Yellow Split Pea Soup Recipe | Eat Like a Local | Norway (2024)

FAQs

Should you soak yellow split peas before cooking? ›

If you've never cooked with yellow or green split peas, they're very similar to lentils. Unlike most dried beans, there's no need to soak them before you cook them, and they become soft and tender in under an hour on the stove.

Split pigeon peas or Toor Dal (Cajanus cajan) split-desi chickpea or Chana Dal (Cicer arietinum) and split yellow peas or Matar Dal (Pisum sativum) are commonly referred to as split yellow peas, although they belong to different species in the bean family leguminosae (Fabaceae).

If your split peas don't get soft, it's more likely they are old or were stored in a container that wasn't airtight. Even though they keep for quite a while, dried beans don't keep forever.

Canada. Soupe aux pois (jaunes) (yellow pea soup) is a traditional dish in Québec cuisine. Traditional Québécois cuisine resembles early Maine and Vermont cuisines. One source says "The most authentic version of Quebec's soupe aux pois use whole yellow peas, with salt pork, and herbs for flavour.

To Soak or Not to Soak

It's true, soaking peas overnight in water shortens their cooking time. But soaking isn't entirely necessary. Split peas cook relatively quickly. Unsoaked peas take from 1 to 2 hours of simmering; soaked peas take about 40 minutes.

Peas cook faster than beans, and - like beans - they don't have to be soaked at all, but not soaking affects the cooking time. An hour or two of soaking is plenty for whole green or yellow peas…they don't need to go overnight like beans typically do.

As mentioned, yellow split peas offer numerous health benefits, including: Plant-Based Protein – Protein helps aid in muscle growth, keeps your bones healthy, and helps boost the immune system.

Yellow and green split peas have a similar nutritional content and cooking time, but yellow peas tend to have a more earthy flavor, while green peas are sweeter. Due to their versatility, both green and yellow split peas are found in the traditional dishes of a variety of cultures.

In terms of nutrition, they're both high in fiber and protein, with lentils having a slightly higher amount of iron. They also share an earthy, nutty flavor, although lentils lean a little richer, and split peas are creamier when cooked.

Split peas and lentils tend to get overcooked. Once I figured out that they don't need to reach the State of Horrifyingly Mushy, my legume cookery horizons expanded dramatically. Actually, I find it pretty amazing that more people don't cook with dried peas and lentils.

How do you soften yellow split peas for soup? ›

You can cook them in a pressure cooker. This will soften them in a relatively short amount of time. Another option is to soak them longer in advance of the cooking (for a day or so) in water, and baking soda... If the peas (and beans or lentils for that matter) are old, they will not soften.

The starches and the gelatin will form a mesh when cooling, so the consistency of the pea-soup will always be thick when cold. On heating, do what Mien advised: add some water or broth to the soup to the consistency that you want.

Is split pea soup hard to digest? Legumes and lentils are astringent and bitter, making them more cleansing in nature. As they move through the digestive tract, their “cleansing” action pulls gas out of the colon, causing flatulence.

Very likely the embryo of the peas! Each side of the pea is an endosperm, like the white of an egg. These are probably just left over embryos of the peas, or the yolk, if you will.

Chana dal and yellow split peas are different legumes. Chana dal is split chickpeas, while yellow split peas are a variety of the field pea, also known as Pisum sativum.

To soak, simply cover the split peas with water by at least an inch, and let soak for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight. Whether you soak or not, split peas should be rinsed, simply to remove dust or dirt. You can also soak them in water to pick them over for stones, but the chances of finding one are slim.

Thankfully, Epstein notes that -- unlike dried beans, which need to be soaked overnight -- split peas require no soaking, because they cook much faster. Between prep and cooking time, this recipe can easily come together in about an hour, even with the added task of pea-sorting.

To cook simply cover the peas with water or stock, bring to the boil then simmer for 30 to 45 minutes. Pre-soaking speeds up cooking but isn't essential. The peas will get softer and softer as they cook.