Cooking with Dried Beans and Peas
Beans are a cheap healthy way to increase protein and fibre as well as make meat dishes go further, provide a protein alternative to meat or to simply add variety to your meals.
Canned beans are an easy way to introduce beans into your diet. Make sure you rinse them first to remove some of the salt. Dried beans are usually the cheapest option and there is a greater variety available, but these do require some preparation. The preparation doesn't have to be difficult. I recommend soaking and cooking 3-500g of beans at a time then freezing them so they are ready to use when needed. No need to defrost; these can usually be added straight from freezer to pot. A pressure cooker can make cooking faster but is not essential.
There are 2 soaking methods:
| Overnight Soaking |
Quick Soaking |
Place beans in a bowl or pot.
Add water (3-4 times the amount of beans)
Leave covered for 4 to 6 hours. Longer than 12 hours will
cause the beans to break up. |
Place beans in a pot and add enough water to
cover the beans.
Bring to the boil and simmer 2-5 minutes.
Drain and rinse under cold water. Soak for 1 hour. |
Do not add salt to the soaking or cooking water - this will make the beans tough.
|
Guide for Cooking Beans / Peas |
|
|
|
|
Dried Bean
(1 cup)
|
Water (cups)
|
Simmer Time
(Covered after
boiling) |
Pressure Cook
(After reaching
pressure) |
End Quantity
(cups) |
|
|
|
|
|
| Adzuki |
4 |
45 minutes |
5 minutes |
22/3 |
| Black Beans |
3 |
11/2- 2 hours |
5 minutes |
21/2 |
| Black-eyed Beans |
21/2 |
30 minutes |
Not recommended
|
2 |
| Cannellini Beans |
3 |
1 -11/2hours |
8 minutes |
2 |
| Chickpeas |
4 |
2 hours or longer |
12 minutes |
21/2 |
| Kidney Beans |
3 |
2 hours |
3 minutes |
23/4 |
Lentils, green or brown
(No soaking) |
21/2 |
30 - 45 minutes |
Not recommended |
2 |
Lentils, red
(No soaking) |
21/2 |
7 minutes |
Not recommended |
2 |
| Lima Beans |
21/2
|
45 - 60 minutes |
2 minutes |
21/2 |
| Mung Beans |
3 |
30 - 45 minutes |
Not recommended |
3 |
| Navy Beans |
3 |
11/2- 2 hours |
7 - 10 minutes |
21/2 |
Peas, split
(No soaking) |
2 |
30 -45 minutes |
Not recommended |
21/2 |
| Borlotti Beans |
31/2 |
11/2- 2 hours |
10 minutes |
21/2 |
| Soybeans |
31/2 |
21/2- 31/2 hours |
20 minutes |
21/3 |
<