Description of the agricultural plant, calorie content, composition and special properties. The benefits and harms of eating legumes. Pea recipes and interesting facts about it. Agricultural crops have not only nutritious, but also beneficial properties. It is not recommended to introduce dry pea dishes into the diet for weight loss.
Useful properties of peas
The benefits of dried peas are low - fresh peas in pods have the main healing properties.
The beneficial effects of dry legumes on the body are as follows:
- They accelerate the body's metabolic processes, stimulate the intestines, and enhance peristalsis.
- They have an antioxidant effect, help the body get rid of free radicals.
- They normalize the work of the cardiovascular system, replenish the reserves of nutrients - magnesium and potassium, which stabilize the heart rate.
- Strengthen the walls of blood vessels, including small capillaries, which helps to stop age-related changes - the mesh of blood vessels under the skin gives out age.
Eating pea dishes at least 2-3 times a week reduces the likelihood of malignant tumors and malignancy of existing neoplasms, normalizes blood cholesterol levels, and stabilizes blood pressure.
Harm and contraindications to the use of peas
There are many contraindications to the use of peas, and they, as with the use of medicines, are divided into absolute and relative.
Absolute contraindications are:
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract with a decrease in peristalsis, with a tendency to constipation or intestinal atony. High levels of chlorine and sulfur stimulate the production of intestinal gases, which can cause cramping pain in the abdomen and intestinal obstruction.
- Chronic circulatory failure - with frequent consumption of peas in food, the body uses its forces for digestion, the main flow of blood is directed to the digestive organs. The blood supply to other organs is disrupted.
- Jade - the kidneys are unable to cope with the urates that are formed during the assimilation of this product.
- Gout - the bean contains a large amount of purines, their accumulation in the joints, in the attachment points of the tendons and kidneys will cause an exacerbation of the disease.
Relative contraindications for peas are:
- Pregnancy. Accelerated peristalsis and intestinal cramps increase the tone of the uterus, which can provoke a miscarriage.
- Elderly age. The history of people over 70 years old almost always has osteochondrosis or arthrosis, and the intestinal tone is reduced. Purines worsen the condition of the joints, and the coarse fibers, which are very abundant in beans, will make the process of digesting food painful.
Important! In no case should you succumb to the temptation and chew raw peas: unpolished bean pieces moving along the gastrointestinal tract can injure the delicate mucous membrane of the esophagus, stomach and intestines, provoke erosive damage or peptic ulcer disease.
Pea recipes
You can cook various dishes from peas, simple ones that do not require the use of several technologies, and restaurant ones with exquisite taste.
You can familiarize yourself with the following methods of cooking peas in the recipes offered in the article:
- Pea porridge with stew … In advance, you should prepare 2/3 glasses of peas, preferably crushed, onions, carrots and a can of stew - 250-300 g. The rest of the seasonings and sunflower oil for frying are probably in the kitchen of every housewife. The peas are soaked for 6-8 hours, then the water is drained, another is poured and the beans are boiled until tender with bay leaves. While the peas are boiling, the vegetables are chopped and sautéed with sunflower oil. Add stewed meat to a pan with vegetables, bring to a boil - the liquid should evaporate. At this time, boiled peas are pounded, mixed with vegetables and stewed meat, salted if necessary. It should be eaten hot, each serving can be sprinkled with herbs.
- Hummus … This dish resembles pea porridge in consistency, only with a delicate delicate taste. Hummus products: a glass of peas, one lemon, half a glass of sesame seeds, garlic, olive oil. Chili and coriander should be added to traditional salt. Peas are also soaked, boiled until cooked, and at this time a paste is prepared - tahini. In a dry frying pan, brown sesame seeds, grind, add lemon juice and ice water, stirring until you get a homogeneous puree-like gruel. Ready peas are interrupted into porridge with a blender, mixed with tahini, seasonings are added to taste. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds or black sesame seeds before serving.
- Pea soup with smoked ribs … The set of products for this dish is the simplest: a glass of dry peas, 300 g of smoked ribs, 1 piece each - carrots and onions, 2-3 potatoes, 2-3 cloves of garlic, seasonings to taste, vegetable oil for frying. Peas are soaked, as usual, broth is cooked on the basis of smoked ribs in a 2 liter saucepan. If you like boiled peas, they are dipped in boiling water along with the meat. All vegetables are peeled, carrots and onions are sautéed separately in sunflower oil. After 40-50 minutes of cooking, put potatoes, cut into even slices, into a saucepan with broth, and after another 10 minutes - sautéed vegetables. The soup is ready when the potatoes are completely cooked. 2-3 minutes before turning off, add spices to taste - salt, a mixture of peppers, bay leaf and chopped garlic. Before serving, it is advisable to sprinkle each plate with chopped parsley and dill.
- Pea Soup for Vegans … Ingredients: split peas, carrots - 2 pieces, onions - 2 pieces, water, vegetable oil and the necessary spices. The number of products is designed for 1.5 liters of water. The peas are soaked for 6-8 hours, the water is drained, and the beans are boiled. The vegetables are sautéed together, then added to almost finished peas and boiled. Spices to taste. You can also add potatoes, bell peppers, frozen cauliflower, or broccoli to the soup.
- Dossas … This very interesting Indian dish is easy to prepare, but the preparatory stage is lengthy. The peas should be soaked for 8 hours, and then the dough is also left to infuse for a day. Products for cooking: basmati rice and dry peas - 100 g each, turmeric, safflower oil, water, salt and pepper. Peas are soaked for 8 hours, basmati rice for 1 hour. Part of the liquid is drained, leaving a little, peas and rice are mixed, chopped with a blender until mushy. The mass is left to absorb each other's juices for 24 hours, then seasonings are introduced into the mixture and fried, like ordinary pancakes or pancakes, in safflower oil. The dough is poured into a frying pan and, after one side is browned, turned over to the other. Sunflower oil will give the Indian dish an almost Slavic flavor.
- Pea casserole … This is a traditional Russian dish. Prepare in advance: dried porcini mushrooms - 30 g, a glass of peas - it should be pre-soaked, carrots, ghee - 60 g, cream 30-32% - 20 g, onions - 2 pieces, eggs - 2 pieces, bread crumbs. Condiments: red and black peppers, sea and common salt. Prepared peas are boiled until tender, the mushrooms are soaked for 20 minutes, boiled for the same amount of time with a whole onion, cut into large pieces. Peel the carrots and onions, cut the carrots into strips, cut the onions in half rings (put them in the freezer for 5 minutes). Boiled peas are mashed, adding cream and ghee - 1/3 of the total. The vegetables are sautéed separately. Combine all processed ingredients, add eggs, seasonings and mix until smooth. The oven is heated to 180 degrees, parchment is laid out in the mold and greased with oil. Pour the pea dough, evenly distributing it. Bake for 40 minutes. The finished casserole is greased with the remnants of ghee. It will be tastier if each piece is dipped in sour cream before eating.
- Pea sausage … The amount of products required: dry peas - a glass, water - 2, 5 cups, beet juice - 2 tablespoons, garlic - 2 prongs, sunflower oil - 1/3 cup, agar-agar plate, salt - a teaspoon. Seasonings to taste - a mixture of peppers and crushed nutmeg. Dry peas are fried in a dry frying pan until golden brown, ground into flour. To make the mass more homogeneous in the future, it is sieved. A pot of water is put on the fire, as soon as the water boils, pea flour is poured into it and boiled, stirring constantly so that it does not burn. Agar-agar is diluted in cold water and added to the pea mixture 2-3 minutes before turning off. When the pea flour is completely cooked and the mixture thickens, add all the seasonings into it and pour in the beetroot juice. Stir until completely homogeneous and spread in a mold. It is very convenient to use a cut small plastic bottle, oiled from the inside. The form freezes in the refrigerator in 2-2, 5 hours. For taste, you can add fried bacon or pieces of bacon to the minced sausage.
Dry peas are never served "al dente", that is, a little raw. It needs to be cooked until cooked, to the point where it starts to boil.
Pea dishes should be introduced into the diet no more than 2 times a week, the portion size should not exceed 150 g for women and 200 g for men of average build, taking into account diseases of the digestive system.
Interesting facts about peas
They began to grow peas back in the primitive communal system. Archaeologists have found peas in the cultural layer during excavations in Eastern Afghanistan and Northwest India. The Slavic name of the culture "peas" comes from the ancient Indian "garshati", which translates as "tert", "grated". It can be concluded that the first use of peas is as an additive to cereal flour.
In Orthodoxy, the origin of culture is associated with the tears of the Holy Mother of God. When the Lord punished people for their sins with hunger, the Mother of God wept, and the tears turned into peas.
In the days of Ancient Russia, peas were respected - this can be understood from numerous fairy tales and legends, where it is called "tsar". Later, potatoes replaced legumes.
In Germany, peas remained the staple food until the First World War. The main dish of the German soldiers was hearty pea sausage with bacon.
In Great Britain, peas were not only eaten - in this country they began to be used to punish naughty children. It was there that, from the 15th century, people began to kneel "on peas". The method of punishment quickly spread throughout the world.
In the twentieth century, peas even staged a sabotage - they sank a steamer. The accident was described by Konstantin Paustovsky. The steamer "Dnepr", carrying peas in the hold, received a minor hole, and it was decided to repair it "afloat", as the sea was calm. But the peas swelled because of the water that got into the hold, and the metal frame of the sea vessel was twisted, as if from an explosion.
Interestingly, the calorie content of peas depends on their freshness. The energy value of freshly picked beans is up to 76 calories, and the calorie content of dried beans is more than 4 times higher! A very important quality of peas is that it retains its nutritional properties during storage.
The most delicious varieties of long-term storage peas are shelling peas with a high starch content.
In home cooking, peas are popular not only for their nutritional value, but also for their price. 200 grams of inexpensive product can feed a family of four to their fill.
High-quality edible peas have medium-sized peas - 3-4 mm in diameter, brown or soft yellow. The uneven surface and uneven color of the surface of the peas, the inclusion of many crushed pieces of irregular shape indicate the low quality of the product - it is not worth purchasing.
How to cook peas - watch the video:
Peas are a healthy food crop, and if they are not abused, then its use will not cause any harm to the body.
