Dried Chickpeas

image from Flickr/glutenfreegirl

I've recently discovered how wonderful (and wonderfully easy) it is to cook and use dried chickpeas. Last week we must have had 3 different meals that used the beans I had cooked up at the beginning of the week. And now that I found that the local Indian food market sells 8lb bags for $7, I'm totally hooked!

I've read in some books and websites that you should soak the beans overnight, but other sources (including the back of a commercially packaged bag) have said nothing of soaking. And since I'm all about making things easy, I tried it without, and everything turned out fine--even soft enough to mash up for falafels.

So, sort the beans of any stones or impurities, rinse, and then put in a large pot filled with water leaving only about 2 inches at the top. Salt. Then bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer. It will simmer about 2 - 2 1/2 hours. Keep an eye on the water level and when the beans are soft, you're done! 1 cup dried beans will yield approx. 2 cups cooked beans, etc. You can store in its liquid in the fridge and then use within a week. And just think of all of the money (and salt) you're saving by foregoing the store-bought cans. Awesome.