Dry peas, preparation and uses
There are two varieties of dry peas: dry green peas and dried yellow peas.
Both have similar properties and serve as food in the kitchen for the same purpose. Dry peas are ideal for preparing purees and soup.
Dry peas must be prepared before eating, otherwise they are very indigestible. Therefore, as in most legumes, they should be soaked overnight.
Although their calorie content is much higher than the tender peas, they have much more proteins, fiber,and minerals. However they have less vitamin C and niacin.
They contain a much higher percentage of carbohydrates and amino acids lysine and tryptophan.
Dry peas may be marketed whole or broken, with or without skin. You can even buy pea flour, also called peasemeal, which is commonly used in Asian countries for making “Dahl” a kind of cake.
Those who are broken have a shorter cooking time. Pea flower is done by roasting and grinding dry yellow peas. It is a type of flower with higher levels of proteins and carbohydrates than the non-roasted dry peas.
Most fiber is found in the skin so the skin of dry peas is usually removed and sold for making bread or pastries as dietary fiber.
Unlike the tender peas, dry peas are preserved for a long time, provided that they are saved in a dry place, protected from light. To prevent them from becoming rancid, it is desirable to keep them in airtight jars.
Green peas. Election, conservation and use
Green peas are considered a vegetable rather than a legume. They are very rich in vitamin C, primary sugars (especially glucose and fructose), thiamin and phosphorus.
When peas are tender collected and sold with their pods, it is important to get them out of the pods quickly and eat them as soon as possible since their sugars are very quickly converted into starch, so they lose their flavor and nutritional properties.
A good way to keep some of their properties is to freeze them or buy them frozen. In this way, they retain their sugars, although they lose some of their vitamins. Frozen green peas are usually submitted to a bleaching process and have lost some of its vitamin C and vitamin B.
Canned green peas have also lost a lot of vitamin C and generally contain a lot of sodium. Boiled peas or peas that are sold boiled, have lost many vitamins and proteins.
The best way to cook green peas is to do this process with a little water to prevent water to drag the vitamins. It is also important to reduce cooking time. Steaming can better maintain the properties of this vegetable food. It is ideal to eat them tender, when very young, in salads with other vegetables or accompany them with boiled cereals.
In the market or supermarket, we will choose green peas with bright green turgid pods and seeds. The best ones are the small and tender peas sold in early summer, rich in proteins and vitamins.
If we choose the traditional peas, then we will discard their pods because they are too hard. An interesting option is to buy the variety of snow peas that also allow to eat their tender pods.
Green peas can be eaten in many dishes: omelet, stewed, in salad, stir-fried, boiled with potatoes, etc.
More information on peas.
