Using dried chick peas

Silaqui

Hi there,

I've done a bit of searching on this subject but there seem to be a number of different possibilities, and you can always rely on the OS'ers for the definitive answer.

I have some dried chick peas and want to make them into something edible, maybe a curry... I understand that you need to soak them overnight before use, but is that still the case if you use them in a slow cooker?

Whats the best way to do this?

Thanks in advance
x

BitterAndTwisted

Yes, soak them overnight then rinse them and then they need to boiled for a fair amount of time. While you're making a nice chick-pea curry you could always use some to make hummus. Well, that's if you have some tahini in your store-cupboard. Home-made felafel. Yummy

seraphina

Yes, they need to be soaked overnight. Furthermore, I doubt a slow cooker will be hot enough to cook them, they need to be boiled for 2hrs or so.

However if you have a pressure cooker they are done in 15-20mins or so.

Silaqui

Ah right ok so will I need to boil them properly on the hob, rather than the simmer you get with a slow cooker?

Would I boil them on their own, then add to the curry when they are soft and cooked, or would I boil them as part of making the curry sauce? If it takes a couple of hours I would have thought the curry wouldn't be as strong...?

Sorry about all these questions but it's my first time and I've got to start somewhere!
Thanks

KimYeovil

If you soak them for two days (change the water) they only need to be simmered for 20 to 30 minutes. Two hours is far too long (even after just one day's soak).

If they seem to need to be cooked for longer then ditch them and buy a fresher packet.

Make-it-3

Dried chickpeas are much better for falafel than the tinned variety, but don't use them for hummus, which is really much better made with the tinned ones.

Silaqui

Thanks thats a good idea if you can freeze them into portions. Can they be cooked straight from frozen or do they need to be defrosted first?

I think I will experiment over the weekend!
x

BitterAndTwisted

Make-it-3 wrote: »

Dried chickpeas are much better for falafel than the tinned variety, but don't use them for hummus, which is really much better made with the tinned ones.

I beg to differ about the tinned chick-peas for hummus. I make hummus often and I'm much too cheap to buy them in tins.

Gingham_Ribbon

When you're cooking them, don't add salt as this can make them tough and take far longer to cook.

I haven't done them in the slow cooker, but I think it's worth a try. They only need to simmer, not boil hard.

ubamother

I used to have a book called The Vegetarian Gourmet (or possibly The Gourmet Vegetarian?) It was 20 odd years ago.

This advised for all pulses, if you'd forgotten to soak overnight, that you could soak in boiling hot water for an hour - changing the water for more boiling hot water at least four times. Then boil hard in fresh water for 10 minutes then cook as normal. As I have the attention span of a gnat I always forget to soak pulses overnight so I do this with lots of different beans and have never had a problem with them - including kidney beans.

seraphina

Madhur Jaffrey also give the advice that ubamother gives if you forget to soak them.

Another one here who much prefers home cooked chickpeas for hummus. It tastes so much better than when it's made from the tinned ones!

Useful measurements: 500g dried chickpeas when cooked will give you about 4 cans' worth of chickpeas. I tend to cook 250g dried chickpeas at once, so 2 can's worth.