What Are Pulses?

Depending on where you’re from, you may have never heard the term “pulses”. Basically, pulses include any dried edible seed or bean from a plant, including beans, peas, and legumes. The most common pulses are dried peas, edible beans, lentils, and chickpeas, but there are many more.

• Pinto Beans – Pinto beans are an excellent bean that you can make many types of dishes from. One favorite is baked beans. Here’s how to make your own baked beans from scratch.
• Lentils – All red, green, yellow, and brown lentils are also pulses. They are dried edible seeds. You can make amazing curries and even meat-like lentil loaves from these pulses.
• Chickpeas – You may know these as garbanzo beans. You can make beautiful dishes with these, like hummus and stews. You can make your own hummus that is way better than store bought.
• Garden Peas – These are also called snow peas or snap peas. They are in a pod, and you remove the seed or pea to eat it. You can eat them inside the pod, in a stir-fry, or you can eat them outside the pod cooked in a variety of ways.
• Black Eyed Peas – These are dried peas that have the characteristic black dot on an off-white background. They are made for good luck in the southern US states every New Year’s Day.
• Runner Beans – These look like green beans in the garden, but inside the green pod are seeds or beans of a variety of colors, from pink to lavender or even spots and speckles of color. To cook, just take off the strings and chop before boiling, or you can also dry them and then cook the dried beans outside the pod.
• Fava Beans – These are also called broad beans. You can use them fresh or dried just like runner beans. They are very forgiving and can be used in stews, sauces, fillings, and snacks. You can eat the pods if they’re fresh from the garden, but most people eat the dried bean from the pod.
• Kidney Beans – These are red or light red in color and have a great flavor. They’re most often used in soups, stews, chilis, and make a great base for a bean burger.
• Butter Beans – Also called lima beans, these are often eaten just steamed with butter as a side dish, but you can use them in many recipes too. These creamy butter beans will delight your entire family.
• Great Northern / Cannellini Beans – These are a light-colored bean that is usually used in white chilis, soups, stews, and as a side dish. A great white chili dish with northern beans can’t be beaten.

The remarkable fact about pulses is that they are very high in flavor and nutrition. You can count a serving of pulses as either a veggie or meat, or both if you eat enough servings. Learning to cook with pulses will ensure your entire family’s good health and cut down on your grocery bill too.