Beans & Chickpeas

Beans and chickpeas are the whole, unsplit side of dals and pulses. Because the seed coat stays on, they need soaking and longer cooking, but they hold their shape through a long simmer and give a curry real bite. Dried pulses also keep far longer than tinned ones, and let you decide the salt and the texture yourself.

Chickpeas, or kabuli chana, are for chole, chana masala and hummus. Kala chana, the smaller brown desi chickpea, is for Navratri prasad, sundal and Sri Lankan kadala. Rajma and dried beans covers kidney beans, black eyed beans, moth beans and East African favourites such as rosecoco. Dried peas are for ragda, mushy peas and yellow split pea dhal, and horse gram, or kollu, is the flat brown bean of Tamil rasam and chutney.

Soak most beans for eight to twelve hours in plenty of cold water, drain, and cook them in fresh water. Red kidney beans must then boil hard for at least ten minutes before simmering, because the raw bean contains a natural toxin that only proper boiling destroys. Old chickpeas that stay stubbornly hard soften better with a pinch of bicarbonate of soda in the soaking water.

Choose small packs to try a new bean and larger bags for the ones your family cooks every week. Whole pulses keep for a year in an airtight container in a cool cupboard.