On the Pulse - Cheap Easy Pulse Recipes (2024)

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Elaine Lemm

On the Pulse - Cheap Easy Pulse Recipes (1)

Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.

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Updated on 06/16/20

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A pulse is the edible seed of leguminous plants, sometimes eaten fresh but usually dried and includes all beans, peas, and lentils.They are high in protein, so good for vegetarians and a healthy choice for meat eaters alike. Pulses are a slow-release carbohydrate so help you to feel fuller for longer and also addfiberto your diet.

Importantly, dried pulses are cheapto buy and as they bulk out a meal,you can eat healthily and save money - great for feeding a family or cooking on a budget.

If you think pulses are boring then take a look at the recipes on the following pages. You may just change your mind.

  • 01 of 08

    Fresh Borlotti Bean and Tomato Soup Recipe

    On the Pulse - Cheap Easy Pulse Recipes (3)

    This Fresh borlotti bean and tomato soup recipe is delicious and easy to make, which is perfect for those chilly autumn days. The soup can be made throughout September when fresh borlotti beans are available and home-grown tomatoes are bursting with flavor. You can, of course, use other beans, such as cannellini or flageolet. Not able to get fresh, then use a tin.

    This lovely recipe comes from talented food writer Sybil Kapoor from her lovely book, The Great British Vegetable Cookbook.

  • 02 of 08

    Vegetable and Bean Soup Recipe

    On the Pulse - Cheap Easy Pulse Recipes (4)

    Vegetable and bean soup recipe is the perfect soup recipe for cold days when you need to be warm and nourished. What could be better than a bowl of soup and crusty bread to keep thechill-out? Thebean soupis packed with healthy vegetables and beans to sustain you through the cold weather. Serve a large bowl asthe maincourse, or a smaller portion as a starter.

  • 03 of 08

    Chilli Filled Yorkshire Pudding

    Yorkshire puddings are afavorite British food, especiallywith roast meatsfor Sunday lunch.Filled Yorkshirepuddings make great supper dishes for mid-week, or as an alternative to a roast on Sunday. The risen sides of the Yorkshire pudding turn it into a dish just waiting for a delicious filling. One of our favorite fillings is hot, spicychilicon carne for this chili filled Yorkshire pudding. The punch from the spices is calmed a little by the soft taste of the pudding batter. The chili uses minced/ground beef with lots of red kidney beans and canned tomatoes, good cheap and nutritious foods.

  • 04 of 08

    Chickpea Curry Recipe

    On the Pulse - Cheap Easy Pulse Recipes (6)

    Chickpea Curry not only tastes good it is packedwith healthy ingredients. It is quick and easy to make and is even better if made in advance and kept for a day before eating. ThisChickpea curry recipealso freezes very well so make a batch but omit the fresh coriander garnish until serving.

    Continue to 5 of 8 below.

  • 05 of 08

    Red Lentil and Tomato Soup Recipe

    On the Pulse - Cheap Easy Pulse Recipes (7)

    We all have favorite soup recipes and this red lentil and tomato soup recipe is one of mine. Is it so, so easy and takes very little time if you have some ready made stock.Red lentiland tomato soupisvery nutritious and another great reason for making this soup is, it is also relatively cheap to prepare.
    If you have stock in the freezer, now is the time to use it. No stock? It is fine to use a stock cube for this recipe. Usevegetable stockif you want avegetarian soup,otherwisechicken is good and I also like using thebrothfrom when I have cooked ham as long as it isn't too salty.

  • 06 of 08

    Homemade Baked Beans Recipe

    On the Pulse - Cheap Easy Pulse Recipes (8)

    Opening a can ofbaked beansand serving hot on toast is the ultimate, tasty, fast food.Home baking beansaddanother dimension; not only are they delicious you can control what goes in and avoid the added sugar found in the canned variety.
    Thehomemade baked beans recipeis based on beans I used to cook in Italy, so though not strictly a British recipe, I have cooked then so many times here in the UK, I feel they are allowed.

  • 07 of 08

    Mushy Peas - The Nations Favourite

    On the Pulse - Cheap Easy Pulse Recipes (9)

    Mushy peas are notthe maincourse dish, but a substantial side dish. Mushy peas are an intrinsic part of British food favorite,fish and chipsor with hot pies. There are many impostors out there using frozen and evenfresh peasbut true,traditional mushy peas recipeis made with dried marrowfat peas which require overnight soaking, so a little planning is needed.

  • 08 of 08

    Parched Peas and Vinegar - a Lancashire Tradition

    On the Pulse - Cheap Easy Pulse Recipes (10)

    Parched peas and vinegar, also known in Lancashire as black peas are a traditional treat in the North of England especially when served onBonfire Night​-November 5th.

On the Pulse - Cheap Easy Pulse Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How do you cook pulses quickly? ›

Pressure Cooker Quick-Soak Guide for Beans & Chickpeas

Rinse and drain the beans or chickpeas. Add them to the pressure cooker with 3 cups water for every cup of beans or chickpeas. Bring to a boil using “Saute” function. Add the lid and cook for 1 minute on high pressure.

Which pulses must be soaked before cooking? ›

All dry pulses except lentils, mung beans and split peas need to be soaked – this shortens the cooking time and makes them easier to digest.

How should pulses be cooked and prepared correctly? ›

Bring water to a boil, cover tightly, reduce heat and simmer until pulses are just tender and not mushy. Simmer pulses slowly as cooking too fast can cause them to split or break open. Guidelines for cooking times will vary with the type and age of the pulses, as well as with the altitude and the hardness of the water.

What are pulses in simple? ›

A pulse is the edible seed from a legume plant. Pulses include beans, lentils, and peas. For example, a pea pod is a legume, but the pea inside the pod is the pulse.

Why do you soak pulses before cooking? ›

-Soaking reduces the cooking time and thus, avoid loss of nutrients. -Makes pulses and Legumes easier to digest, lighter on stomach. -Lowers the impact of anti-nutrients in legumes and improves nutrient availability. - Reduces the likelihood of bloating and digestive trouble after eating legumes.

How long do pulses take to cook? ›

Add soaked pulses to a large pot, cover with water, bring to a boil and then simmer until fully cooked. This can take anywhere from 20 minutes to 4 hours (or more if the seeds are old, you are cooking with hard water or you are at high altitudes).

Can you cook pulses in the microwave? ›

Yes, you can cook all types of beans like black, pinto, kidney, cannellini, red, and garbanzo beans in the microwave. Cooking times may vary slightly depending on the bean variety. It's important to soak beans overnight, rinse them, and then microwave them in a uncovered dish with water.

Is it safe to cook pulses in a slow cooker? ›

But research now suggests that one tough ingredient shouldn't be cooked in the slow cooker at all — beans. All beans contain a compound called “phytohaemagglutinin,” also called PHA, or kidney bean lectin. Lectin is a type of protein that performs many functions in both plants and animals.

What happens if you don't soak pulses? ›

If you're the impatient, bean-hungry type, you can cook your beans from dry without any soaking at all. Here's the thing: Beans that have not been soaked ahead of time will always take longer to cook, but they will, indeed, cook.

What happens if you don't soak lentils before cooking? ›

Soaking naturally deactivates the harmful compounds and activates all the goodness of the seed and increases its nutritional value manifold. The process of soaking removes the gas-causing elements from the lentils. While legumes contain complex oligosaccharides, a type of complex sugar responsible for bloating and gas.

Why should we not throw the water in which pulses are soaked? ›

To answer this query, Juhi Kapoor, a holistic nutritionist, took to Instagram to share: “Throwing away water after soaking grains and pulses is not a good practice. The soaked water contains B vitamins, which get leeched into the water due to soaking.”

What is cooked pulses called? ›

Dal or daal is the generic Hindi word for Lentil. But dal refers both to the uncooked dry lentil and also the cooked lentil curry. You need dal to cook dal. That is, you need lentils to cook lentil curry .

Should we wash pulses before cooking? ›

Whole dals like Moong, Tuvar, Massor and Urad dal take 8 to 12 hours to soak. So, always wash and soak them before cooking. Split dals take 6 to 8 hours to soak whereas heavy legumes, such as Rajma, Chana or Chole, should be cooked after soaking for 12 to 18 hours to get the right taste and texture.

Why do we add salt to cook pulses? ›

Add Salt. There is a common myth that adding salt prevents dry beans from softening. However, adding salt actually shortens cooking time and can improve appearance by helping prevent pulses from bursting open during cooking. Plus, it adds flavor.

What is the process of making pulses? ›

The milling process includes cleaning, grading, moisture application, tempering and sun drying up to the milling moisture content (10-12%, d.b.). Dehusking and splitting can be achieved in roller mills or disk sheller. Recovery dal from peas ranges from 80–82%.

What are the ingredients of pulses? ›

What are Pulses ingredients? Pulses ingredients include lentils, peas, chickpeas, field beans, and cowpeas. These ingredients are not part of the grain family and are common in diets all around the world.

How are pulses made? ›

Processing Methods for Dry Peas, Lentils & Chickpeas. Legumes go through several processes before they are ready to be used either as a plated item or as an ingredient in food preparations. These processes can include cleaning, drying, sorting, splitting, milling, and fractionating.

What are the methods of pulses? ›

Pulses undergo some basic unit operations during pulse milling such as cleaning and grading, drying, loosening of husk, dehusking, splitting and polishing. Wet method of pulse processing (Fig. 15.1) involves cleaning to remove dust, dirt, chaff, stone pieces, immature grains and other seeds.

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