Crispy Spiced Black Eyed Peas Recipe - Feed Me Phoebe (2024)

FAQs

What does baking soda do to black-eyed peas? ›

Bottom Line. If beans make you uncomfortably gassy, sprinkle a little baking soda into their soaking water. It will reduce the volume of gas produced by the legumes, plus, they will cook quicker. If you're even shorter on time, you may want to try some of our favorite recipes to make with a can of black beans.

One unusual but common New Year's Day black-eyed peas tradition involves putting actual money in the dish. Some add to their “luck” by cooking their pot of peas with a penny or dime inside. Whoever gets the bowl with the coin in it, according to legend, has the best luck for the new year.

It is recommended to rinse canned black-eyed peas before cooking. Rinsing helps remove any excess sodium or brine that may be present from the canning process. Additionally, rinsing can help reduce the gas-producing carbohydrates that can cause discomfort.

To degas with baking soda, add a teaspoon of baking soda to 4 quarts of water. Stir in the dried beans and bring to a boil. Then turn off the heat and let the beans soak at least four hours (I usually do this the night before I want to use them; the longer soak won't hurt them). Drain, rinse and rinse again.

Soak the beans (optional): Unlike the stovetop method, you don't have to soak your beans if you're cooking them in the slow cooker. If you choose to forego soaking, you will have to cook them for longer. Cook the beans: Add beans to a slow cooker and cover with two inches of water or broth.

From gala gourmet dinners to small casual gatherings with friends and family, these flavorful legumes are traditionally, according to Southern folklore, the first food to be eaten on New Year's Day for luck and prosperity throughout the year ahead.

Another unusual but common tradition involving black-eyed peas is adding “luck” by cooking the pot of peas with a penny or dime inside, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Then whoever gets the bowl with the coin in it has the best luck for the new year.

Uncover and simmer, stirring frequently, until the peas are very tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours more. Smash some of the peas up against the inside of the pot with a wooden spoon. Let simmer for 10 minutes. Smash more of the peas up against the inside of the pot again (this helps the broth thicken).

Drain them the next day and bring them to a boil in cold water, then reduce the heat so the water barely simmers: dried black-eyed peas can overcook, and a rolling boil could cause them to break apart. Taste the peas often to check their doneness: They should be creamy but retain their shape.

How much cornstarch to thicken black-eyed peas? ›

If you want to thicken the black eyed pea soup/stew, mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and about a half cup or so of the bean liquid. Slowly pour in small amounts and stir in the hot pot until you achieve the best consistency. You may not require the entire amount.

"If you rinse your beans thoroughly, you will have a consistently flavored product, but if you do not rinse them, different amounts of salt will remain in the dish each time you cook it, and it will be hard to cook consistently," he says.

Canned black-eyed peas are best in recipes that don't require slow cooking or a long cook time, which can make them mushy. If you're using canned black-eyed peas, simply rinse them in a colander to remove any liquid from the can as well as excess salt.

When dry beans boil, a foam forms on the top of the cooking liquid. This foam is water-soluble protein released from the beans and it will be absorbed back into the bean cooking liquid. It is not necessary to remove the foam.

The addition of baking soda to the cooking water does two things: It adds sodium ions that weaken the pectin as explained above, and more importantly, an alkaline environment causes the pectin molecules to break down into smaller molecules that greatly weakens the pectin causing the beans to soften much more rapidly.

Along with brining and soaking, baking soda can work wonders on beans, saving you up to an hour of cooking time. Just be sure not to add more than a pinch—too much and the beans can end up tasting soapy and unpleasant.

On the other side of the pH equation, the addition of an alkali such as baking soda will break down the cell structure of the beans. But use it sparingly—no more than1/8 teaspoon per pound of beans. Too much will destroy nutrients and result in mushy beans.

As it turns out, baking soda significantly decreases the levels of raffinose, the gas-causing sugar present in beans. When should you add baking soda to beans? It works best with just a pinch (about 1/16 of a teaspoon) sprinkled into dried beans while they soak in water before cooking.