How to correctly cook garbanzo beans for Sundal?

Discussion in 'Recipe Central' started by troubledmom, Dec 7, 2012.

  1. troubledmom

    troubledmom Gold IL'ite

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    Hello to all expert cooks in IL :),

    I have gone through the recipes here, even tried a couple which was a big hit with my family. :) I'm very impressed by the cooking expertise available here. Now I am screwing up my courage to ask your help for a cooking problem I have had for long time so please dont laugh at me.:hide:

    This may sound stupid to you but I cant get garbanzo beans to cook correctly for Sundal which I love, love, love to eat. I have tried open or closed pan cooking, keeping for 1-3 whistles, with or without baking soda.

    In all cases either the sundal, the bean rather, feels like it is cooked when I test it (ie., squeeze 1-2 between my fingers) and keeps its shape but when I make sundal from that, the Sundal is kind of hard and chewy. I am not able to explain it better but you have to kind of press down a little and chew on it a little when you put in the mouth. Whoever eats says sundal is not properly made. :(

    Other case happens when I cook a little longer to avoid above situation, then the sundal gets cooked but it also loses its shape or disintegrates when I mix it around with the spoon and kind of gets pastey. I cant tell you how many times I have ended up making chole because of this!

    Help! How to cook the bean so it is fully cooked and keeps its shape (v important for sundal) yet melts like butter when you put in the mouth? Dear expert ILites, please share a foolproof recipe to cook it like that every time.


    Note: I dont use the canned beans. I buy the dried beans and soak overnight around 8-12 hours. After that what to do to make Sundal not chole? Please give procedure for raw soaked beans if you know the answer for this!

    Thanks!
     
    Last edited: Dec 7, 2012
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  2. pattumom

    pattumom Junior IL'ite

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    I live in the US too...I somehow feel beans don't cook the way they do in India. The reason definitely is that beans grown in the US are sold here. I usually soak overnight and pressure cook the next day with salt for 6-7 whistles...hope this helps.
     
  3. Topaz

    Topaz Silver IL'ite

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    First use good quality beans, then soak overnight and pressure cook for 15-25 mins with a large pinch of soda. Let the kondakalai/ chole cool completely before making sundal. Do not add salt while cooking the beans as this makes the exterior seed coat tough.
     
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  4. hemalathaK

    hemalathaK Platinum IL'ite

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    I soak it overnite and cook it in pressure pan for just a whistle with some salt. It's perfect for me and moreover I prefer it that way because I don't want to lose the fiber and antioxidants in it by overcooking. And we eat this almost nearly five days a week. I don't even temper it.

    Garbanzo beans are proven to be the best healthy diet for its high fiber and antioxidant properties.
     
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  5. troubledmom

    troubledmom Gold IL'ite

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    Thank you all so much for responding to my question. Reading all your inputs helped me realize exactly what I was doing wrong and to fix it. I didnt add the baking soda or salt this time and went for longer whistles while pressure cooking, 5-6 instead of 3. I left the beans in the water after pressure cooking till they cooled naturally. This was another tip that helped me. Previously I was not doing this. The beans kept their shape but were fully cooked. Thank you so much. Sundal came out perfect this time. :) :)
    Pattumom: I agree with you wholeheartedly. Food here just doesnt taste the same as in India. But now I have started reading labels and avoiding some things like HFCS, preservatives, color etc and found a difference. eg., now I buy the icecream made with real sugar instead of with hfcs or syrup and found there is a difference. You have to look carefully, the smaller companies will make and sell in small batches and it is more expensive but the taste is good. Some vegetables if you buy the organically grown kind, you will get the old taste in the curries.
     
    Last edited: Dec 9, 2012

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