SC - OOP dried split peas

[margali]

Seton1355 at aol.com wrote:
> 
> Sorry for the off topic / oop question but I'm stumped.
> Tonight I was making dal using yellow split peas. I cooked the peas for 20
> minutes and then added rice and continued to cook them for an additional
> hour,  The split peas never got totally soft. Can anyone tell me why?
> Thanks
> Phillipa

pH is a factor in getting dried legumes soft. You'll note that Le
Managier has a section on which peas and, I think, beans, are best from
which locations, and I believe he discusses which area's water is best
for cooking them. Similarly, Apicius frequently mentions adding cooking
soda (probably sodium carbonate or what we call washing soda, but
perfectly edible in small quantities, just as we use sodium bicarb) to
address this issue. The bottom line is that dried peas and beans don't
seem to like acid pH cooking liquids as well as they like neutral or
basic (alkaline) liquids.

I'm not sure why this would be an issue in the case of dal, though,
unless you have some kind of temporary acidic hard water or something.
You might try adding a tiny pinch of soda next time.
 
Adamantius
- -- 
Phil & Susan Troy

troy at asan.com