Can Split Pea Soup Be a Game-Changer?

When I was in college, after a history class one day, a guy friend invited me to his apartment for lunch. Oh, my – he wanted to make lunch for me? Was this a step to some change in the nature of our friendship?

I cheerily accompanied him back to his place, chatting amiably. When we got to his kitchen, he grabbed a can opener and pulled a can from a shelf.

“What are we having?” I asked.

“Split pea soup,” he read from the can.

“You invited me over for canned split pea soup?” I said. “What kind of thing is that to give someone you invite over for lunch?” (You could have called me many things, but easy wasn’t one of them.)

He grabbed another can from the shelf, and said, “Well, we could have turkey noodle instead.”

I grumbled, but agreed, still a bit reluctantly, to the turkey noodle. The menu change was only mildly more satisfying.

That lunch did not turn out to represent a change in the nature of our friendship, other than my deciding that this fellow didn’t have great culinary possibilities.

Why, you might ask, was I so opposed to split pea soup? Well, it was because I’d never enjoyed the pleasure of it home-made, and so had developed a very negative view of split peas. And, as far as my taste buds were concerned, I’d much sooner do without the little bits of almost tasteless ham in that canned stuff.

Later, I would come to love Magic Pan’s Potage St. Germain, made with split peas, and served with sherry, or with sour cream. But I didn't start on the road to split pea nirvana until I encountered curried split pea soup.

Over the years, I’ve developed my own way of making split pea soup, subject to an addition here or there with my latest whim, but my core recipe is pretty solid now. 

At the moment, in my neck of the woods, there’s a white sky outside, with a threat of more snow later today and through the night. So, it is a perfect day to make some curried split pea soup for lunch. 

Kate’s Curried Split Pea Soup                                                Serves 8-10

2 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil, or one of each

1 medium-sized onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

½ red bell pepper, chopped

1 tbsp minced fresh ginger root

1 good-sized clove of garlic, minced

2 tsp curry powder

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp turmeric

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp allspice

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp nutmeg

1 ½ tsp sea salt

13.5 oz can of coconut milk

5 cups of water, vegetable broth or chicken broth

1. Sort and wash the peas, and then set aside until needed. Combine the salt and dried spices (not the garlic or ginger) in a small bowl, and set aside until needed.

2. Heat the oil over medium-low heat in a large pot, and then add the chopped vegetables. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the vegetables are becoming soft.

3. Add ginger and garlic to the pot, and stir and cook for 1 minute. Then add the combined dried spices to the pot, stirring to mix with the veggies, garlic and ginger. Cook, stirring for another minute, and then add the coconut milk. Stir to combine.

4. Add the split peas, and then the water or broth to the pot. Stir, and then bring heat up to medium, or medium-high, and bring to a boil. Then turn the heat back to medium-low, cover the pot, and let the soup simmer for an hour and a half, or longer. Stir from time to time, to make sure that the soup is not sticking to the bottom of the pan. If it starts to stick, turn the heat down further.

Variations: 

Add diced carrots, diced apples, or diced dried apricots along with the vegetables. 

Throw in a handful of raisins with the liquid when preparing the soup. 

Serve with chutney, or a spoon of whole-berry cranberry sauce, or with a spoon of apricot preserves stirred into a bowl of soup. 

Sprinkle with toasted coconut, and toasted slivered almonds over a bowl of soup. 

For a jot of sourness in the flavors, add a squirt of lemon or lime juice.

Notes: 

I make a thick soup, which, upon cooling, becomes a semi-solid. If you like a more liquid soup, add more broth or water when cooking – one to two more cups, depending on your preferences.

Also, I don’t heavily salt this soup. Some may prefer it with two teaspoons of salt.

Have fun with it.

And, by the way, this is definitely the type of split pea soup one could serve to a persnickety friend invited for lunch.

     ~Kate Lydon Varley