Cooking Beans & Grains
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Cooking with dried beans and whole grains doesn’t have to be daunting. Here are tips on how to easily prepare these budget-friendly foods into wonderful, nutritious meals. Once you get the methods down, you'll find you can easily work them into your cooking routine. Below you will find information on:
- Dried Beans
- Whole Grains
- Rice
Dried Beans
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Soaking & Cooking
Soaking: Measure out beans and enough cold water to cover them in a large bowl or pot and soak 8 hours or overnight. The smaller the bean, the less time it needs to soak - for example, black beans can be soaked in the morning and cooked in the evening.
Quick-soak method: A same-day method that works best with smaller beans. Measure out beans and bring to a boil with 3 times the amount of water. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and set aside for 1-2 hours before proceeding with cooking.
Cooking: Rinse and drain pre-soaked beans and place in a pot with 3 times the amount of water, or amount specified by the recipe (it should be enough to amply cover the beans).
Optional: Add a strip of kombu seaweed to increase the flavor and digestability of the beans as they cook (available in our Bulk section near the spices). You can also add onion, garlic, ginger, or spices - but no salt at this point.
Bring water to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer with the lid ajar until beans are tender.
Seasoning and serving: When beans are tender, drain off any extra water or blend the water in to make soup. Season to taste with salt.
Cooking Times
1 cup of dried beans yields between 2-3 cups of cooked beans. For 1 cup of beans, use the following amount of water and cooking times after pre-soaking:
(follow the links for recipes!)
|
1 cup beans (serves 2-3) |
Water | Cooking time | |
| Adzuki Beans | 3 cups | 1 hour | |
| Anasazi Beans | 3 cups | 1 ½-2 hours | |
| Black-Eyed Peas | 3 cups | 1 hour | |
| Black Turtle Beans |
 |
3 cups | 1 ½ hours |
| Cannellini Beans | 3 cups | 1 ½ hours | |
| Cranberry Beans | 3 cups | 1 ½-2 hours | |
| Christmas Lima Beans | 3 cups | 1 ½-2 hours | |
| Flagolet Beans | 3 cups | 1 ½-2 hours | |
| Garbanzo Beans (Chickpeas) | 3 cups | 2-3 hours | |
| Great Northern Beans | 3 cups | 1½-2 hours | |
|
Jacob's Cattle Beans (Appaloosa Purple & White Beans) |
|
3 cups | 1 ½-2 hours |
| Kidney Beans |
|
3 cups | 1 ½ hours |
| King of the Early Beans | 3 cups | 1 ½-2 hours | |
| Lentils (Green & Red) | 3 cups | 40 min. | |
| Lima Beans | 3 cups | 1 ½ hours | |
| Maine Yellow-Eye Beans |
|
3 cups | 1 ½-2 hours |
| Marifax Beans |
|
3 cups | 1 ½-2 hours |
| Mung Beans (Mung Dal) | 3 cups | 45-60 min. | |
| Navy Beans | 3 cups | 1 ½ hours | |
| Pinto Beans | 3 cups | 1 ½ hours | |
| Red Chili Beans | 3 cups | 1 ½ hours | |
| Rice Beans | 3 cups (no pre-soak) | 15-30 min. | |
| Split Peas (Green & Yellow) | 3 cups | 1 hour | |
| Soy Beans | 3 cups | 1 ½-2 hours |
Whole Grains
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Rinse and measure whole grains, cold water, and salt and place together in a heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil and stir, then cover tightly and reduce heat to its lowest setting (so it simmers). Start the cooking time from the moment the water boils. Resist the urge to lift the cover! Let the steam do its work and only stir when the grains are done (whole grains are slightly chewy when cooked).
Cooking Times
(follow the links for recipes!)
|
1 cup grain (serves 2) |
Quantity of water + ½ tsp. salt |
Cooking time | |
| Amaranth | 3 cups | 25-30 min. | |
| Barley (hulled) | 2 ½-3 cups | 45-60 min | |
| Barley (pearled) | 2 ½ -3 cups | 30-45 min. | |
| Buckwheat / Kasha | 2 cups | 15-20 min. | |
| Bulgur (all types) | 2 cups | 15 min. | |
| Couscous (all types) | 1 ½ cups | 5-10 min | |
| Cracked Wheat | 2 cups | 20 min. | |
| Millet | 2 ½ cups | 30 min. | |
| Polenta / Grits | 4 cups | 5-10 min. | |
| Quinoa | 1 ¾ cups | 12-15 min. | |
| Wheat Berries |
|
2 cups | 1-1 ½ hours |
Rice
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Rinse and drain the rice in a strainer under running water. Measure cold water and place water, rice, and salt in a heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a boil. Stir once, reduce heat to its lowest setting, and cover with a lid. Cook for the specified cooking time (below). Resist the urge to lift the lid so steam doesn’t escape! Remove from heat, stir once to check for doneness, and keep covered for 5-10 minutes before serving to improve the texture. Fluff with a fork before serving and add more salt if necessary.
Cooking Times
(follow the links for recipes!)
|
1 cup rice (serves 2) |
Quantity of water + 1/2 tsp. salt |
Cooking time |
| Arborio Rice (see below) | 4-5 cups broth | 20-30 min. |
| Bhutanese Red Rice | 1½ | 20 min. |
| Black Japonica Field Blend | 2 cups | 45 min. |
|
Brown Rice (including basmati & jasmine) |
2 cups | 45-50 min. |
| Country Wild Rice Blend | 2 cups | 45 min. |
| Forbidden Rice | 1¾ cups | 30 min. |
| Kalijira (baby basmati) | 1½ cups | 10 min. |
| Old World Pilaf | 2½ cups | 50 min. |
| Sushi Rice (see below) | 1¾ cups | 15 min. |
| Thai Purple Sticky Rice (see below) | 2 cups | 20 min. |
| Volcano Rice | 2 cups | 30 min. |
|
White Rice (including basmati & jasmine) |
1½ cups | 15-20 min. |
| Wild Rice | 3 cups | 40-45 min. |
Arborio Rice
Heat 1 Tbs. olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Sauté 1 large chopped onion in oil until translucent. Add 1 cup arborio rice and stir until grains are coated with oil. Add ½ cup wine (optional) and stir constantly on medium heat until wine is absorbed.
Meanwhile, heat 5 cups stock in a small pot. Add 1 cup hot stock to the rice, stirring until liquid is absorbed. Continue cooking for about 20 minutes, adding the remaining liquid 1 cup at a time. This rice creates its own creamy sauce. Add additional liquid if creamier texture is desired. Remove from heat, stir in ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese and serve immediately. For variety, add fresh herbs and chopped vegetables during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Sushi Rice
Bring 3 cups water and 2 cups sushi rice to boil in a heavy-bottomed pot. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until all liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Place 2 Tbs. rice vinegar, 2 Tbs. sugar, and 1 tsp. salt in a small saucepan. Heat slowly until salt and sugar dissolve.
Place hot, cooked rice in a wide, shallow non-metal bowl. Toss rice gently with vinegar mixture using a wooden spoon. When cool, use to make homemade sushi rolls.
Thai Purple Sticky Rice
In a heavy-bottomed pot, soak 1 cup rice in 1 cup water for 20 minutes to an hour. Then add 1 more cup of water plus ¼ tsp. salt and 1 Tbs. brown sugar. Stir well.
Gradually bring to a gentle boil (stirring occasionally), then partially cover with a lid. Turn the heat down to medium-low. Allow to cook for 10-20 minutes, or until the water has been absorbed by the rice. Don’t worry if the rice still seems a little undercooked when the water is gone. Just remove the pot from the heat, place the lid on tight, and set aside for 10-15 minutes. The heat within the rice pot will finish cooking the rice. Put the covered rice in the refrigerator until cool and sticky. Serve with warm, sweetened coconut milk and fresh sliced mango.
Looking for more recipe ideas? Click here to search our recipe archive.
= When available, our Bulk Department sources this item from a local producer.