How to soak chickpeas for pilaf, soup and hummus

The rules described above work if a person is going to eat Turkish peas as a main dish or use as a side dish. And what about those who are going to cook pilaf, soup or hummus?

How to soak chickpeas for pilaf?

Do I need to pre-soak Turkish peas for pilaf? Yes, but the seeds should be harsh. After all, they are added to the zirvak at the very beginning, and then stewed for 45-60 minutes. If you use soft chickpeas, during cooking it will turn into slurry.

There are two options for soaking Turkish peas for pilaf.

1. Standard - for 1-2 hours in water at room temperature.
2. For a long time - from 12 hours to a day in cold water. Seeds will turn out to be larger than with short-term soaking, but will also have a dense structure. To prevent chickpeas from fermenting, place the container in a cool place (such as a refrigerator) and change the water every 3-4 hours.

Fluids should be 5-6 times more than seeds. For 1 kg of meat, 700-800 g of rice and 150-200 g of Turkish peas are required. You can salt the dish during cooking.

How to soak chickpeas for soup?

Soaking time of chickpeas for soup depends on the consistency of the finished dish. If you are going to make a liquid soup, soak the seeds for 3-4 hours. Then boil for 40 minutes. Add the prepared chickpeas to the dish 10 minutes before the end of cooking.

To prepare the soup puree, soak the seeds for 4–5 hours in room temperature water. Then cook another hour.

How to soak chickpeas for hummus?

Hummus is a popular snack in the Middle East. The main ingredients are chickpea puree, sesame paste, vegetable oil and spices. Hummus is rich in vegetable proteins and omega-3 fatty acids, therefore it is often used in the diet of vegetarians.

Typically, Turkish peas are soaked overnight in room temperature water to prepare this dish. But 3-4 hours will be enough. Next, the chickpeas are cooked for 1-1.5 hours over high heat.

Press the boiled pea with your fingers. If it is easily stretched in mashed potatoes, then it is suitable for making hummus.

How and how much to cook soaked chickpeas

There are differences in the preparation of chickpeas in a conventional pan and slow cooker. The general step is to drain the old water and rinse the seeds.

In the pan

Pour clean water into the pan and add soaked chickpeas. The liquid should cover the seeds by at least 3-4 cm. Let the water boil, remove the foam and make the fire medium. Cover the pan with a lid. Cook Turkish peas for 30–40 minutes.

Salting chickpeas is allowed no earlier than 10 minutes before the end of cooking. Otherwise, the seed coat will remain strong.

In a slow cooker

Transfer the soaked and washed peas to the appliance and fill it with water so that it covers them for 2-3 cm. Salt, you can add spices (for example, turmeric, red pepper, sunlit hops). Put the "Extinguishing" mode on the multicooker. Cooking time is 50-60 minutes.

Can Raw Beans Be Eaten?

Many fans of a healthy lifestyle are interested in whether it is possible to eat soaked chickpeas without heat treatment. Theoretically, yes, only the seeds will be harsh.

Vegetarians and raw foodists eat sprouted chickpeas. After germination, the caloric content of Turkish pea seeds decreases from 309 to 160 kcal, and the amount of nutrients increases. In particular, sprouted chickpeas contain more antioxidants - elements that slow down the aging process and protect the body from cancer.

The benefit of raw seeds is that they reduce the level of "bad" cholesterol and sugar in the blood, positively affect the functioning of the heart and digestive system, normalize metabolism.

How to soak chickpea seeds so that they sprout and do not deteriorate?

1. Rinse well.
2. Fill the beans with filtered water at room temperature in a 1: 3 ratio. Cover the container with a small air hole.
3. Wait 3 hours.
4. Drain the old water. Rinse the seeds and pour again with fresh liquid, but in a ratio of 1: 2.
5. Cover the container with wet gauze. Put in a cool place (you can refrigerate) for 10-12 hours or at night.
6. Drain and rinse the seeds again.

The most beneficial for health is chickpeas, the sprout length of which does not exceed 1.5 cm. Seeds can be eaten as an independent dish or added to fresh vegetable salads.

By the number of proteins, amino acids and vitamins of group B, chickpeas are not inferior to meat. In it, as in fish, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are present. And in terms of fiber, macro- and microelements, the product will compete with vegetables and fruits.To preserve nutrients and excellent taste, soak chickpeas before cooking correctly. Boil only prepared seeds.