Split Pea Soup

 

Split pea soup to be savored!!!

I first tasted this soup in a Mediterranean restaurant and liked it. I knew that it was a simple pea (dal) soup, but didn't know the recipe. My search and trial resulted in this soup. My family loved the taste of it. I added my touch of Indian spices for taste and health benefits. So here goes the recipe:

Main ingredients

Preparation time: 5 min
Cooking time: 20 min
Serving size: 4
Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• Green Split Pea - 3/4 cup
• Onion - 1/4 (medium size)
• Ginger - 2 inch piece
• Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
• Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
• Potato  - 1 tbsp chopped(optional)
• Carrot - 1 tbsp chopped(optional)
• Cauliflower/Celery - 1 tbsp chopped (optional)
• Green onion springs - 2 or 3 strands
• Butter/oil - 1 tbsp
• Pepper and salt  - per your taste

Preparation

Pressure cook the split peas with a piece of ginger for 5 whistles on medium heat

1. Wash the dal and pressure cook it along with 1 inch  piece of ginger with 3 cups of water for 5 whistles on medium heat.
2. Chop the onion, optionally the vegetables (carrot, cauliflower/celery and potato) and set aside.

Note:

Optionally you can add all the ingredients in a crock pot and let it cook for 1 - 2 hrs until the pea gets well cooked and mashed and finally garnish it with green onion springs and pepper.

 Cooking

Cook as directed on low-medium heat

1.  Bring a  vessel(soup pot) big enough to hold at least 6 cups of water to warm on medium heat.
2. Add butter and when it melts, add the chopped onion and give it a saute.
3. Grate the remaining ginger, add it to the onion and give it a saute for about a minute or until the onion turns translucent.
4. Add the chopped vegetables, a little bit of salt and cook covered for 2 minutes on low-medium heat.
5. To the sauteed onion/vegetables, add the turmeric and cumin powder and give it a mix.
6. Finally add the cooked split pea, required amount of salt, water (per the soup consistency you would prefer) and bring it to a boil.

   

   Finally garnish with pepper and green spring onions

7. Add pepper according to your spice requirement and garnish with the spring onions.
8. Yummy and hearty soup is ready to be savored.

Health benefits of Split Pea Soup

Split pea is rich in soluble fiber that helps maintain a healthy blood glucose level by providing slow release of energy. The high soluble fiber content helps remove bad cholesterol from the digestive tract. The potassium content in the split pea helps regulate the blood pressure in the body. In addition to the vitamin A from carrots, potassium from potato and anti-oxidants from cauliflower, we also have other health benefits from the spices used in the soup Essential Spices for Healthy Cooking - Naveena Nangai.


Try this heart healthy fiber enriched Split Pea soup along with some French bread and savor the taste. With some slices of bread, this soup can be a meal by itself as it is satiating. Let me know any comments about the soup...

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