Asia, how to cook chickpeas a rarer black variety, kala chana, also grows in Puglia and Basilicata in Italy where they are called ceci neri. You can buy chickpeas both dried and pre-cooked in cans. Dried chickpeas are available in different sizes and can be variable in quality while large castellano garbanzos are grown in Southern Spain.
Canned or jarred chickpeas just need to be reheated if you are eating them in a hot dish, or can be used straight from the can for a recipe like hummus. Like dried chickpeas, they vary in quality and size, as do some of the jarred varieties from Spain. Buying canned chickpeas will also give you aqua faba, or chickpea water, which can be used to make vegan meringues. Like other pulses, chickpeas can also be a budget food, especially if you buy them dried and cook them yourself.
Home-cooked chickpeas can be frozen for later use. Depending on where you buy your chickpeas from, you may need to sort through them first and remove any stones or discoloured ones. Slow soaking dried chickpeas: Tip them into a bowl and cover with cold water, and use plenty of water as they will swell as they soak. Leave overnight or for 8-12 hours to absorb water and swell. Adding bicarbonate of soda can help the soaking process, especially if you live in a hard water area.
It will soften the skins and, if you are making hummus, give a lighter, smoother result. Use 1 tbsp per 500g dried chickpeas. Turn off the heat and leave to soak for 1 hour. How long your chickpeas will take to cook will depend on how long they have been dried and stored for. Drain your soaked chickpeas and tip them into a pan.
