How to cook chickpeas easily and quickly

Chickpeas are one of the legumes that have complete proteins, that is, they contain all the essential amino acids in good amounts, and are therefore considered a good source of protein.

But not only that, they are also rich in fiber, copper, folic acid, manganese, calcium, iron, polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic and linolenic), antioxidants (selenium, beta-carotene) and other interesting nutrients such as choline and isoflavones. When cooking them, some doubts arise. There are many delicious chickpea recipes. In this article I will try to summarize the best tricks to choose, cook and cook the garbanos.

Soaking and cooking the chickpeas and other legumes removes many undesirable attributes, such as hardness, dry legume flavor, or phytates, enzyme inhibitors, and some oligosaccharides that cause gas. To get rid of these compounds that do not interest us, it is important:

Soak them in plenty of water. Throw away the soaking water. Cook in plenty of water until they are well done. Discard the cooking water. In some cases, for example when we cook everything together (stews, stews, pots, etc.), we do not remove the cooking water, but it is not a problem either, because we have already soaked and cooked them, which is the most important thing.

How long do you have to soak the chickpeas?

The most usual thing is to cook them before sautéing, browning, roasting, mashing or eating them directly. In order to consume them we need to treat them first, since we buy them dry and they are too hard to eat.

First we have to let them soak from 8 to 10 hours in plenty of water so that they hydrate and soften and reduce the cooking time. Afterwards, it is recommended cook them in an express pot or pressure cooker, because you will have them ready in 20-25 minutes compared to the hour and a half – two hours that it can take in a normal pot.

Homemade “tricks” like “scare the legumes” all they do is prolong the cooking time and make us work more, have no impact on legumes beyond cutting off cooking and having to resume it, with the consequent energy expenditure.

If you live in an area with hard or very hard water (such as in the Valencian Community and Catalonia), add a little baking soda to the soaking water (1 gram per liter of water, approximately). In this way your chickpeas will soften sooner and better.

You can also add that same amount of baking soda to the cooking water to reduce the time a little more (20 minutes). If you live in areas with soft or very soft water (Madrid, for example), you don’t need to do this, in fact the chickpeas can open and skin if you do.

Which chickpeas are better?

The most common form in which we buy chickpeas is dried. They come in 250 g to 2 kg packages and are very cheap because they double in size when soaked and cooked. We can find different varieties, that will give us a lot of play depending on what we want to prepare. Canned chickpeas do not usually specify the variety used, although from their appearance we can get an idea.

1. Pedrosillano chickpea or pedrosillo chickpea

It is smaller and rounder in size and orange in color. Its name is due to its production origin (Pedrosillo el Ralo, Salamanca).

Have a intense flavor, It retains its shape very well and remains more whole than other varieties. It has a firmer texture although inside it is also creamy. It is great for everything in which we want the shape and texture of the chickpeas to be noticed. For example for stews and stews, but also to do croutons (roasted chickpeas) and salads.

2. How is the chickpea from Fuentesúco

The chickpea from Fuentesauco is also both a variety as a designation of origin (several municipalities of Zamora). It is also called “garbanza” or “Castilian chickpea”.

they are chickpeas medium size, Pale yellow-orange color and slightly wrinkled, with a visible beak.They absorb a lot of water in soaking and cooking and They are very tender and creamy.They are ideal when we want a very creamy texture, for example for curries, creams, sauces, pates, purées, etc.They are very good option to prepare hummus because they beat quickly and there are no pieces left. It is not necessary to add hardly any additional liquid for consistency.

3. How is the Andalusian venous chickpea

The Andalusian veined chickpea is cultivated mainly in Granada, it is medium-large in size, yellow-orange, with some grooves and a small beak.

Have a intense flavor but it is creamy, so it looks great on everything.you can toast them to the pan once cooked, you can Use in all kinds of stews and stews, as well as in stir-fries and salads. Also of course in pates and creams.

4. What is milky chickpea?

The milky white chickpea It is usually the big and white one that we find in any store. It is also called “castellano”.

It is smooth and very creamy. If we cook it a little more, the skins come off easily, which is an advantage for those who don’t like whole legumes. You can use it for anything, that will be great. For pâtés and creams such as hummus It is the best variety because it is quick to mix, it is easy for there to be no pieces left, they have a very creamy texture and their flavor does not predominate so much over the other ingredients.

and there is more varieties, such as Italica, Krema, Amparo, Cucharero, Duratón… although they are usually cultivated by a minority.

How to cook canned chickpeas

The liquid they come in is edible, of course, in fact used to make vegan meringue (aquafaba), but since it is quite viscous, we are not interested when we want the chickpeas to be loose, for example when we stir-fry them or eat them in salads. hummus (here I leave you several original hummus recipes) you can put this liquid instead of water or other liquids and you will see that you have a much creamier and fluffier pâté. Canned chickpeas are very good because they are a quick and economical solution for when we don’t have time or we don’t have an express cooker, but they are more expensive than dry ones and, once opened, You have to keep them in the fridge for a maximum of 3 days, because they get bad.

How to sprout chickpeas

Chickpeas can be eaten raw, but since they are dry seeds it is impossible. Soaking in water softens and absorbs water, but it’s not enough either, so if we want to eat raw chickpeas we have to germinate them.

First we leave them to soak for 8-10 hours in water. Then we drain them and proceed as with other seeds and legumes.They will take 6-8 days to sprout and that the seed (the chickpea itself) is tender enough to eat it.

Sprouted chickpeas are a good addition to your salads and fresh dishes, although you can also cook with them.

How to freeze chickpeas

If you want to always have chickpeas on hand, you can freeze them. Cook a good amount (what fits in your pot), drain them well and cool them under running water.

Dry them a little with a cloth or kitchen paper and put them in freezer bags. Put them in the freezer. After 6-8 hours you can move them to avoid sticking together.frozen chickpeas They can be added directly to broths, soups, stews, stews and things like that that will be cooking for a little while. They can also be defrosted by leaving them in a closed container in the fridge or immersing them in boiling water for a few minutes.

You can also freeze the chickpeas just soaked if you are one of those people who forget to leave the legumes to soak.

When you remember soak double or triple what you want to cook. after 8-10 hours of soaking, Pour out the water, drain them well, dry them with a cloth or kitchen paper and put them in freezer bags or containers. In this way, every time you want to make chickpeas and you have forgotten to soak them, You have them already soaked and ready to put in the pot with water without defrosting.