How to properly cook chickpeas (garbanzo beans)

This homemade recipe for chickpea hummus is quick easy to make. The chickpeas are an excellent source of protein and fibre and the tahini (sesame seeds paste) besides protein and fibre, is packed with minerals like copper, selenium, iron, zinc and calcium. 

Choose organic dry chickpeas

If possible, choose organic chickpeas. Why?: most of the producing countries use glyphosate when harvesting as a drying agent. Although Canada, where I live, is slowly banning this toxic chemical, it is still used in non-organic foods.

After you buy dry chickpeas, store them at room temperature in a dry clean glass container with a sealed lid, this way, you will avoid humidity getting in and the chance to creating mold. 

Most legumes are cooked the same way. First, you rinse and soak them for a few hours, then cook by boiling them until tender, cool down and store. Only garbanzo beans or chickpeas are cooked differently. 

Garbanzo beans or chickpeas

Before cooking any legume or bean, rinse and remove any damaged or bruised pieces. In this case, add the chickpeas into a bowl and soak them overnight or for at least 10-12 hrs.

By soaking them, a message of “it’s time to germinate” get’s into them and starts releasing toxins (lectins).

After soaking, discard the water and rinse a few times with clean running water. 

The difference between chickpeas to other beans is that they need to start cooking with boiling water. This is the only bean you need to use this technique.

Fill up a big pot with water, leaving some room for when you add the beans, so the water does not overflow the pot, bring it to almost to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low to simmer between 50-70 minutes. 

To test if the chickpeas are done, squeeze one bean between two fingers. If they break easily, they are done.

While they are simmering, remove the foam build-up and loose skins on the surface with a skimmer.  This foam is part of the saponins ( a toxin that makes it difficult digestion and causes gas).

Once cooked, drain (save some of the water, remove them from the pot and let them cool dry on a baking tray. 

How to store your cooked chickpeas or garbanzo beans?

Beans can be stored in the fridge in a plastic or glass container using some of the water they boiled in if you will use them within 2-3 days.

They can also be frozen; in this case, place the same baking tray used for cooling directly in the freezer for 10-12 hours. This way, you have loose beans and not one big block of iced chickpeas. Store them in a silicone bag or freezer bag for up to 6 months.

TIPS

• Skip the salt, this way, when you are preparing a dish with them, you can add just the salt to the dish, salt clogs the pores of the bean, and they can stay hard even after cooked. Salt also makes the beans get stuck (maybe you have wondered in already cooked beans, where some brands seem to be a loser than others…) 
• If you must add salt, add it at the very end of the cooking time, 10 minutes before they are ready.
• If the water evaporates during cooking, add hot boiling water. 
• The small boiling bubble prevents the beans from breaking or damaging.
• Add Kombu seaweed or 1 or 2 bay leaves during cooking to soften the fibre
• Finishing the dishes with sprouts helps us digestion due to their physicochemical characteristics.
• Do not mix beans with saturated fats, as they hinder their digestion.
• It’s a good idea to eat beans and lentils with whole grains/seeds to synthesize methionine, an essential amino acid.
• Consuming legumes, beans and lentils regularly generate more specific bacterial flora for the assimilation of legumes.
• By removing the skin, they contain less fibre and are easier to digest.
• Consume beans and lentils with carminative spices and herbs to improve the bioavailability of nutrients. 

(Carminative spices: star anise, bay leaves, cumin, tarragon, turmeric; celery, onions, garlic, watercress, baby spinach, artichokes, carrots, radish, fennel; basil, cilantro; apple cider vinegar, kimchi, soy sauce; Kombu; sprouted seeds, etc.…)