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Cooking Pulses
Appears in
Published 1991
It is important to boil some pulses for the first 10 minutes to destroy any potential toxins that may be present, but after that reduce the heat to a gentle simmer so they soften without breaking up. Simmering times in the chart are approximate because older pulses take longer to cook. Aduki, black-eyed, borlotti, kidney and soya beans specifically require vigorous preboiling to destroy toxins but it does no harm to preboil all pulses.
- Put the soaked pulses into a saucepan and cover with at least 4 times the volume of cold water. Add herbs, onion slices or diced carrots. Bring to the boil. Boil hard for 10 minutes and skim off any scum. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until tender (left). Top up with boiling water, if necessary. Drain, discard the flavorings and season. Toss with olive oil or vinaigrette if serving cold in salads.
