Dried beans, peas, and lentils make up a large part of the plant-based diet. They are full of satiating fiber, good-quality protein, and health-promoting phytochemicals. Most people shy away from cooking their own because opening a can seems so much easier, but once you get into the habit, you’ll see that it takes little time and the benefits are many.
1. Select your legume: Choose organic whenever possible, and look for beans or peas that are relatively uniform in size and colour. Do a quick sort and discard any legumes that are cracked or broken, and any stones or debris.
2. Give the legumes a good rinse in a colander under cold running water.
3. Pour the legumes into a pot and cover them with a few centimetres of recently boiled water (warm water will also help break down indigestible starches). Add a couple of tablespoons of acid, such as lemon juice or apple cider vinegar (2 tablespoons for each 1 cup legumes). Soak for 8 to 12 hours. Drain, rinse again, and return to the (clean) pot.
4. Cover the legumes with plenty of fresh water; it should reach at least 5 centimetres above the legumes themselves. Add a piece of kombu, 8 to 10 centimetres long, to the pot. (Kombu, an edible seaweed, has the unique ability to neutralize gas-producing compounds in beans.) Cover, bring to a boil, and skim off any foam that rises to the top. Reduce the heat and simmer until the beans are tender soft but not mushy.
Remove from the heat and add salt: at least 1 tablespoon for each cup of beans, or more to your taste. (Adding salt before this point will prevent the beans from cooking.) Keep the beans covered and let them soak in the salty water for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours. Drain, and rinse to remove any excess salt and loose skins. Although most recipes will tell you not to soak lentils and split peas, I always recommend doing so. It will greatly aid digestion and drastically reduce the cooking time. The chart below indicates the different soaking times.
