The useful properties of green peas have been known to people since ancient times. Historians believe that peas were the first vegetable that mankind began to cultivate.
Properly frozen green peas preserves all the useful properties of fresh, while it is available throughout the year. How and how much to cook frozen green peas will depend on the type of freezing and the quality of the selected product.
The benefits of green peas
The main useful property of green peas can be considered the content in it of high-quality vegetable protein, which is easily absorbed by the body. Contained in green peas and a large amount of iron, as well as various antioxidants, which helps strengthen immunity. Green peas are still rich in B vitamins and amino acids responsible for the normal functioning of the nervous system.
However, if you eat green peas in large quantities, this can lead to minor problems with the gastrointestinal tract. Allergic reactions are extremely rare.
How to choose frozen peas
It is best to freeze green peas at home, then you can be completely sure of its quality. Also in this case, it will be easier to calculate how much time to cook frozen green peas.
But if this is not possible, when choosing frozen peas in a store, you need to pay attention to several external factors.
The pea packaging must not be damaged, the peas inside should not be sticky, which means that the technology of freezing has been violated. You also need to check the date of manufacture of the product: frozen peas can be stored for no more than two years.
Boil the frozen peas correctly
When preparing a dish, the question often arises of how much to cook frozen green peas. There is no clear answer to this question, it all depends on what dish it will be used for and in what condition it was when it was frozen.
Before starting to cook peas, you need to carefully inspect, select and discard damaged and discolored peas. If this is not done, the appearance and taste of the prepared dish may suffer.
There are several ways to make peas. From what method will be chosen, and it will depend on how much you need to cook frozen green peas.
The best way to preserve all the useful characteristics of green peas is to steam it. You can still cook it in the microwave. This option can be used if in the future it is planned to make porridge or mashed potatoes from peas.
To then use green peas in salads, you can simply boil it in water. There are several recipes for preparing this ingredient for salad.
Frozen peas for salad
Boil green peas for salad is not at all difficult, you just need to adhere to a few rules:
- Water for cooking frozen peas must be brought to a boil. She will have to completely cover all the peas.
- You need to add salt and a little sugar to the water, this will preserve the rich green color of the peas during cooking.
- To keep the peas intact, it is best to throw them into boiling water without defrosting. You can pre-rinse frozen peas under running cold water to remove possible impurities.
- In cooking water, you can add a small sprig of mint. Its fresh aroma will not spoil the smell of peas, but will complement it and make it even more pleasant.
To determine for yourself how much to cook frozen green peas for salad, it will be possible only in the cooking process. This will depend on the variety of peas and their age at the time of freezing. The approximate cooking time of frozen peas is 5-7 minutes. When the peas are soft, they are ready.
Boiled peas should be thrown into a colander and wait until the water drains.
You can slightly change the cooking technology. In this case, the taste of boiled green peas will resemble the taste of canned.
As in the first embodiment, salt and sugar must be added to the water for boiling peas. Then put the washed peas in boiling water and cook over low heat until half cooked.
Then add 1 tablespoon of natural apple cider vinegar and continue cooking until the peas are soft. Frozen peas, prepared in this way, are great not only for the popular Olivier salad, but also for many other recipes.
Steaming Frozen Peas
When preparing green peas in this way, the maximum amount of nutrients is stored in it. Therefore, this option is good for cooking dishes for children.
The easiest way to cook frozen peas in a double boiler. But, if she is not there, it’s okay.
You can bring 1 liter of water to a boil in a pan, put a steaming container and a colander on top of it. Peas can not be thawed, but you need to rinse them under cold running water.
How much to cook frozen green peas for a child or to steam them will depend on the quality of the peas and on the planned dish. For example, to prepare pea puree for feeding a child from 8 months old, it will be necessary to cook peas for 15-20 minutes until it becomes completely soft, and only then grind it in mashed potatoes.
And if you make a pea porridge for a child of 3 years, then you need to cook frozen peas in about 10 minutes. Then cool slightly, grind with a blender, add butter and a little salt. Green pea dishes contain a lot of vegetable digestible protein, which is vital for the growing body of the baby.
Very often, how much to cook frozen green peas, it is impossible to calculate in advance. Often the readiness of peas has to be determined literally by eye.
What can be cooked from green peas
You can cook a huge number of dishes with the addition of green peas. It is an indispensable ingredient in many vegetable and meat salads, it is often used as a light side dish for main dishes. Pea porridge and mashed boiled green peas are popular in baby food. These dishes differ in how much to cook frozen green peas for their preparation.
There are also many recipes for cooking green pea soup in cooking.
Green Pea Light Soup Recipe
There are options for light vegetable soups with the addition of green peas. They are usually prepared on a vegetable broth or on a poultry meat broth.
For the recipe you will need:
- vegetable or chicken broth (about 1.5 liters);
- diced potatoes;
- diced carrot;
- frozen green peas (approximately 100 g);
- green onions;
- garlic (2-3 cloves);
- hard cheese;
- homemade crackers.
Boil the broth, put chopped potatoes and carrots in it, bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes. Then add green peas (for the preparation of soup it is better to unfreeze it first).
How much to cook frozen green peas in the soup will depend on the quality of the peas themselves, but not more than 5-7 minutes. Cool the vegetables cooked in the broth, then beat with a blender until the mass becomes homogeneous.
Add green onions to the creamy soup, chopped with celery and chopped garlic. Serve the soup after sprinkling it with grated cheese and homemade crackers.