Need advice - cooking chickpeas

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have advice on cooking chickpeas? I love the chickpeas you get at Kabob places and Indian restaurants, but can never replicate them at home. Mine never get soft, even if I cook them on the stove for hours or all day in a crockpot.

[Anonymous]

I put them overnight in the crockpot and they are usually soft by morning. Every once in a while they need a couple more hours.

[Anonymous]

Perhaps this is heresy, but have you tried Goya garbanzo beans in the can?

[Anonymous]

Do you soak them first overnight? Soak them overnight, change the water, and cook for 45 minutes or so, depending on the texture you want.

[Anonymous]

My office is next to a woman from Sri Lanka who makes the best chickpeas. She soaks them overnight, changes the water, then boils them for 20 minutes. When they've finished cooking, put a little salt in the water and swish it around, then drain.

They're wonderful--the flavor is much more delicate than the canned ones. They even look better--brighter in color.

[Anonymous]

Never add salt before you have cooked them most/all the way through - otherwise they never soften.

[Anonymous]

I use dried chickpeas a lot and second the recommendation for not adding salt until they are very soft. I also cook them a long time, covered. Our Moroccan nanny cooks dried chickpeas for us too, and sometimes she adds a pinch of baking soda and that makes them super-soft.