Why cook dried chickpeas? Simple: They’re hands-down better than canned.
Here’s how to make perfect chickpeas every time. And remember, beans of all kinds are great to freeze and use later, so make a big batch!
Ingredients
- 1 lb dried chickpeas
- 1 peeled onion, halved
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided use
- 1 sachet d’épices (containing 8 cracked black peppercorns, 5 parsley stems, 2 bay leaves, 1 sprig thyme, and 1 garlic clove)
- Remove any pebbles and discolored beans and rinse several times. In a 6-quart, cover the chickpeas with 4 inches cold water, and discard any beans that float. Add 2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil over high heat for 2 minutes, skimming off any foam. Remove from the heat and soak at room temperature for 1 hour. Drain and rinse, discarding the water.
- Cover the chickpeas again with cold water by 4 inches in the same saucepan. Add the onion, salt, and the sachet d’épices.
- Bring the water to a boil, adjust the heat to medium-low, and simmer until tender, skimming off any foam, 2 to 2 1/2 hours, adding water as necessary to maintain depth.
- Cool in the cooking liquid at room temperature for 1 hour. The chickpeas can be cooked 3 days in advance. Store in the cooking liquid wrapped in the refrigerator.
1 lb of dried chickpeas yields about 2 lb cooked.
