Jan 06 2009
Wont you be my Chick-a-pea?
Are dried chickpeas a good deal $ or a good deal of work?
I decided to forego buying canned chickpeas and finally try a bag of dried. At first look, these little beans look like wee stones, oh yum!
First step in softening them up—soak ‘em all night long. Get down the biggest bowl you have, these beans will expand.
Second step—be amazed by the overnight growth and the overwhelming smell of, well, beans.
Third step—change the water and pluck out the icky looking ones (dark or green in colour) but I’m sure you will find more odd ones as you cook.
Fourth step—boil the chickpeas for ten minutes, rapidly. Then cover the pot and simmer for another forty-five minutes.
Fifth step—drain and let them cool. I packed mine into Ziploc sandwich baggies and tucked them in the freezer for another day.
Not too bad for work. Takes time to get the chickpeas rehydrated though. I enjoy having the beans in the freezer for easy reach and, personally, I like frozen vegetables over canned. So sure, I’ll go for the dried beans again…when I eventually run out of my freezer stash!
Things I like to make with chickpeas…hummus, stirfry, just baked as a snack, mixed with rice to form veggie burger patties, oh, veganomicon’s noodle soup.
