What is it?
Chickpeas, Garbanzo beans, Indian peas, Hummus, Ceci bean, Bengal gram and many more are all names for the same thing.
That thing is very small, very hard and very nutritious. Probably most commonly known as either Chickpea or Garbanzo bean, the biggest producer of this bean is India, closely followed by Pakistan and Turkey. For this article I’ll refer to it as the Chickpea.
Chickpeas are a very ancient legume - with proof of it’s use back in 4500BC! As mentioned, it is a legume, a bean - from the fabaceae family. Usually a little larger than a pea and brown in colour - it also comes in other colours such as red, black, and green as well. They can usually be purchased dry or tinned from your local supermarket.
What value does it have?
1 cup of cooked chickpeas contains over 50% of your recommended daily intake of cholesterol-lowering fiber.
1 cup of cooked chickpeas contains over 25% of your recommended daily intake of almost fat-free protein.
1 cup of cooked chickpeas contains over 25% of your recommended daily intake of iron.
AS well as these amazing benefits, chickpeas also contain a lot of nutrients like: phosphorus, copper, tryptophan, folate, manganese, and molybdenum. And 1 cup of cooked chickpeas is only 268 calories!
Want to lower your heart attack risk or cholesterol levels, stabilize blood sugar or increase your protein intake while keeping the fat away? Add chickpeas into your diet. Chickpeas have been cultivated and used in cooking for 7000 thousand years without any negative effects. However, experts warn that individuals susceptible to purine related issues such as gout should avoid excessive intake of chickpeas.
So how do I include it in my diet?
Since chickpeas come either dried or tinned, it is up to personal taste/price/preference which one you use. I personally use dried because they are cheaper, and I don’t have to worry about what to do with half a tin of chickpeas. However, dried chickpeas require more work. They need to be soaked before they can be cooked or they will be too hard to eat. I usually put them in a saucepan with a lot of water and bring it to the boil. Then I lower it so it simmers for a long time until the chickpeas are soft. They will expand to about 1.5 times the original size. Other ways are to soak them in cold water overnight - it keeps more nutrients in.
Once they are soft enough to chew without breaking a tooth, they are ready to be cooked with. My favorite is to fry them.
Chop an onion finely and sautee in olive oil. Add garlic and herbs to taste. Once onions are beginning to brown, add drained chickpeas. Fry until beginning to brown or to taste.
For fresh homemade hummus: puree 1-2 cups of soaked chickpeas with onion, olive oil, tahini and lemon juice.
Also add soaked chickpeas to stews, casseroles, soups, and pasta sauces for extra flavor, protein, iron, and fiber.
Enjoy!
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