I haven't yet made Sarah's soup, but I plan to do so soon! I just got back from Singapore, where laksa is a delicious mainstay, so I'm really looking forward to creating a vegetarian version at home.
After traveling for a month and ten days, I was very eager to get back into my own kitchen. I'm also eager to cook as many vegetable-laden dishes as possible after my trip! I've made the following split pea soup several times and think it's a really delicious alternative to the more typical thick, heavy pea soups that are flavored primarily by ham or bacon (though if you'd prefer to make that type of soup, this version is excellent).
The recipe comes from the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites cookbook, one of the first cookbooks I owned in college. While some of the recipes are definitely out-of-date (like "Another Shepherd's Pie," which makes liberal use of both kasha and soy sauce), others are really quite delicious and do stand the test of time. This soup, I think, is one of them.
My version: I used regular green split peas, as that's what I had on hand. I also added the juice of an entire lime and found that quite a bit of salt was required. Other than these small changes, though, I followed the recipe below and was very happy with the results.
Golden Split Pea Soup, from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites
3 cups chopped onions
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger root
1 cup dried yellow split peas
7 cups water
2 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
1 cup peeled, cored, and cubed apples
3-inch cinnamon stick
2 tsp. chili powder
3/4 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. soy sauce
for garnish: yogurt, cilantro
In a soup pot, sauté the onions in the oil until golden. Add the cumin, turmeric, coriander, and ginger and cook for another minute. Add the split peas, water, sweet potatoes, apples, cinnamon, and chili powder, cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and summer for 40 minutes, or until the peas are tender.
In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, lime juice, and soy sauce. When the peas are tender, add the tomato mixture. If desired, purée the soup. Add salt and more lime juice to taste. Serve topped with yogurt and cilantro.
After traveling for a month and ten days, I was very eager to get back into my own kitchen. I'm also eager to cook as many vegetable-laden dishes as possible after my trip! I've made the following split pea soup several times and think it's a really delicious alternative to the more typical thick, heavy pea soups that are flavored primarily by ham or bacon (though if you'd prefer to make that type of soup, this version is excellent).
The recipe comes from the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites cookbook, one of the first cookbooks I owned in college. While some of the recipes are definitely out-of-date (like "Another Shepherd's Pie," which makes liberal use of both kasha and soy sauce), others are really quite delicious and do stand the test of time. This soup, I think, is one of them.
My version: I used regular green split peas, as that's what I had on hand. I also added the juice of an entire lime and found that quite a bit of salt was required. Other than these small changes, though, I followed the recipe below and was very happy with the results.
Golden Split Pea Soup, from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites
3 cups chopped onions
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger root
1 cup dried yellow split peas
7 cups water
2 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
1 cup peeled, cored, and cubed apples
3-inch cinnamon stick
2 tsp. chili powder
3/4 cup chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. soy sauce
for garnish: yogurt, cilantro
In a soup pot, sauté the onions in the oil until golden. Add the cumin, turmeric, coriander, and ginger and cook for another minute. Add the split peas, water, sweet potatoes, apples, cinnamon, and chili powder, cover, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and summer for 40 minutes, or until the peas are tender.
In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, lime juice, and soy sauce. When the peas are tender, add the tomato mixture. If desired, purée the soup. Add salt and more lime juice to taste. Serve topped with yogurt and cilantro.
