How To: Cook Chickpeas

Do you ever cook your chickpeas from scratch? It does take a little time, especially when accounting for the pre-cooking soaking time, however, there are many benefits, including cutting down on packaging waste and costs, flavour (yes, I find bulk bin bought dried chickpeas are lot softer and creamier than canned ones) and depending on the amount cooked, you’ll be able to freeze portion-size containers ready for use, as needed.

Chickpeas are versatile and can be easily added to soups, casseroles and stews, as well as tossed into salads, turned into patties or pureed into dips.

Nutritionally speaking, chickpeas are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber, as well as being a good source of protein, making it a great alternative to meat in vegetarians and vegan meals.

How to… Cook Chickpeas

Ingredients:

1 cup of dried chickpeas will yield approximately 3 cups cooked chickpeas

Method:

1.  Place chickpeas in a bowl, cover well with 3-4 times chickpeas volume in water, and soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. Strain water and rinse chickpeas.

2.  Place rinsed chickpeas in a saucepan and again cover with 3-4 times its volume in cold water. Bring to the boil, lower to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, checking occasionally to ensure chickpeas are always submerged in water – adding more water if needed.

3.  Once chickpeas are soft, strain and let it cool down. Chickpeas can be used straight away, stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 6 months.