r ranson wrote:Chickpeas can be eaten raw, in the garden, while they are young. Apparently they are quite delicious, but I'm not fond of them. Some people may be sensitive to them.
I'm not keen on eating dry chickpeas raw. I find them too hard to digest if they haven't been cooked. Maybe that's why I don't like raw fresh chickpeas either.
Neat idea about using chickpea flour for humus. I was wondering just last night about how to make bean flour. I was also wondering how to use it without having the same digestive issue I have with raw or undercooked dry beans.
Well I have an idea for you on making bean flours. Soak the beans at least overnight, drain off the
water. Let them sit moist in container to allow for some "sprouting" to occur. This may take another day. Rinse them occasionally to be sure they stay moist. Then dry them thoroughly by dextrinizing them in a dry, unoiled
cast iron skillet. This is a process that is usually done with soaked rice until it is crackling/toasty (but not burned!) while stirring constantly till you hear it "pop". That dextrinization helps pre-cook the starches and make the rice cook faster, keep its shape (not become mushy) and easier to digest. I think it also improves the flavor. If you do the same with beans then you
should be able to grind them into flour/powder and use for baking. They will have reduced lectin content and be rendered easier to digest during the shorter cooking time in the
oven (typically when baking). I would make sure the recipe contained plenty of water - firstly as beans absorb a lot of water when cooking and second because you want to completely break down their starches and proteins as when cooking whole beans in a pot until soft. I would not use whole, unsoaked/unsprouted raw beans to make flour/powder and expect your body to handle them well over time. The gut bacteria cannot handle the starches or proteins well and it can lead to "leaky gut" and auto-immune symptom development over time. This gut compromise happens gradually so most people are not aware of what "caused" it. Gluten is another common culprit as well as the introduction of toxins into our food supply in recent years which is something our ancestors did not contend with typically from traditional organic farming practices.
Having recovered from "leaky gut" and "auto-immune" issues myself I now soak/sprout and thoroughly cook all organic beans, peas, lentils, whole grains/psuedograins and avoid gluten-containing grains altogether. The use of toxic sprays is becoming more common and must be avoided at all times since even "organic soil" is potentially contaminated by "overspray" or genetically modified seed and animal manures from the
feed that is given to ruminants.
I have found that cooking all legumes in neutral pH water is best. My well water tends to be slightly acidic 6.7 or 6.8 pH and so when I add a pinch of baking soda to the water it fizzes up a bit. This helps to neutralize the water's pH and enhances the cooking especially if the beans are old and possibly too dry and requiring more careful preparation and cooking. Undercooked beans are definitely not ideal for digestion or gut health or nutrition absorption. It is the lectins in the outer coating of all seeds that is difficult for humans to digest as we lack the enzymes of multi-stomached ruminants (who chew their cud). That is the reason it is best to avoid or reduce them as much as possible. Cooking also neutralized them so we do not eat raw beans (even if they were soaked/sprouted). The other issue is the phytates which are substances that all seeds/nuts contain in their outer skin which is what "preserves" them at normal storage temperature so they have "shelf life" and will not begin to grow until you are ready to plant them and then the water and warm, moist soil causes the release of the phytates and allowing the germ inside to activate to life. It is a Creator-design built into the seed which is marvelous indeed! Humans do not benefit from the phytates, so the soaking and rinsing washes it away before the cooking deactivates it and finishes breaking down the lectins further. Never tempt fate by eating raw or undercooked kidney beans which contain a toxic compound that must be cooked in order to deactivate it. Never make raw bean flour from kidney beans. I do not know of a way to make a safe kidney bean flour. I would not try to make raw fava bean flour either, as it also contains a chemical compound that is toxic to many people (a genetic issue), and always undigestible unless its proteins are thoroughly cooked before eating. I do not think it possible to add these raw flours to most baking recipes and to cook with sufficient liquid and for sufficient time to achieve optimum nutrition/health. I have cooked raw garbanzo flour on the stove top with sufficient water to make a gooey thin paste which then thickens as it cooks. This must be stirred constantly and becomes like wallpaper paste and very hard to stir for a long
enough time until it pulls away from the sides of the pot - a good 45 -60 minutes. It changes flavor/consistency completely and the taste is delicious after it is shaped into patties with salt and seasonings and fried in oil. The taste & texture is similar to fried whitefish when served with lemon. It is an Italian treat that is a lost
art, having been sold by "street vendors" typically in the 'barios'. Look for recipes called "panelli or panella" but be advised the modern versions skip the long cooking necessary to achieve the traditional taste and outcome. Buon appetito!