Small Beans
Small legumes including
split peas, lentils and mung beans (or their shelled version known as
mung dal) are quick to cook and great for when you want a bean dish but
don’t have the time to wait for larger beans to cook.
Ingredients
1 cup beans
3 cups water
Half teaspoon salt or one
bullion cube (optional)
Directions
Start by washing the
beans. With these smaller legumes it gets pretty hard to effectively
sort them like we did with their larger cousins, so settle for rinsing
them thoroughly in warm water.
Put the beans and water
into a pot or saucepan. Choose a pot that’s big enough to accommodate
all of your ingredients and still be no more that two-thirds full. Bring
to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 30-60 minutes depending on
your altitude, the size of your beans and the desired softness. The
beans will swell a great deal, so keep an eye on the water to make sure
you’ve got enough so the beans don’t stick to the bottom of the pot.
With shelled beans (like
split peas or mung dal) you can go ahead and add some salt or bullion
during cooking. You can sometimes get away with it with lentils and
un-shelled mung beans, but usually only if you’re going to be cooking
them pretty thoroughly. To play it safe, wait until the beans are
finished before adding salt or bullion to taste.
The beans are now ready
to be added to your favorite recipe!
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