Vegan for Life - Jack Norris [96]
Here are the steps to cooking dried beans:
1. Rinse the beans in a colander.
2. If you are soaking the beans, place them in a large pot or bowl with three cups of water for every cup of dried beans (that works out to about six cups of water for a pound of dried beans).
3. Allow beans to soak for at least four hours in the refrigerator. You can soak them for longer, and it’s easy to put them to soak before going to bed at night and cook them for dinner the next evening.
4. Drain and rinse the beans.
5. Place the beans in a large pot and add either vegetable broth (for very flavorful beans) or plain salted water. Add three cups of liquid for every cup of dried beans that were soaked. Bring the liquid to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until beans are tender—about one to two hours depending on the type of bean.
Cooked beans will keep in the refrigerator for four to five days. You can also freeze them. This will change their texture and taste slightly, but it’s a good way to make sure you always have beans on hand. Cooked beans will keep in the freezer for about six months.
Cooking Times for Beans
These cooking times are ballpark figures. Actual cooking time depends on the size of the bean and its freshness. (The beans that have been stored in your pantry for a couple of years will take much longer to cook!)
Type of bean Cooking time for soaked beans Cooking time for unsoaked beans
Baby lima beans 45 to 60 minutes
Black beans 1 to 1½ hours 2¼ to 2½ hours
Black-eyed peas 30 to 45 minutes 1½ to 1¾ hours
Cannellini beans 1 to 1¼ hours 1½ to 1¾ hours
Chickpeas 1½ to 2 hours 2½ to 3 hours
Great northern beans 1 to 1¼ hours 1½ to 1¾ hours
Navy beans 1 to 1¼ hours 1½ to 1¾ hours
Pinto beans 1 to 1¼ hours 1½ to 1¾ hours
Kidney beans 1 to 1¼ hours 1½ to 1¾ hours
Lentils 30 to 40 minutes
GRAINS
Grains are at the center of life throughout the world, and they have been since the beginning of agriculture—about 12,000 years ago. It’s fun to explore different grains, especially those used in different cultures.
Rice is the most popular grain in the world. Brown rice is much more healthful than white—but for traditional ethnic dishes, feel free to enjoy white rice on occasion if it fits the dish. Some favorites are basmati rice for Indian dishes, jasmine rice or sticky rice for Thai cuisine, or Arborio rice for creamy Italian risotto.
Other good grains to explore are barley, an old-fashioned favorite for soups; quinoa, which has been a staple in the Andes Mountains for centuries; fast-cooking couscous for Mediterranean salads; and chewy wheat berries for hearty winter stews.
Cooking Grains
Many cooks use rice cookers for all types of grains. They automatically shut off when cooking is complete and keep the food warm. If you cook a lot of grains, a rice cooker might be a worthwhile investment.
These instructions are for cooking grains on the stovetop. The time needed for different grains varies, but the technique is the same. For each cup of dry grain, bring two cups of water (or broth) to a boil. Add the grain, cover the pot with a lid, and lower the heat. Let simmer until all of the liquid is absorbed and the grain is tender. Here are cooking times for different grains:
Grain Cooking Time
Barley, hulled 1½ hours
Barley, pearled 50 minutes
Couscous 5 minutes
Quinoa* 15 minutes
Rice, white 20 minutes
Rice, brown 40 minutes
Wheat berries 2 hours
*Always give quinoa a thorough rinse before cooking. It is coated with a natural insecticide that won’t hurt you, but can give your dish a sort of soapy flavor.
VEGETABLES
Most of the work in preparing vegetables involves washing, peeling, paring, and chopping. If you don’t have time for fresh vegetables, frozen or even canned are perfectly healthy choices. Check the produce section of your supermarket for packages