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Mexican

Garbanzos (Chick-Peas) — Mexican Pantry Preparation

Diana Kennedy's foundational method for preparing dried Cicer arietinum (chick-peas) from scratch, as documented in her study of Mexican regional cooking. The technique is deceptively simple but precise: an overnight hot-water soak followed by a long, unhurried simmer produces beans that are tender through to the centre yet hold their shape completely. The papery outer skins are rubbed away after cooking, yielding a cleaner texture and appearance suited to Mexican salsas, stews, and soups. Nothing is wasted — the cooking liquid carries deep legume flavour and goes straight into the pot for the next dish.

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Servesapproximately 2.5 cups cooked beans plus cooking liquid
Within reach0of 3 in Mission

Three not yet within reach.

How the 3 are reached
Not yet within reach
3 · level cup (about 170 g / 6 oz) dried Cicer arietinum (chick-peas / garbanzos), hot water, for soaking and cooking, as needed, mETHOD — STOVETOP
Cook
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I

The Market List

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1
level cup (about 170 g / 6 oz) dried Cicer arietinum (chick-peas / garbanzos)
Not yet within reach of Mission · each reach is counted
Sea salt, to taste (stovetop method only — omit for pressure cooker)
Your own market
Hot water, for soaking and cooking, as needed
Not yet within reach of Mission · each reach is counted
METHOD — STOVETOP
Not yet within reach of Mission · each reach is counted

Within reach counts in town, delivered, shipped and the nearest city. A staple counts once it has a local seller. Charted from each shop's own pages; not yet vouched by a cook who shops here.

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II

The Method

1
Place dried chick-peas in a large bowl. Cover generously with hot water. Leave to soak overnight (8–12 hours).
2
Transfer chick-peas and their soaking liquid to a heavy pot. Add enough fresh water to cover by at least 5 cm / 2 inches. Add sea salt.
3
Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat — approximately 95–100°C / 203–212°F at the surface. Reduce heat to maintain a slow, steady bubble.
4
Cook uncovered for approximately 1.5 hours, checking occasionally and adding hot water if the level drops below the beans.
5
Test at the 1-hour mark: press a bean between your fingers. Continue cooking until completely tender but the skins are unbroken.
6
Remove from heat. Allow to cool in the cooking liquid.
7
Once cool enough to handle, rub skins off gently between your palms or in a folded kitchen towel. Discard skins.
8
Store beans submerged in their cooking liquid. Reserve all liquid.
9
Soak as above.
10
Transfer chick-peas and soaking liquid to the pressure cooker. Add extra water to cover by 5 cm / 2 inches. DO NOT add salt.
11
Seal and bring to full pressure. Cook for 40 minutes.
12
Allow pressure to release naturally. Season with sea salt only after opening.
13
Cool, skin, and store as above.
III

Sensory Tests

◇Press a cooked chick-pea firmly between thumb and forefinger: it should yield completely to the centre with no hard or chalky core, but the bean should remain whole — it must not smear or collapse under moderate pressure.
◇After rubbing away the skins, the surface of the bean should feel smooth and slightly waxy, not tacky or rough; any remaining papery fragments indicate incomplete skin removal and will introduce an unwanted bitterness in the finished dish.
◇Taste the cooking liquid before incorporating it: it should carry a clean, sweet-legume depth with no off or sour note; a flat or slightly stale smell signals older beans that will underperform in the recipe.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dish lives or dies in the soak-water decision: Kennedy specifies an overnight soak in hot water, not cold, and the water must be discarded entirely before simmering begins — retained soaking water carries oligosaccharides and off-flavours that muddy the cooking liquid and work against the clean, nutty character the method is designed to produce.
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V

What to Pour

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Properly prepared Cicer arietinum carry a mild, nutty sweetness with an almost buttery undertone — the long, unhurried simmer coaxes out a depth that canned beans never approach. The aroma during cooking is earthy and faintly grassy, reminiscent of fresh-mown hay, and the finished beans hold a clean, starchy fragrance. With the papery skins removed, the texture is dense but yielding, never grainy, and the beans absorb surrounding flavours — chiles, aromatics, braising liquids — without dissolving into them.

The whole pairing
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