Split Pea Soup
Aperçu
Split pea soup is South African winter food, and it belongs to the same domestic tradition as sugar bean soup and other legume stews made to get a household through cold months cheaply. Split peas are ordinary peas dried and split along their natural seam, which lets them break down into a thick purée rather than staying whole. It is usually built on a meat base. Beef bones are the most common choice for the depth they give, though this version uses chicken drumsticks simmered first so their flavour goes into the water the peas then cook in. A meat free version is entirely possible and is made, but most South African households treat the meaty stock as the point of it. What it is served with is not negotiable in the households that make it: bread spread generously with margarine, or hot pap. It is the kind of dish that attaches itself to particular people and particular kitchens, and the contributor who submitted it describes it as their late grandmother's winter standby, made when the grandchildren visited during school holidays. That is how most South Africans encounter it.
Note de Patrimoine AFN
Split pea soup belongs to the South African domestic winter repertoire of legume soups, conventionally built on a meat stock and served with bread or pap.
Ingrédients
Les mentions alimentaires sont fournies par les contributeurs à titre indicatif. Elles ne sont pas vérifiées par AFN et dépendent des produits que vous achetez. En cas d’allergie grave, vérifiez vous-même chaque ingrédient. Cuisine, allergies et votre propre jugement
Préparation
- 1
Add the water to a deep pot and add the chicken drumsticks. Boil the chicken for 10 minutes.
- 2
Once the chicken is ready, remove it from the water and add the split peas to the same water so the meaty flavour goes into the peas. Boil for 35 to 40 minutes, or until soft.
- 3
While the split peas cook, take the chicken off the bones and cut it into smaller pieces. Keep the bones.
- 4
Heat a little cooking oil in a pan and fry the onion until translucent, then add the spices and the chicken.
- 5
Once the peas are soft enough to break apart, add the chicken mixture to the soup, followed by the parsley.
- 6
Simmer for a few minutes and serve with pap or bread.
Notes de l’Africook
Notes personnelles de Tshego Stone- Rinse the split peas thoroughly and pick out any grit before cooking. Soaking is optional and shortens the cooking time, but rinsing is not optional.
- Cook the peas in the water the chicken was boiled in. That transfer of flavour is the whole reason the chicken goes in first.
- Keep the bones in the pot while the peas cook for more body, and lift them out before serving.
- Old split peas may never soften properly however long you cook them. If a batch stays hard, the peas are stale rather than undercooked.
- It thickens a great deal as it stands. Loosen it with water or stock when reheating.
- It is best served straight from the pot, which is how South African households eat it.
Questions fréquentes
Do I need to soak split peas first?
No. Unlike most dried legumes, split peas cook to softness in 35 to 45 minutes without soaking, because splitting them exposes the interior. Soaking shortens that a little and some cooks prefer it. What does matter is rinsing thoroughly and picking out any stones or debris before they go in the pot.
Why are my split peas still hard after cooking?
Usually because they are old. Split peas that have sat in a cupboard for a long time can refuse to soften no matter how long they are cooked. The other causes are too short a cooking time or too low a simmer. Buy fresh split peas from a shop with good turnover and keep the pot at a proper simmer.
Can I make it without meat?
Yes, and it works. Use a good vegetable stock in place of the chicken water, and lean more heavily on the onion, garlic and spice, since the meat is providing most of the savoury depth. Most South African households make it with meat, but a meat free version is a legitimate and common variation.
What if it is too thick?
Add water or stock a little at a time and stir until it loosens to where you want it. Split pea soup thickens as it cooks and then again as it cools, so this is normal rather than a fault. Adding liquid is much easier than trying to thicken it further, so err on the loose side.
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Herh, the garlic and fried onion smell in the kitchen when you sauté the chicken was incredible paa. But 4 cups of water was a bit small for 500g split peas, mine turned into thick puree too fast and started burning at the bottom of the pot. Next time I will add 5 or 6 cups.
Yaw, you are so right o! Split peas drink water no be small thing. The exact same burning happened to me the first time I tried 4 cups. 6 cups is definitely better, or just keep a kettle of warm water nearby to top it up as it thickens.
Three tablespoons of garlic sounded like too much when I read it, but e sweet o! Boiling the split peas directly in that chicken stock made the soup so rich. My wife even asked if I added broth powder. Very good recipe sha.
Chale, I thought the garlic was too much too oo! But boiling the split peas directly in the stock is the real secret paa. Herh, tell your wife no need for broth powder at all when you use good stock. My grandmother in Accra even adds a little smoked turkey to hers, and the flavor is out of this world.
Ah, I could not find proper South African barbecue spice here in Silver Spring, so I used Cajun seasoning from the Giant grocery store. Mais c'est tres bon! The method of pulling chicken off the drumstick bones and cooking peas in the broth gives it such a deep taste, reminded me a bit of home comfort food.
Abeg do you leave the whole spice inside or strain it out before adding the split peas? I got yellow split peas from the International Market in Baltimore and they took nearly 50 mins to soften. Taste was nice sha, that chicken stock base helped a lot.
Chale 40 minutes was not enough for my split peas to break down completely oo. I had to leave them on the fire for almost an hour before they went soft. But boiling the drumsticks first to get that chicken water flavor is a smart idea paa.