Legumes made easy: Speed up prep with baking soda boost
Everyone knows that beans are a great source of protein, fibre, and vitamins. The only problem? They take a long time to prepare. However, it's better not to exclude them from your diet for such a trivial reason. There are ways to shorten the soaking time for beans and other legumes.
Dishes made with beans, lentils, and other legumes are becoming increasingly popular, mainly because of their high protein content, making them an excellent meat substitute in a vegetarian diet. Another advantage is that they are filling. They are perfect for warming one-pot dishes that we often prepare in the autumn. The only problem? Legumes need to be soaked beforehand. But not necessarily.
Legumes will be ready faster
Beans are not only tasty and rich in protein but also time-consuming to prepare. Standard soaking of beans requires 8-12 hours, but this time can be shortened. All it takes is using bicarbonate of soda. It helps soften the skins of beans, peas, or lentils, speeding up the cooking process. Bicarbonate of soda, usually associated with baking, makes cooking legumes much easier.
The skins soften faster
If the recipe calls for soaking beans overnight or for several hours, using bicarbonate of soda can reduce this time to about an hour. Simply cover the beans with water and add a pinch of bicarbonate of soda. Then place the bowl with beans in the microwave and cook on high power for 10 minutes. After this time, remove the bowl and let it sit for 30-40 minutes. You can also add bicarbonate of soda during cooking. This way, the bean skins will soften faster, and the beans will become softer and creamier.
It will be easier to digest
It's often said that beans and other legumes cause bloating due to fermenting polysaccharides in the intestines. Bicarbonate of soda breaks down these sugars, making beans easier to digest. To achieve this effect, add 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda per litre of water.
