# Creamier Chickpeas



## JustJoel (Jun 12, 2018)

I made a cold soup with the following ingredients:
1 small red onion, roughly chopped
2 small Persian cucumbers, peeled and chopped
2 mini or 1/2 medium yellow or orange bell, seeds and ribs removed, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1 14.5 oz can lower-sodium garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed well
1 medium head of garlic, roasted
3 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp shiro (white) miso
1 to 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice, or to taste
Water, as needed, to thin the soup
1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

It is delicious, although an entire head of garlic, even roasted, is a bit much.

No matter how much I puréed the soup, the texture was rather grainy, which I’m guessing is from the canned chickpeas. That texture is what I don’t like about chickpeas, although that texture seems to be absent in, say, store-bought hummus. Instead of using canned, is there a method of cooking dried chickpeas so that when they’re puréed they lose that grainy texture and come out nice and creamy?


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## Steve Kroll (Jun 12, 2018)

JustJoel said:


> Instead of using canned, is there a method of cooking dried chickpeas so that when they’re puréed they lose that grainy texture and come out nice and creamy?


Yes. I picked up this trick several years ago.

The tough skin on the chickpeas is what causes the grainy texture, and baking soda is the key to getting the skins to separate. After soaking the chickpeas overnight, rinse them well and put them in a pan with enough fresh water to cover by an inch or so. Stir in a teaspoon of baking soda and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and skim off any scummy stuff that forms on the surface as they cook. In about 30-45 minutes they should be very tender. Because the skins separate the beans cook in about half the time they normally take.

I've also used this technique to make creamy smooth black bean dip as well.

From what I've read, you can accomplish the same thing using canned, well-rinsed chickpeas. Simply heat them in a pan with baking soda and enough water to cover. I haven't actually tried it with canned beans myself, but there are people who swear by it.


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## larry_stewart (Jun 12, 2018)

Another option, although I never tried it , is making hummus out of chickpea flour.   I did a quick google and saw some recipes doing it this way ( with flour).  I've never tried it myself so I cant vouch for the end product.  I happen to have some chickpea flour unhand, so I may give it a go this weekend.


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## msmofet (Jun 12, 2018)

Steve Kroll said:


> Yes. I picked up this trick several years ago.
> 
> The tough skin on the chickpeas is what causes the grainy texture, and baking soda is the key to getting the skins to separate. After soaking the chickpeas overnight, rinse them well and put them in a pan with enough fresh water to cover by an inch or so. Stir in a teaspoon of baking soda and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and skim off any scummy stuff that forms on the surface as they cook. In about 30-45 minutes they should be very tender. Because the skins separate the beans cook in about half the time they normally take.
> 
> ...


 How do you remove the skins after they separate from the beans?


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## Steve Kroll (Jun 12, 2018)

msmofet said:


> How do you remove the skins after they separate from the beans?


The skins just sort of separate and float to the top. All you have to do is skim off the foam and give the chickpeas a good rinse in a colander after they finish cooking.


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## JustJoel (Jun 12, 2018)

larry_stewart said:


> Another option, although I never tried it , is making hummus out of chickpea flour.   I did a quick google and saw some recipes doing it this way ( with flour).  I've never tried it myself so I cant vouch for the end product.  I happen to have some chickpea flour unhand, so I may give it a go this weekend.


I’ll keep that in mind when (and if) I make hummus. Right now I’m concentrated on cold soups, and I don’t think chickpea flour would work well.


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## JustJoel (Jun 12, 2018)

Steve Kroll said:


> Yes. I picked up this trick several years ago.
> 
> The tough skin on the chickpeas is what causes the grainy texture, and baking soda is the key to getting the skins to separate. After soaking the chickpeas overnight, rinse them well and put them in a pan with enough fresh water to cover by an inch or so. Stir in a teaspoon of baking soda and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and skim off any scummy stuff that forms on the surface as they cook. In about 30-45 minutes they should be very tender. Because the skins separate the beans cook in about half the time they normally take.
> 
> ...


This was such a surprising method to me, that I did a bit of research. The most “popular” method seems to be to soak overnight, drain, then return the chickpeas to the pot, sprinkle with baking soda and cook for three minutes before adding the water. Other sites recommend actually soaking the beans in water and baking soda _before_ cooking them. It appears that as long as baking soda is involved, it hardly matters when it’s added! I’ll try your ,ethos first, I think. Thank you!


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## msmofet (Jun 13, 2018)

Steve Kroll said:


> The skins just sort of separate and float to the top. All you have to do is skim off the foam and give the chickpeas a good rinse in a colander after they finish cooking.


 I do beans unsoaked in my Instant Pot. Do you think this will work the same if I just add some baking soda to the water and beans in the IP before cooking?


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## Steve Kroll (Jun 13, 2018)

msmofet said:


> I do beans unsoaked in my Instant Pot. Do you think this will work the same if I just add some baking soda to the water and beans in the IP before cooking?



I can't say for certain, as I don't have an Instant Pot, but my sense is that it should work the same. It's the alkalinity that seems to be the key, much the way dried corn is softened and hulled by soaking in limewater (aka nixtamalization).


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## powerplantop (Jun 14, 2018)

Steve Kroll said:


> Yes. I picked up this trick several years ago.
> 
> The tough skin on the chickpeas is what causes the grainy texture, and baking soda is the key to getting the skins to separate. After soaking the chickpeas overnight, rinse them well and put them in a pan with enough fresh water to cover by an inch or so. Stir in a teaspoon of baking soda and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and skim off any scummy stuff that forms on the surface as they cook. In about 30-45 minutes they should be very tender. Because the skins separate the beans cook in about half the time they normally take.
> 
> ...



This is what I do.


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## Rascal (Jun 14, 2018)

I use chick pea flour for making onion bhajees. Really good.

Russ


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## taxlady (Jun 17, 2018)

Rascal said:


> I use chick pea flour for making onion bhajees. Really good.
> 
> Russ


Would you mind sharing your recipe? We adore onion bhajees.


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## Rascal (Jun 17, 2018)

Here ya go, 
1 and 1/2 cups chick pea flour
1 to 2 teaspoon Garam masala. I make my own.
1 to 2 onions sliced and quartered
Water to mix. Mix until thick and sticky. I use my hands. I like to add some shredded silver beet as well, or spinach if you prefer. 
Deep fry.
Serve with date and tamarind chutney and rhaita. My rhaita is yoghurt fine minced onion with grated cucumber. Or chopped mint. Depending on personal preference .


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## taxlady (Jun 17, 2018)

Rascal said:


> Here ya go,
> 1 and 1/2 cups chick pea flour
> 1 to 2 teaspoon Garam masala. I make my own.
> 1 to 2 onions sliced and quartered
> ...


 Thank you. I have copied and pasted it into the appropriate recipe folder on my computer. We usually call them pakora when there is other stuff than onion and seasoning in the batter. 

Do you do them in a deep fat fryer or is it possible to do them in a skillet and flip them? Any preferred type of fat for frying?


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## Rascal (Jun 17, 2018)

taxlady said:


> Thank you. I have copied and pasted it into the appropriate recipe folder on my computer. We usually call tm pakora when there is other stuff than onion and seasoning in the batter.
> 
> Do you do them in a deep fat fryer or is it possible to do them in a skillet and flip them? Any preferred type of fat for frying?



I use a deep fryer but you could do them in a small pot of oil.

Russ


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