The Easiest and quickest way to cook dried beans
Pro Tip: Use a stainless-steel strainer to catch the foam from the beans.
Dried Beans
These directions are for dried beans, except for lentils and split peas. They don't need to soak, but they do need to defoam.
Wash the beans in a bowl, use your hand to smooth around them, pour off, start over with fresh water in the bowl, then carefully lift out the beans little by little, checking for any stones, gravel, sand, etc. When you get to the bottom, be careful only to lift out the beans, but not any water.
Soak the beans in the new bowl, cover them with at least one inch of water, and protect against dust with a cover.
You can soak overnight or anytime, usually around 8 hours or until they expand.
Some people use soaking water; I prefer to give it to my plants, compost, or worm farm. Start again with fresh water. Transfer the beans to the cooking pot, where you do not want ANY sand, etc., to be added to the pot.
Lift the beans carefully, watching as they go into the pot; use your hand. According to the recipe, add the Kombu and freshwater after they are all in the pot. Be on the side of more because beans get very starchy and thicken towards the end.
Bring the pot to a boil with no lid. Once boiling, watch for the foam to rise, use a small flat stainless-steel strainer to lift off the foam, and discard. I may need to do it twice. Lower the flame and use a heat diffuser to prevent sticking.
Cook for about 45 minutes in a pressure cooker; without pressure, it may take a couple of hours, depending on the bean.
Once soft, add salt and simmer for at least 40 minutes. Then, add soy sauce for seasoning. I only add soy sauce at the end and never boil it again.
Do not stir beans until done, it releases the starch causing the bottom to stick or burn. Perfect beans will have a clean bottom of the pan at the end of cooking.
PRO TIP: Miso and soy sauce are live foods, they contain active enzymes, waiting to be awakened as a probiotic and join your micro biome family. If they are boiled, they die. So always be conscious of not boiling once added. It is so easy to make mistakes.
MARY'S TIP: If you want to use the beans for future dishes to keep longer, separate some first, then add vegetables to the ones you will be using right away. Beans by themselves can keep for a good week in the fridge.
11. Add the sea salt after the beans are soft. If added initially, they do not cook properly; adding Kombu adds minerals to the beans and makes them more digestible, meaning no gas if you get my meaning.
Remember the old saying:
Beans, Beans are good for the heart; the more you eat, the more you fart, the more you fart, the better you feel, so, eat beans at every meal."