Soaking Legumes: Sulphur smell

[Tegan]

Hi all, I have recently become vegan for ethical reasons and my tummy reacted poorly to the increase in beans and legumes in my diet. So- I am beginning to soak things. I have no issues with brown rice or nuts and seeds. They seem to work out fine. This is the first time Ive soaked lentils however. There are a few different theories and methods out there and I'm not sure which would be best. I soaked some yellow lentils in filtered water with a pinch of baking soda in a saucepan with a lid left on my bench top. The weather is relatively cool also. Ive changed the baking soda and water 3 times and tonight will be 48 hours of soaking. While rinsing them this morning however, I noticed a strong eggy smell... Its not pleasant. Reminds me of the smell of raw chicken going bad. Not sure if anyone is familiar with this smell on here! I am not sure if this is normal? Or if I should discard my lentils. Ive read about a pleasant fermented smell being ok- I am making sauerkraut and I would say IT smelt pleasantly fermenty... But this is eggy-ish and unpleasant. Are there better methods of soaking? Or is this completely normal? Thank you in advance!

 

[ledboots]

Hi Tegan and welcome.

I think that is too long to leave the lentil water at room temperature.

Did you bring them to a boil first? The way I usually prep beans is to rinse well (in a strainer), bring the water to a boil, and let the beans soak in the refrigerator overnight. Then I discard the water, rinse, and cook. Skimming off and discarding the foam that forms on the top now and then while the beans cook helps with the bloating.

There are some spices that help with digesting beans. (You don't need all of them lol, one or two, whatever you have or can get cheaply.)

How to eat lentils without bloating | Bloating Tips
"Soaking lentils in plenty of cold water overnight can significantly reduce their phytate levels, helping to lower their potential for causing bloating. Adding some lemon juice or vinegar to the water further helps to breakdown the levels of phytates on the outer coating of the lentils. Once the lentils have been soaked, rinse them thoroughly, cook them in fresh water and the bloating effects should be reduced.

As well as soaking lentils overnight to help reduce their potential bloating effect, it can be helpful to cook lentils along with plenty of carminatives. Carminatives are foods known to help soothe the digestive tract and help to reduce bloating and flatulence. There are many herbs and spices with valuable carminative properties which have been used traditionally for many years as natural remedies for helping relieve bloating and digestive discomfort. herbs and spices that we are most familiar with include star anise, caraway, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, fennel, garlic, ginger, lemon balm, nutmeg, parsley and peppermint. These herbs and spices have been used in cooking for many years; not only do they add flavour, but they help improve our digestion."

 

[Tegan]

Thank you that is exactly what I needed, and exactly what Ill do! I didnt bring them to the boil first. The idea of keeping them in the fridge sits better with me - I hadnt seen this method! I will discard these lentils. I dont think Id have been able to bring myself to eat something so smelly anyways. I will start again with the boil and refrigeration method.

 

[Andy_T]

I think you might be fermenting your legumes instead of soaking them, if you let them in the water for 48 hours.

 

[Second Summer]

I think 24 hours would be OK, assuming you didn't boil first. 48 hours sound very long.

That said, isn't this similar to how you would sprout lentils? (Not the baking soda necessarily, but the long soak, changing water etc?)

 

[ledboots]

Thank you that is exactly what I needed, and exactly what Ill do! I didnt bring them to the boil first. The idea of keeping them in the fridge sits better with me - I hadnt seen this method! I will discard these lentils. I dont think Id have been able to bring myself to eat something so smelly anyways. I will start again with the boil and refrigeration method.

I should add that I live in a warm climate, so room tempetatures may vary.

I have always read that you can let the beans and water soak overnight on the counter, but I use the refrigerator. My mother chilled them too, and she's usually right about these things.

 

[Khurshid]

Hi all, I have recently become vegan for ethical reasons and my tummy reacted poorly to the increase in beans and legumes in my diet. So- I am beginning to soak things. I have no issues with brown rice or nuts and seeds. They seem to work out fine. This is the first time Ive soaked lentils however. There are a few different theories and methods out there and I'm not sure which would be best. I soaked some yellow lentils in filtered water with a pinch of baking soda in a saucepan with a lid left on my bench top. The weather is relatively cool also. Ive changed the baking soda and water 3 times and tonight will be 48 hours of soaking. While rinsing them this morning however, I noticed a strong eggy smell... Its not pleasant. Reminds me of the smell of raw chicken going bad. Not sure if anyone is familiar with this smell on here! I am not sure if this is normal? Or if I should discard my lentils. Ive read about a pleasant fermented smell being ok- I am making sauerkraut and I would say IT smelt pleasantly fermenty... But this is eggy-ish and unpleasant. Are there better methods of soaking? Or is this completely normal? Thank you in advance!

Red lentils needs a one water wash to remove loose starch and proteins. It then needs soaking for about 15-20 minutes for these to absorb all the water they can. If you leave them too long as you did, the starch ferments and the protein starts some breakdown as well. That is when you can clearly see a foamy scum on the surface. Leave it longer and you will see larger bubbles.
if you want to cook next day, either soak it before cooking or put the lentil and water inside a fridge.

Secondly as someone who cooks lentils on a various regular basis in various ways, I am not able to understand the need for baking soda. A one water wash is all you need to do.