How to Cook Dried Beans

"Legumes" are a family of plants that bear several seeds in a pod. Their seeds are fleshy and can be eaten as a vegetable before they dry out. We usually refer to these dried seeds as “beans”.

The most common legumes are lentils, peas, mung beans, soybeans and chick peas. Dry legumes are on average twice as rich in protein as grains, and especially well-stocked in iron and the B-vitamins. They are rich in fibre and good sources of complex carbohydrates. Lentils can be particularly effective for blood sugar control in diabetics. Legumes eaten green in the pod contain more vitamin A and C, but much less protein.

Most people are aware that legumes are nutritious, but are not confident about using them. This is a pity, because they can form the basis for a low-cost diet along with vegetables, nuts, seeds, non-gluten grains and occasional animal foods.

Beans are famous for causing gas! They are often avoided for this very reason – but there are ways to eliminate or reduce the problem. All legumes (including green beans) contain natural toxins and enzyme inhibitors and need to be either cooked or sprouted for proper digestion. Soybeans, which are particularly high in mineral-binding phytic acid, are best eaten only in cooked, fermented forms such as miso, shoyu and tempeh. Traditional societies that relied on legumes as a regular part of their diet took great care with preparing them.

Shopping

Look for beans that appear plump and fairly uniform in size and colour. There should be few, if any, cracked, broken or discoloured beans. I buy almost all my beans organic because not only have they been grown with maximum nutrition, they have also been processed, transported and stored carefully. Buy from a retailer that is likely to have a high turnover of stock to avoid buying old, over-dry beans that don’t cook or sprout uniformly.

Sorting

Check your beans before use, especially if you notice they aren’t uniform quality. Remove any discoloured, broken, cracked, or shrivelled beans as they won’t cook properly. The best way may be to spread them on a tray for sorting.

Soaking

This is the most important step to get used to when dealing with legumes. Soaking in water rehydrates the beans and removes some of their natural toxins. Place them in a bowl and cover with plenty of water. They will swell three or four times their original size so give them more than enough to drink! Most beans need at least eight hours to fully rehydrate – usually soaking overnight is sufficient. Some larger legumes like kidney beans may need even longer. Remembering to soak beans requires some forethought but it can become second nature to think “Is there anything I would like to soak for tomorrow?” before going to bed.

Cooking

Drain and rinse the soaked beans – to remove natural toxins. Then place them in a stainless steel pot and cover with plenty of water. Bring to a boil. Remove any foam that rises to the surface – this foamy scum also contains unwanted toxins. Continue to cook at a “rolling” boil with the lid off - they will take a lot longer to cook if left to simmer. Because the water is boiling rapidly it will evaporate, so check them occasionally to see the beans are covered.

Continue to cook until the beans are soft. Undercooked beans are difficult to digest so if in doubt cook them for longer – most beans can’t be overcooked. The cooking time will depend on many factors such as the type of legume, their size and how old they are. It may take an hour or more for some beans. When they are cooked allow them to cool in the cooking liquid unless using immediately.

Other Tips

Kombu seaweed (available from Asian and health food stores) can be added to the beans as they soak and as they cook, to improve digestibility.

A pressure cooker can reduce cooking time for beans by more than a third. Most beans cook within 15 to 20 minutes.

Cooked beans freeze well. It may seem like a big job to soak and cook beans but if you prepare a big pot they can be frozen in small batches for later use.

Some Ideas for Using Cooked Legumes

Legumes combine well with spices, lemons, tamarind, onions, garlic, oils and all kinds of vegetables. Try: 

Useful European and UK Links

Joint Pain Relief
Physical therapy may be prescribed for general joint pain or pain due to RA and OA.

Fruit basket delivery
Our fruit baskets are of the very highest quality at Fruit For The Office. FREE London fruit delivery service to most post codes.

Natural Beef
Order delicious Aberdeenshire beef directly from AubreyAllen.co.uk.

Muesli
Muesli can help keep hunger pangs at bay until lunchtime.

 

Home » Recipes » Healthy Dinner Recipes » How to Cook Dried Beans