How to sprout chickpeas ? And why you should too ?

HOW TO SPROUT CHICKPEAS ?

AND WHY YOU SHOULD TOO

by Jasmin

If you’re on a vegan diet chickpeas have probably become your best friend; or you’re on the verge of becoming best friends. It is one of these healthy foods that are available at all time, everywhere at an affordable price. Chickpeas are rich in manganese, folate, copper, phosphorous, iron, magnesium , zinc and – obviously- proteins. Furthermore, chickpeas contains 8 essentials amino acids. Asides its nutritional benefits, they taste delicious on their own ! Not only they taste good, but also goes with everything. Chickpeas are the ”Ditto” of the legume world. In short they’re healthy and delicious. So ”what’s the catch ?” you may ask. The catch is…they make you fart and bloat and NO O-N-E like that obviously [except maybe the Jackass crew]. So on my ”how to live bloat-free” journey, I stumped upon the sprouting concept and since then sprouted chickpeas have never left my kitchen.

Why legumes cause bloating and gas?

Beans (or legumes) contain a particular type of non-digestible carbohydrate that requires a specific type of enzyme to break down. Since the human body lacks that enzyme, the non-digestible carbohydrate can pass through the stomach and small intestine undigested to enter the large intestine, where it’s broken down by gut bacteria. Which results in gases production and therefore flatulence and bloating.

Why sprout your chickpeas ?

All I needed is these 2 reasons:

Sprouting neutralises the anti-nutrients causing the bloating which makes them easier to digest. Therefore NO BLOATING NO FARTING ! (or just a little bitty)
Sprouting increases and improves the nutritional value of chickpeas.

How to sprout chickpeas ?

Soak the chickpeas in water for at least 12 hours or overnight. The chickpeas will double in size so choose a large enough bowl.

*Place dried chickpeas in a large container.*

The next day (or after 12 hours), strain the chickpeas and rinse them with fresh water.

*^{Step 2: straining and rinsing the chickpeas after 12 h of soaking.}*

Spread the chickpeas on a large glass dish and cover it with a cotton kitchen towel as shown in picture below.

*^{Step 3: spread the chickpeas in a large plate and cover with cotton kitchen towel.}*

Now all you have to do is rinse the chickpeas twice a day (once in the morning and once in the evening), strain them and put them back into the dish.
After 2 – 3 days your sprouted chickpeas will be ready for cooking !

How to cook sprouted chickpeas ?

Rinse the sprouted chickpeas one last time and put them in a pot, fill with water, put the lid on and allow to cook on low heat for 2 hours or until they’re tender. Otherwise you use a slow cooker if you have one. Allow them to cool down.

*^{Step 5: cooking the sprouted chickpeas.}*

How to store sprouted chickpeas ?

You either freeze them raw in zip bags until needed then cook them as mentioned previously. Or cook them first then transfer them along with their juice (aka aquafaba) into a glass jar and store in the fridge up to 14 days. Mind changing the liquid mid way with fresh water and salt. You can also fil zip bags and freeze them cooked until needed.

*^{Storing the cooked sprouted chickpeas in a glass container or freeze in a zip bag.}*

How to eat sprouted chickpeas ?

Sprouted chickpeas are used similarly to regular canned or fresh chickpeas. Blend them to a creamy hummus, throw them in stews, in couscous sauce and tagines, or grill them with spices as snack. It’s up to you really. Enjoy them as you feel like it !