By Ruvimbo jeche
Most people are too lazy to cook dried beans, they are just not patient to waddle through the soaking and prepping process. Yet all it takes is a little planning ahead for a time to soak the beans and then regular cook time as any other relish. I maybe biased but dried beans are some of my favourite foods from growing up in Zimabwe. If you plan a bit in advance, you can have a notorious side dish that you can have for breakfast, lunch and supper. Besides having to pre-soak them, dry beans are relatively easy to prepare.
Below is a simple recipe
Start with one pound (2 cups) of dry edible beans yields about 6 cups of cooked beans There are two steps to cooking dry beans — soaking and cooking:
Soaking Beans
Soaking beans allows the dried beans to absorb water, which begins to dissolve the starches that cause intestinal discomfort. While beans are soaking they are also doubling to tripling in their size. Importantly, soaked beans cook faster.
- Pick through the beans, discarding any discoloured or shrivelled beans or any foreign matter.
- Rinse the beans well.
- Place dry beans in a large container; for each pound (2 cups) beans, add 10 cups of cold water. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.
- Drain and rinse beans soaked by either method with fresh, cool water.
2. Cooking Beans
Cooking the beans makes them edible and digestible. Use cooked beans in your favourite recipes or refrigerate beans in shallow containers if they are to be eaten later. Freeze any extra beans within 4 days after cooking them.
When to add flavourings:
- Herbs and spices may be added any time, but it is recommended adding them towards the end to reduce flavour loss.
- Add acidic foods (lemon juice, vinegar, tomatoes, wine, etc.) after beans are cooked as these foods can prevent beans from becoming tender.