Green pea flour is made out of green peas. A very natural and healthy ingredient which can be used in savoury or sweet dishes. Grounded green peas are great in pancakes, cookies and cakes. Sometimes, it is made into pasta.
Fresh/frozen vs dried green peas
This recipe uses frozen green peas which are first thawed before using. You may also use fresh green peas. However, frozen green peas are a better option as fresh vegetables will lose its colour, flavour and nutrients as time goes on. The freezing process stops the green peas from turning limp.
To make pulse flour using fried green peas, get a pack of dried green peas and blend it using a spice blender. Since spice blenders have a smaller surface, it makes blending easier as the dried green peas are extremely hard. Dried green peas must be blended finely as chunks which are not blended remained hard during the cooking process unless it is used in soups. When experimenting with dried (dehydrated) green peas in the green pea cookies recipe, I was unable to get rid of the bitter after taste even after dry frying the flour. Adding sugar did not help either. Hence, I would highly recommend baking the green peas instead.
Baked vs fried green peas
It depends on the result you would like to achieve. To have more fragrant and oily flour, it is better to fry the peas. The heat to fry the green peas is crucial to prevent burning. Baked or roasted green peas use lesser amount of oil. This, of course, results in lighter and less oily flour. I would suggest to always bake green peas as it creates less mess.
Would I be allergic to green pea flour?
As green peas belong to the legume family, it could be possible that one is allergic to green pea flour. A study documented how kids are allergic to cooked green peas but tolerated raw green peas. Since green pea flour is made using the frying or baking method, it is best to avoid green pea flour if there are signs of legume allergy.
How much green peas do I need?
You can expect to get about 100 g of green pea flour using 320 g of frozen green peas.
How to use green pea flour?
Green pea flour can be made into pasta or pancakes. They can also be added to vegetable soups. My favourite way to use this gluten free flour is in the green pea cookies recipe.
How to store green pea flour?
Green pea flour can be stored in an air tight container and kept for 2-3 weeks. Do place the container away from the sun and in a cool area. Otherwise, you may also freeze the green pea flour for up to 3 months.
