Comments on: Kabuli Chana / Chole

By: Valerie

Valerie — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 14:54:12 +0000

Sorry this is such a late response.

I enjoy the taste of dried chickpeas that have been soaked and cooked, much better than the canned variety. Canned ones have a disgusting, salt laden liquid, which is unhealthy and has to be washed off thoroughly.

Having said that, I have been know to used canned when in a hurry, but when my life is in that much of a hurry, then I have to reassess it to accomodate the pleasure of preparing, cooking, and eating good food.

By: Sarika

Sarika — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 14:09:06 +0000

Soak chickpeas overnight and next day cook them in pressure cooker. Add little baking soda to it in pressure cooker and let it cook for 3-4 whistles.
Adding baking soda cooks them fast. Later on cooked chickpeas can be freezed.

By: saloni

saloni — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:20:54 +0000

I actually soak the chick peas overnight and then cook them in a pressure cooker with enough water for about 15 mins or so or if the cooker has a whistle cook until 4 whistles It turns out quite well ie soft.

By: Gary

Gary — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:41:42 +0000

Soak the chickpeas in heavily salted water overnight. The salt softens the skin. when you are ready to cook, rinse them well. I saute onions and garlic and then add a few peppercorns and bay leaves. Then add the chickpeas in water and simmer for about 45 minutes. I save some of the water to use in other dishes later. Drain and use in other recipes.

By: Aaron J. Grier

Aaron J. Grier — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 22:15:17 +0000

cooking time of dried legumes in a pressure cooker is highly dependent on mineral content (hardness) of your water. if you have hard water, soaking and cooking times are much longer than if you have soft water. you might want to repeat your experiment with de-mineralized water if you have access to a cheap source. (RO/DI filtered)

By: Fatima

Fatima — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:08:06 +0000

cook in a pressure cooker for about (5 minutes on full)

By: Shilpa

Shilpa — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 03:05:41 +0000

Hi,
After soaking dry chickpeas over night, you can freeze them in batches(as per your consumption) in freezer in ziploc bags. for a couple of month they ll be perfectly fine for use.
thanks

By: Jaya

Jaya — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 02:35:53 +0000

Don’t be surprised if the first run through the pressure cooker is not enough to soften them sufficiently. You may need to do a second pressure cooking to get them soft like the ones in a can. Trial and error will probably get it to the point you know how long to cook them on the first try and not need to do the pressure cooker a second time.

And yes, they are definitely cheaper than canned. I would be curious to know how they survive a stay in the freezer!

By: Bryan

Bryan — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 02:03:51 +0000

Hi Jaya, thank you for your response.
I’ll try the pressure cooker – dried chickpeas are sooo much cheaper.
I might also try freezing them once cooked, for convenience

By: Jaya

Jaya — Sun, 17 May 2009 17:27:12 +0000

Dried chickpeas are a hassle. They have to soak overnight (8 to 10 hours) and then be cooked in a pressure cooker.

I don’t think they go stale, but you do need to use a pressure cooker.

I have given into using canned chickpeas.