Cooking Beans, Peas and Lentils - By: Rick Rakauskas

People try eating beans, peas and other pulses for a number of reasons. They could be following an eating plan such as the GAPS diet, or they could be vegetarians, or they could be trying to cook cheap, healthy meals. But although beans, peas and lentils come recommended in a number of places, not so many places tell you how to cook these.

The basic way of cooking all these pulses is by boiling, as this is really the only way to get enough moisture into these dried foods so you can chew them (believe me: you don't want to try eating dried beans that have been fried or baked without boiling first). Chick peas and beans need to be soaked in plain water overnight (and this really does mean overnight - soaking from the morning until it's time to cook dinner in the evening doesn't quite do the job) before cooking. Split peas and lentils don't need soaking, which makes them good emergency protein. If you're not following the GAPS diet, then tinned beans (etc.) can be used, which speeds the process up considerably.

The actual boiling is pretty easy: simply add enough water to cover the beans, lentils or peas.) and bring them to the boil. Then turn down the heat and let them simmer until tender or, in the case of lentils and split peas, mushy. All the pulses tend to foam and boil over if the heat is up too high, so keep an eye on them while they come to the boil - burnt beans water on the stove top smells utterly revolting. The length of time it will take for the pulses to cook fully varies on the size, but about 20 minutes should be about right. Beans can be cooked until al dente (by biting), just like spaghetti. Don't add salt to the cooking water, as this will make the pulses tough (except lentils).

Alternatively, you can put pulses, having soaked beans or chickpeas overnight, to a casserole dish and put them in the oven along with tomatoes, onions and a spices to taste, which will see you making your own baked beans. After you have boiled and drained the pulses, you can have a bit of fun with them.

You can eat boiled pulses "as is" with just a bit of salt and olive oil added, but this can get dull. Add some variety by trying some of these ideas: * Serve the beans (etc.) stirred into cheese sauce. * Pop them in a salad with a home-made salad dressing (vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, mayonnaise, etc.). * Make patties: mash the beans (etc.) to a paste and add flour, egg, salt and a few herbs (oregano and paprika are great), plus water if needed to get the texture right. * Shape into patties and fry - you can make these into vegetarian burgers. * Bean "chips": toss the beans or chickpeas (this doesn't work with split peas or lentils) in oil, salt and seasoning to taste and pop them under the grill until they're crispy. These make great healthy snacks. * Make hummus. Chickpeas are traditional, but lentils and beans work just as well. Blend or mash the boiled chickpeas with olive oil, lemon juice/vinegar, salt, cumin and garlic (if your kids eat garlic) until you get a paste. Use to dip toast, crackers and raw or parboiled vegetables.

You can also make a good vegetarian curry with lentils and/or split peas: fry onions and garlic in olive oil in a biggish saucepan. Add curry powder and salt to taste, then add the peas or lentils plus water. Bring to the boil then simmer until mushy. Stir. Add other ingredients to the curry if you like - coconut milk come recommended.

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