What do Chickpeas taste like? We will explore more about these versatile Chickpeas. These types of nuts can be added to various foods and can even be ground into flour, or crushed to make hummus. Ok, let’s explore more about Chickpeas.
For those of you who are curious about the taste, we will share with you what Chickpeas taste like here. Let’s start!
What are Chickpeas?
Chickpeas are also known as garbanzo beans, they are still a type of legume. This plant is still in the same family as several other types such as peanuts, soybeans, kidneybeans, lentils, and nuts.
Talking about nutrition, Chickpeas provide a lot of protein, their richness in protein makes Chickpeas a food that is widely used in Middle Eastern, Indian dishes, and is often found in the diet of vegetarians and vegans who live in the Mediterranean area.
What Do Chickpeas Look Like?
To get to know Chickpeas better, we will describe these beans. Chickpeas are beans with a round shape, slightly larger than peas and cream in color. If not cooked, these nuts feel hard and cannot be eaten raw because they contain poison. This poison will be released during the cooking process, so you should eat Chickpeas after they are cooked.
Chickpeas are green and red, but cream colored ones are the most common.
What do Chickpeas Taste Like?
If you ask what chickpeas taste like, maybe if you know the taste of fennel, you will also know the taste of chickpeas. The taste is mildly spicy and almost bland.
The mild taste can be dominated by the spices you use in the recipe. So you have to really know the portion sizes of the ingredients you use so that the taste of the chickpeas doesn’t get lost in the dish.
So, the taste of chickpeas in cooking depends on how you cook them, if you cook them with curry, then the taste will be absorbed.
Meanwhile, when used in soft sweet dishes, the sweet taste will be overpowered by the light spicy taste.
Are Chickpeas Healthy?
Yes, chickpeas are considered one of the healthiest foods. Rich in essential nutrients including being a storehouse of fiber, protein and vitamins.
Chickpeas are also a food rich in minerals such as iron, folate, magnesium, all of which provide support for your heart health. The benefits for health are enormous, if you enrich this information, you can read it at healthline.com
Chickpea Variations
Chickpeas are not just a type, there are two variations of the chickpeas plant. These are Deli and Kabuli. This type of Kabuli is often found in the United States, it is large, round and has a light color, and has a smooth surface.
While the Deli type of chickpeas is a smaller type than Kabuli, the colors vary; there are brown, dark brown, spotted, black, the taste is earthier and the outer surface is rough compared to Kabuli.
Deli types of chickpeas are often found in Indian cuisine and in Middle Eastern food.
How are Chickpeas Used?
Chickpeas are versatile beans, you don’t only use chickpeas in making hummus or falafel, but chickpeas are an ingredient that must also be present in other foods such as soups, stews, salads, cruuries. It contributes a lot of protein, fiber and provides a mild taste.
Chickpeas are also delicious when roasted, or seasoned to eat as a snack. Apart from that, chickpeas are also ground to make flour and used in baked goods such as cakes and desserts.
It is truly a versatile, healthy food and makes a nutritional addition to many recipes.
Substitutes for Chickpeas
If you want to make a recipe that requires you to use chickpeas and you don’t have stock or savings. So you can use a substitute for chickpeas, there are some of the best substitutes for chickpeas including lentils, black beans, cannellini beans, pinto beans, or using kidney beans.
These are all beans in the same family, they are legumes that have the same texture and can be used as a substitute in most recipes that use chickpeas.
As an alternative, you can use pureed vegetables such as sweet potatoes, butternut squash as a substitute for chickpeas in various recipes that require you to use soft ingredients such as hummus or falafel. So, a versatile jam, chickpeas are also easy to replace. We usually substitute black beans because we find them easier than chickpeas.
For those of you who really want to know what chickpeas taste like in a dish, then you really have to look for them and use them in cooking without replacing them with other ingredients. It’s true that the taste is somewhat similar, but the taste of chickpeas still has its differences, it has a subtle spicy and subtle sweet taste, but between the two the spicy taste is more dominant.
Dried vs Canned Chickpeas: Which is Better?
The difference between dried chickpeas and circles is the way they are processed. Dried chickpeas are a type of chickpeas that have not been processed and are raw chickpeas that have been packaged. The price of dried chickpeas is easier but you should not eat them raw but after cooking them. Cooking dried chickpeas requires a soaking process and then cooking using various recipes.
Meanwhile, canned chickpeas are a type of chickpeas that is ready to eat, has been cooked and processed in such a way that it lasts a long time in the can. For those of you who want to eat canned chickpeas, just open the can and it’s ready to eat. But the price of canned chickpeas is much more expensive than dried chickpeas. The option is in your hands, both are healthy. We prefer to prepare dried chickpeas ourselves using our ancestors’ recipes.
To be healthier, one thing you have to pay attention to when you want to eat canned chickpeas. Open the can, rinse thoroughly to get rid of excess contain of sodium.
How to Cook Dried Chickpeas
You can cook dried chickpeas in a large pot, pressure cooker, or use an instant pot.
Before cooking, make sure the chickpeas are clean, so rinse them first with cold water, transfer them to a large bowl because soaked chickpeas can expand. Cover with a few inches of water, let it soak for a few hours or for better you can soak it overnight. Then rinse once again with running water.
Next, the chickpeas are ready to be cooked, you can cook them with the various equipment you have. Here are several ways to cook chickpeas using several cooking tools.
How to cook dried chickpeas on top of the stove
Take the chickpeas that have been soaked overnight, put them in a large pot and add water until it covers all the chickpeas. Bring to a boil over high heat and reduce. Boil in a little water until tender and this usually takes one hour.
How to cook dried chickpeas in a pressure cooker
You are using an instant pot here, place the soaked chickpeas in the instant pot, cook on high pressure for up to 15 minutes, and release the pressure for 8 or 10 minutes.
How to cook chickpeas in a slow cooker
The chickpeas that have been soaked, transfer to a slow cooker and cover with water. Cook the beans on low for 8 hours or cook on high for 4 hours.
When the chickpeas are cooked, drain them and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Info: The time needed to cook chickpeas varies depending on several factors, including moisture, softness, if you want the chickpeas to taste very soft, then the cooking time is also longer.
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Foods and Flavors that Pair Well with Chickpeas
There are several foods that are suitable for pairing with Chickpeas, here are some herbs and other ingredients that are often suitable for pairing with Chickpeas.
- Herbs and spices: basil, cardamom, bay leaf, cayenne, chives, cilantro, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, fennel, garam masala, curry powder, garlic, rosemary, turmeric, paprika, ginger, parsley, sage, lemon thyme, and mint.
- Juice: Apple, lemon
- Vegetables: Carrots, red bell peppers, cucumbers, chili peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes
- Meat: Chicken, pork, shrimp,
- Feta cheese, and prosciutto
- Greens, salads, spinach, arugula
- Whole Grains: rice, couscous, bulgur
- Olive oil
- Sesame seeds
- Olives
- Raisins
- Onions
- Scallions, garlic
- Vinegar
- Stews and Soups
- Cuisines: Mediterranean, Mexican and Middle Eastern.
For a better taste, try combining chickpeas with the following herbs:
- Chickpeas + Cilantro + Olive Oil + Garlic + Tomato
- Chickpeas + Garlic + Olive Oil + Lemon Juice + Parsely
- Chickpeas + Mint + Garlic + Lemon Juice
