10 questions about chickpeas, the fashionable legumes

Thechickpeas They are those legumes that we associate with our grandmothers. They were staying in the background until the hummus boomwho rescued them from oblivion turning them into the fashion legume (if soy allows us).

They are very complete, economical and exquisite legumes that are not only used to make stews. Do you know them well? You have doubts? Take note, we give you 10 answers to get to know them better.

1. What types of chickpeas are there?

The ones that we will find in supermarkets and bulk stores will be mainly chickpeas milky, Castilians and pedrosillanos. Both the milky and the castellanos are large chickpeas that once cooked are very tender and buttery. Pedrosillanos are smaller, rounder and tend to remain more whole.

There are more varieties, such as the Andalusian, the Valseca chickpea, of fuentesauco, maragatobutter, etc., which are regional varieties and usually have a denomination of origin.

Others, like chana dal (small and round) or bengal gram (small, wrinkled and very dark) can be found in Indian or Pakistani grocery stores and are varieties of desi chickpea and kabulitwo of the most used in these regions.

2. How are chickpeas made?

Well unless you buy fresh chickpeas in its pod (like edamame), difficult to find, it is normal that you buy them in packages or in bulk, dry. Like many other legumes, they need hydration and cooking to make them tender.

The first thing is to leave them soak in plenty of water for at least 8 hours (they have always been left overnight). If it’s very hot, leave the bowl in the fridge to prevent them from fermenting.

They need a lot of water more than twice the volume of chickpeas, because they will hydrate and grow. In areas with hard and very hard water, this process (and the cooking process) may take longer. To avoid it, soak the chickpeas in water with bicarbonate of soda (a couple of teaspoons per cup of chickpeas is enough) and stir well.

Once the chickpeas are soaked, drain them and cook them in the express cooker or pressure cooker. I do not recommend making them in a normal pot because may take up to 6 hours, while with the express pot, half an hour is enough. As the cooking time depends on the variety, read the package instructions carefully: it usually says how many minutes they need.

Put the chickpeas in the pot, cover them well with water, close it well and put it on high heat. When it starts to whistle or steam comes out of the valve at the top, lower the heat and let the chickpeas cook.

After the recommended time, turn off the heat, remove the pot and let it cool down before opening it. Check if they are to your liking andchickpeas made!

If the water used is hard or very hard, cooking time can also be saved by adding a little baking soda (try ½ teaspoon per cup of chickpeas).

3. Do the canned ones come ready-made?

Yes, the canned chickpeas are already soaked and cooked, they do not need more cooking. You can open the jar, drain them and eat them as is, for example, in a salad, or use them to make hummus.

The liquid in which they are packaged is that of the cooking itself, and of course it is edible, although it is advisable to wash them under the tap. In fact, this liquid is used as a substitute for egg white. to make meringues (aquafaba).

4. Can they be germinated?

Yes, like lentils and beans, exactly the same. The only thing is that they need a few more days for the seed to be tender. If you germinate chickpeas, maintain good hygiene both the container and the chickpeas, and make sure that they are not in a place where it is very hot so that they do not go bad or grow mushrooms.

The sprouted chickpeas they can be eaten as is or they can be sautéed and used in other dishes.

5. Can they be eaten raw?

I don’t think you’d really like trying to chew dried chickpeas… but there are ways to eat them without having to go through cooking. For example, the “roasted chickpeas”those tiny, whitish ones that are usually sold in dried fruit cocktails, are chickpeas that have only been soaked and then roasted (with plaster and salt).

Falafel is made with only soaked chickpeas., without cooking them, that’s why it has that crunchy and distinctive texture. Don’t worry, all the fragments cook well in the oven or in the pan. You can also eat sprouts, which remain raw.

6. Why do they gas?

There are several reasons. The first of these are your microbiota and the fibers that both chickpeas and other legumes contain. If you are not used to eat legumeswhen the raffinose and stachyose from the chickpeas reach your intestine, your bacteria will not digest them well and will generate gas… Don’t worry, that can be fixed by eating legumes more often.

Meanwhile, the best way to prevent gas is to soak the legumesthrow away that water and cook them very well. you can add carminative spices like cumin, which helps somewhat although they are not miraculous.

7. Do I have to eat chickpeas?

It is not mandatory, but if you ate more chickpeas, you would surely eat many more different, cheaper and more nutritious dishes. Chickpeas can be made from snacks to pâtés like hummusnot just stews.

They can be sprouted, toasted, fried, roasted, beaten, mashed, combined with pasta or rice, add to salads… Its flavor varies according to each of these preparations, so you will surely find a way in which you like them.

8. Do they have protein?

They have protein. In fact, legumes in general are a good source of plant-based protein. Chickpeas, depending on the variety, have between 18 and 21% proteinand they are of quality, they contain all the essential amino acids.

Besides, they also contain iron, calciumfiber, copper, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium…

9. And the “antinutrients”?

Chickpeas and other legumes contain phytateswhich can prevent mineral absorption, but it is not a problem as long as we use any of the aforementioned methods to make the dried legumes edible: soaking, germinating, cooking, toasting, etc. That way those phytates are deactivated And we don’t have to worry about them.

10. Can you eat chickpeas daily?

Unless you have a problem or your dietitian-nutritionist has told you so, you can eat them whenever you wantlike any other legume.