Do you always feel dissatisfied with how your beans look after spending so much time and resource in a bid to satisfy your stomach’s craving for a plate of hot beans on a Saturday morning?
I used to feel the same way but, in my case, not only was I always dissatisfied with the look of my beans, the worms in my stomach always gave a resentful sound, lol.
That wasn’t my fault, I just didn’t know how to go about it.
Beans are a delicious and nutritious food that can be enjoyed in many different ways. Whether you like them in chili, soup, or as a side dish, with your cereals, beans are a great way to add protein and fiber to your diet.
Depending on their age, size and variety, beans can take between 40 mins to 2 hours to cook. Hey don’t fret!
Here’s how to cook your soft beans and make neighbours line up at your doorstep just to have a taste.
- Pick/sort your beans: To remove small stones or debris mixed in with dried beans, you would need to use a tray to help pick your beans faster. You don’t want your teeth to munch on stones while you’re enjoying your meal, right? So, pick the dirt in your raw beans.
- Rinse your beans well before cooking: Whether it’s a canned-beans you’re using or raw beans, be sure to rinse properly before cooking.
- Place the sorted beans in a large pot and cover them with water: Beans will expand as they cook, so it’s important to use a large pot so they have plenty of room to grow. If you’re using a pressure cooker, be sure to add enough water to cover the beans by 1 inch.
- Try adding some slices of onions to the pot of beans: The onion slices will help alter the protein bonds that make beans resistant to heat, and as a result, your beans will soften quickly, saving your time and cooking gas.
- Don’t add salt to the water when you’re cooking the beans. Salt can toughen the beans and make them take longer to cook
- Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the beans are tender. If you’re using a pressure cooker, cook the beans for 15-20 minutes, or until they’re tender. If you’re short on time, you can use canned beans instead of dried beans.
- If you have added too much quantity of water, you might want to let the beans cool slightly before you drain them.
- Once the beans are well cooked, add a little quantity of salt that suits the quantity of beans that you cooked. Just a pinch of salt to taste.
- Now, if you wish to add your soft beans to your favorite recipes, with your cereal, say rice or enjoy them on their own, now, you can bring your pot of hot and delicious beans down from fire and serve while your neighbors salivate.
- However, you can also choose to add the seasonings of your choice to your beans to give them different flavors.
- Who says you cannot dice your ripe plantain into your cooked beans, add a little palm oil and pepper, and simmer for 2 minutes to have your favorite beans porridge? You’ll love it.
Always smile ☺ 