Peas are a fairly nutritious product. Many people like pea soup or mashed potatoes, but they rarely cook these dishes because cooking takes a lot of time. Indeed, it takes more than two hours to cook peas, but there are some tricks that allow you to cook it twice as fast.
Pick your recipe
Before cooking, you must choose the "right" peas. Whole peas are considered healthier than chopped peas, however, it boils twice as long, so if you want to cook a dish in a short time, then choose chopped one. It’s believed that Idaho peas are digested faster than the rest, so look for it on the shelf when buying a product.
What to make the peas in the soup digest faster
Rinse the peas well in cold water, then put it in a bowl and fill it with water at room temperature, leave it to swell for at least 10 hours. If you do not have so much time, then pre-heat the peas in a dry frying pan for 10 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, then pour it into cold water and leave it for at least 30 minutes.
Take a saucepan (preferably with a thick bottom), put the washed peas in it, pour clean water (the water should be a centimeter above the level of peas) and put on a strong fire. After boiling, cook the product for 10-15 minutes, then sharply pour a glass of ice water into the pan. Bring the contents of the pan to a boil again and continue cooking for at least another 40-50 minutes on low heat. After time, add the right amount of water, vegetables (if you make soup), boiled meat to the pan. Salt the dish 10 minutes before all vegetables are ready (it is very important not to salt the peas at the beginning of cooking, as the cooking process will take much longer).
If you want to cook pea soup in just 30-40 minutes, then in this case, be sure to soak the peas overnight in water, and before cooking, just grind the peas in a blender and put it in a pan along with the rest of the vegetables. It is believed that peas are quite quickly digested if a little soda is added to boiling water. In reality, the cooking speed remains the same, but the finished dish takes on an unpleasant aftertaste.