Creamy Yellow Split Pea Soup

There’s something very comforting and warming about soups that make them perfect lunch fodder during winter. At least I think so. And pulses are both healthy and filling. Also, even better, they are relatively cheap, which means you can use more money on something else, like a new handbag or those shoes you’re been drooling over for weeks..

Serves 2 to 3 people

180g dried yellow split peas / 440g ready boiled ones

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large yellow onion

1 clove of garlic

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

⅛ teaspoon mustard seeds

⅛ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

750ml water

1 vegetarian stock cube

a pinch of herbal salt

100ml double cream

If using dried yellow split peas, they should be prepared according to instructions on the packet. Usually they need to soak in water for at least 12 hours (I like to leave them for 24 hours to make them a bit softer) and then they should be boiled for about 40 minutes or until soft. I normally boil them for just over an hour, but then I like my peas a bit soft. They still won’t be as soft as tinned peas, but they’ll be pleasant to eat.

Peas, as all pulses, grow when soaked in water, so 180g dried ones turn into about 440g boiled ones. If you think this is a bit of a hassle to do every time you’re about to make pea soup, then you can boil a big load and freeze whatever you don’t use in portion packs – ready to be used at a later date.

Once your peas are ready to use, and you are starting the soup itself; chop the onion and warm the oil in a saucepan. Turn down the heat and sweat the onion in the oil, chop the garlic and add. When the onion is soft, add the turmeric and stir well.

Use a pestle and mortar to crush the cumin and mustard seeds (or use ready ground ones if you prefer). Add these to the onions. Add the cayenne pepper, and continue sweating the onions for a couple of minutes, to soak up the flavours.

Boil the water and add to the saucepan, along with the stock cube. The reason it’s good to use warm water is that this prevents the onions cooling down, and so it doesn’t slow down the cooking process.

Leave the soup to simmer for about 15 minutes. Taste to with herbal salt, and use a hand-held kitchen blender to whizz the soup until it is quite smooth. It can be nice to leave some lumps though, so blend it as much as you feel like, or not at all.

Finally add the double cream and bring back to the boil.

Soups are delicious served with bread; if you are feeling particularly adventurous you could toast a slice of bread and chop it up into croutons.