How To Cook Legumes
Many people don’t eat enough legumes because they don’t know how to cook them or find them too difficult to cook. The truth is, there are some really easy ways to use legumes in quick and delicious meals for the whole family. Here are some timesaving tips to help you include more legumes in your diet:
- If strapped for time, try stocking up on some pre-cooked canned legumes such as chickpeas, bean mixes and red kidney beans.
- Not all legumes need to be pre-soaked. Lentils and split peas do not need soaking and are great additions to soups, curries and pasta sauces.
- You can buy a variety of tasty ready-made legume dishes from supermarkets and delis including hummus dips; baked beans; soy products; minestrone soup; ready made veggie burgers, Mexican foods (eg burritos); falafel balls; pappadams and dhal. And that’s just a few options!
Preparing Legumes
Raw legumes may contain substances that are difficult to digest or are toxic. However, these substances are destroyed by heat, so cooking is essential for improving their nutritional value and digestibility. Soaking is required to soften legumes and reduce their cooking time. It also helps to reduce the levels of substances in legumes that cause flatulence.
Soaking Legumes
- Quick soak: add at least three cups of cold water to each cup of beans in a saucepan. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat, cover and stand for 1 – 2 hours. Beans usually absorb water and soften faster in hot water.
- Slow soak: Stand beans in water in a cool place and leave for at least 4 hours, overnight is usually more convenient.
- Don’t forget to discard the soaking water before cooking.
Cooking Dried Legumes
You will need 3 or 4 cups of water for each cup of beans. From 1 cup of dried beans you should get at least 2 cups of cooked beans. Always change water between soaking and cooking. Listed below are some approximate times for cooking.
| | CONDITION | STOVETOP | PRESSURE COOKER |
| Adzuki Bean | Soaked | 1 hour | 15 minutes |
| Black-eyed bean | Soaked | 1 hour | 15 minutes |
| Black Bean | Soaked | 2-3 hours | 15-20 minutes |
| Borlotti Bean | Soaked | 1- 1.5 hours | 15 minutes |
| Cannellini Bean | Soaked | 1- 1.5 hours | 15 minutes |
| Chickpea | Soaked | 1- 1.5 hours | 15 minutes |
| Lentil - Brown | Unsoaked* | 1- 1.5 hours | 15 minutes |
| Lentil - Red | Unsoaked* | 30 minutes |
| Lima Bean | Soaked | 1- 1.5 hours | 15 minutes |
| Mung Bean | Unsoaked* | 45- 60 minutes |
| Pinto Bean | Soaked | 30- 60 minutes | 10- 15 minutes |
| Red Kidney Bean | Soaked | 1- 1.5 hours | 15 minutes |
| Soya Bean | Soaked | 3- 4 hours | 30- 35 minutes |
| Split Peas | Unsoaked* | 45- 60 minutes | 15 minutes |
* Split peas, red and brown lentils, mung beans do not need soaking, but should be rinsed to remove broken or damaged grains.