Chickpeas: what it is and how to cook it. Secrets of making delicious and healthy chickpea dishes

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Yakov Pavlovich

Professor, Head of the Department of Vegetable Growing

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Everything is interesting in this plant: species term, chemical composition, preparation methods. Chickpeas are called peas for their similarity to other legumes, and lamb - for the special growth of the embryo in the form of a lamb's head. Grains are rich in protein - up to 28%, contain little fat (6-7%). The plant is drought-resistant, survives and produces crops even on saline soils, in drought.

Chickpea - what is this product

This plant culture is a member of the legume family. It is an upright annual herb growing up to 70 cm in height. The plant's beans are short and round and contain, as a rule, two seeds. They are round, irregular in shape with a rough surface.

INTERESTING TO KNOW!

In shape, the beans resemble a ram's head, for which chickpeas received the nickname "ram peas".

Its other name - "chickpea" - is due to the fact that Turkey is one of the leaders in the cultivation of large volumes of the product. The plant is thermophilic, therefore it is traditionally cultivated in the countries of Asia, Africa, South America.

The fruits of the plant are in the shape of a ram's head.

Historical reference

Chickpea is the oldest agricultural crop. It is known that it appeared more than 7.5 thousand years ago. The homeland of chickpeas is the Mediterranean. The ancient Romans cultivated several varieties of it and prepared a classic porridge called pulse from them.

Chickpeas first appeared on the territory of Europe thanks to the Frankish king Charles the First in the 9th century AD. It became widespread in the 17th century; cereals, soups, and pastries were made from it. Europeans used it as an alternative to coffee.

Photo: how the chickpea grows, what its seeds look like

The main condition for obtaining high yields of this agricultural crop is a warm climate. Chickpeas feel best in the tropics and subtropics. It is undemanding to the composition of the soil and is resistant to pests.

Product composition, nutritional value

Of all legumes, chickpeas are considered the leader in terms of nutrient content. There are two varieties of this product on sale - desi and kabuli. Desi are smaller and tougher beans and therefore require additional processing prior to consumption. However, they have a milder taste. Kabuli are light yellow beans with a relatively even and thin shell.

GOOD TO KNOW!

Chickpeas contain a large amount of vitamins and minerals. Dishes with the addition of chickpeas are rich in protein and healthy carbohydrates, therefore they are widely used in the vegetarian menu.

The composition and energy value of 100 g of the product is shown in the table.

Description

Chickpea is a herb that belongs to the legume family. Chickpeas are also known by alternative names such as chickpeas, walnuts, and chickpeas. Chickpeas can be used to prepare a wide variety of dishes, such as homemade hummus or falafel.The beans are boiled, fried, baked in the oven and slow cooker. Using chickpeas, you can make first and second courses. In addition, you can even make a healthy dessert from chickpeas. The composition of chickpeas is rich in protein, dietary fiber and minerals. Both ordinary chickpeas and sprouted ones bring benefits to human health.

Harm and benefits of chickpeas for the human body

In the ancient world, chickpeas were believed to stimulate lactation in women and increase male strength. In the modern world, many of the beneficial properties that our ancestors attributed to lamb peas have been confirmed. Although it cannot be denied that such a useful product has contraindications. Due to its rich composition, chickpeas are actively used in many diets. In terms of nutritional value, it is able to compete with many meat dishes, and surpasses them in terms of usefulness.

Chickpeas have an extremely low glycemic index (35) and do not contain cholesterol. It normalizes lipid metabolism and regulates sugar levels.

These properties allow people with high cholesterol and diabetics to use the product. How are chickpeas useful for overweight people? It cleanses the intestines, freeing it of toxins and toxins. The high protein and fiber content ensures satiety.

The use of chickpeas in alternative medicine

Chickpeas and their derivatives are often found in traditional medicine recipes. For the treatment and prevention of diseases of internal organs, chickpea groats and sprouted beans are used; flour is used in cosmetology. What are chickpea groats and flour? These are beans, ground to the desired consistency.

Sprouted beans

Sprouting chickpeas is easy. It is necessary to put the beans in a small container in a thin layer and cover with water. You need a little water - until the chickpeas are completely hidden, as the seeds absorb moisture, it must be added. The sprouts appear after a few days.

Sprouted beans help improve the digestive tract

A tablespoon of germinated seeds is crushed and poured into a glass of boiling water, filtered after half an hour, divided into four doses and drunk before meals. This infusion helps prevent the appearance of kidney stones, is the prevention of diabetes and vascular atherosclerosis. When fighting poisoning and constipation, you should use a decoction of two tablespoons of germinated seeds. They are boiled in 0.5 liters of water for 15 minutes. The filtered infusion is taken in small doses 3-4 times a day.

General improvement of the body

The beneficial properties of the product largely depend on how the chickpeas are prepared. To cleanse the body and prevent diseases, it is useful to eat soaked beans. They are poured with water at the rate of 1: 2 and left overnight. You can eat both whole grains and mashed potatoes. It is recommended to take it throughout the week, followed by a weekly break. To improve immunity, it is recommended to use chickpea-based cereals. Adding celery, almonds, or radish oil to the porridge will help cure bronchitis and cough.

Cosmetology

Cosmetic masks use chickpea flour and water in which the grains are soaked. It is believed that such water is a remedy for gum inflammation, it is also used to rinse hair against hair loss.

Mask with chickpea flour will restore skin elasticity

A mask based on chickpea flour will help you to acquire a healthy color and elasticity of the skin of the face and neck. To prepare it you will need:

• 3 tablespoons of fat sour cream;
• 3 tablespoons chickpea flour;
• 0.5 teaspoon honey;
• 1 quail egg.

The ingredients are mixed until smooth and applied to previously cleansed skin for 20 minutes, then washed off with warm water.

How to collect and store correctly

The beans ripen evenly without cracking or falling off.Depending on the variety, the time when you need to harvest may differ - the growing season takes from 80 to 120 days. The beans are plucked, opened and the seeds taken out.

After peeling, the peas are dried. In sunny weather, this can be done outdoors. The dried product is stored in a dry and cool place (from 0 to –5 ° C) for a year.

Important! Chickpea absorbs any odor well, so it is separated from spices and other sources.

Optimal storage in a metal or glass container, which is tightened with a cloth instead of a lid.

Features of the preparation of chickpeas. Popular recipes

Unlike its pea counterpart, chickpeas have a neutral taste with a slight nutty flavor. This allows the product to be used in any category of food: from soups to desserts. It is traditionally used in oriental cuisine. The most famous dish made from chickpeas is the eastern appetizer hummus, which is a national dish of the Middle East countries, known since the 13th century. The recipes for chickpea dishes presented in this review will help you simply and tasty diversify your usual menu.

How and how much to cook chickpeas

Chick peas have one major drawback as a food product. It takes a lot of time to cook it. And before boiling chickpeas, it should be soaked in cold water. This will soften the hard shell of the beans and shorten the boil time. A glass of chickpeas requires 4 glasses of water. It is a mistake to assume that the more the beans are soaked, the softer they will be. The maximum soaking time is 12 hours, the product after this procedure is cooked for about an hour and a half.

Chickpeas are soaked in cold water before boiling.

HELPFUL ADVICE!

The optimal soaking time for chickpeas is 4 hours. Then the cooking time will be approximately 40 minutes.

In order for the grains to boil, they need to be salted at the end of cooking, and a pinch of soda can be added to the water for soaking. You need to cook chickpeas step by step as follows:

1. Place the previously soaked grains in a container, add water and put on fire.
2. After boiling, remove the resulting foam.
3. After a few minutes, drain the water, rinse the beans. This will remove difficult-to-digest ingredients from the grains.
4. Continue to cook in clean water over low heat for 40 minutes.
5. At the end of cooking, season with salt, add spices to taste.

The best recipe for making chickpea hummus at home

Hummus is a pasty snack widespread in the East. For cooking you will need:

• 200 g chickpeas;
• 20 ml lemon juice;
• 40 ml olive oil;
• 10 g cumin;
• 10 g paprika;
• 80 g tahini (ground roasted sesame seeds).

The chick peas are soaked in water and cooked until cooked. The beans are ground together with olive oil. For a thinner consistency, you can add a little of the liquid in which the beans were cooked. Add tahini to the resulting mass, grind until smooth. The resulting paste is seasoned with spices and mixed.

Hummus is the most popular dish in Israel

Hummus is served with tortillas, boiled eggs and fresh vegetables. Garlic can be added to the hummus if desired. For 200 g, 1 clove is enough, you need to add it during the initial grinding of the beans with olive oil.

Lean and meaty chickpea soups

Puree soup with bacon will appeal to lovers of spicy cuisine. To prepare this dish, you need 200 g of beans. They are pre-soaked and set to cook. 200 g of bacon, 2 cloves of garlic, rosemary are fried in olive oil. Add finely chopped leeks, celery stalks, chili pod and salt to the bacon. The vegetables are stewed until tender and whipped with a blender along with boiled chickpeas. The bacon remains intact to garnish the dish.

Creamy soup looks like hummus

To prepare lean soup, you will need 4 medium potatoes, 150 g of chickpeas, carrots, onions, bell peppers, salt, seasoning to taste.The beans are soaked for several hours, then boiled over low heat. After 30 minutes, chopped potatoes are added to them. When the potatoes are boiled, pre-fried onions, carrots and peppers are added to the soup. After this, the soup should be cooked for a few more minutes.

Planting and growing at home

Chickpeas are self-pollinated, which makes it easier to grow in the garden. It tolerates a drop in temperature and summer drought well, therefore it grows successfully in various regions. Adhering to the basic recommendations to plant and grow this culture is within the power of even novice gardeners.

Location and climatic conditions

For sowing, any open sunny area is suitable, which must be cleared of perennial weeds. Chickpeas can be grown after any crop and will make themselves one of the best precursors for most plants.

Did you know? The root system of the plant includes nodules with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which increase soil fertility and increase yields of the following crops. Chickpeas are often used for green manure plantings.

Sowing is carried out in early spring, when the soil warms up to +5 ° C. Late autumn sowing is also possible in regions with mild winters. The culture can winter in the form of seedlings under the snow, for a short period withstanding temperatures down to –25 ° C.

After the snow melts, the sprouts can withstand a cold snap down to –16 ° С, while adult plants can withstand –8 ° С.

During flowering and setting of beans, the optimum temperature is + 20 ... + 22 ° С. The culture is characterized by increased drought tolerance, and excessive moisture can lead to ascochitosis, late flowering and ovary shedding.

Soil and seed preparation

The soil on the site must be loosened. The seed is cleaned and sorted, leaving the peas of the same size. Before sowing, peas can be soaked in water or the bacterial preparation nitragin.

Important! Only fresh seeds are used, since germination is lost the next year.

Plants can be sown thickened, at intervals of 15–20 cm.

The depth depends on the quality of the soil:

• seeds are buried in a sufficiently moistened ground by 6–8 cm;
• average humidity - 9-10 cm;
• in dry soil, peas are placed to a depth of 15 cm, after moistening the top layer.

Using seeds of the same size and even deepening allows you to get friendly shoots.

Watering and fertilizing

Chickpeas do not require frequent watering and can easily endure the dry summer months. Watering should not be completely ruled out as it significantly increases crop yields. The most important periods for moisture control are the flowering and ovary stages.

You can feed chickpeas with phosphorus and potash fertilizers, but it grows well on poor soils.

Loosening and weeding

Sprouted weeds are removed manually as they emerge. By loosening, a possible crust is removed after watering or rain.