chickpeas | Imamother

Smileygurl85

Mon, Sep 05 2011, 4:27 am

Well - the 'long time' method involves soaking and then cooking.

Usually I soak the legumes in room-temp water (twice as much water as chickpeas) for about 6-8 hours (though I have left them overnight) and if the water is getting all soaked up you can add more as necessary.

When the soaking is finished I like to drain and rinse the chickpeas then pour them back into a pot with twice as much water, a heavy pinch of salt and a whole small onion (gives good flavor, I just peel off the outer layer and carefully trim the bottom of all roots and dirt - but I leave the stem part because that holds the globe together.)

Then bring to a boil over medium heat. Once at a boil lower the heat slightly, cover and boil for an hour or 2 - until the chickpeas are tender.

I love making them this way because it gives me control over the salt. Also, I have successfully frozen chickpeas prepared in this method then used them straight from the freezer for soups, salads and general snacking. Smile

A cup of dried chickpeas usually makes about 2.5 cups of 'prepared' chickpeas.

If you have a pressure cooker you can get the whole cooking process done a lot more quickly (and without the soaking - but I'm not 100% sure of the method. Pressure cookers scare me a little. embarrassed