To increase pulse consumption, the difficulty of the long overnight soak can be reduced by a quick soak technique I have been teaching for decades. Many community women, as well as women from marginal, urban neighborhoods cook pulses more frequently now that they have learned the technique. Unfortunately I do not have documentation to prove the fact; they, however do say that at the altitude of Quito, Ecuador and rural areas in the Andes they are now eating more dried “leguminosas” they call them. Before they say they would have cooked them once a week or once a fortnight, and that now they are eating them as often as three times a week.
Given the lower boiling point at the altitude, and thus longer cooking time, traditionally the culinary culture consumed fresh pulses, particularly fava beans and peas, but beans (Phaseolus) as well. Thus traditional cooking techniques made use of the quicker cooking fresh product, rather than the dried one.
Quick soak method:
Cover picked over dried beans with water (approximately 2 cups of beans to 2 to 3 liters of water). Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 1 to 5 minutes. (thinner-skinned pulses require less simmering than thicker-skinned varieties). Remove from heat, cover, set aside and let soak for at least 1 hour. Drain and use the quick-soaked pulse like any soaked pulse. (By draining the first water, flatulence is also diminished.)
Sorry, I wrote this response in Word and pasting it on the website seems to have changed its format. Plese let me know if the response is legible.
Michelle O. Fried