On 23 Sep 1997, susan.j.mcgee wrote:
> Okay. I need the real deal on how to cook dried chickpeas. Do I need a
> pressure cooker? Two weeks of soaking time? All I have heard are horror
> stories and I have a one-pound bag of these things!
I cook my chickpeas just like any other dried bean. Optimally, I soak
them overnight in warm water. If I forget, I do the quick soak method of
putting them in a pot with water, bringing it to a boil, and letting it
sit for 30 minutes.
After soaking, I discard the old water and put new in, add onions/garlic
or whatever, and start cooking. You want to make sure not to add any
salt until the end of the cooking time, since it inhibits the beans'
absorption of the water. Chickpeas can take longer than other beans, but
not outrageously so. A lot varies from batch to batch, depending on how
old the beans are. Older beans take much longer to cook.
I really like sundried tomatoes and cumin with chickpeas. I sometimes
make a salad of this with red onions.
Good luck!
Susan Lehman
UNC-CH
Go Heels!
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