If you’ve never used the humble split pea in your cooking, then you’re in for a real treat with the way we have prepared them in this recipe. This recipe is in no way boring, as it may seem at first glace, trust us.
In this post, we sill show you exactly how to cook and make dried split peas as tasty as possible, in a way that will make you want to eat them over and over and never get bored.
What’s So Great About Split Peas?
The best thing about dried, split peas is the fact that they are literally one of the CHEAPEST dried foods available. Not only are they extremely inexpensive, they are also versatile and make great additions to soups and stews.
These versatile, dried peas come in both yellow and green variety (the green being more prominent in the USA and the yellow being more prominent in the UK). Both varieties taste fabulous and work just as well for any dish you wish to prepare with them.
Try your split pea dish with a side of taco style vegetables made whole foods plant based.
Split Peas Benefits
Split peas have astounding health benefits and are a great source of plant based protein.
If you’re eating a plant based diet, then split peas can make a healthy, high protein addition to your meals. They deserve to even be the star of the show and your meal’s main protein as source.
You may also find that you can just eat a big bowl of your tasty split peas on their own and be 100% satisfied and full. Alternatively, you can add them as a bulking element to soups, stews, curries and more, but they may need to be cooked down first.
Nutritional Profile Of Split Peas
Split peas are high in both fibre and protein, and are low glycemic index making them a fantastic, weight loss food.
They are low in fat, cholesterol and sodium, so are heart friendly too!
Other nutritional facts of dried, split peas (per 100g cooked) include:-
- CALORIES – 118
- PROTEIN – 8.3g
- FAT – 0.4g
- SODIUM – 2mg
- ZINC
- POTASSIUM
- IRON
How To Cook Dried Split Peas
There are a couple of ways to cook your dried, split peas that are effective. Firstly, the green, split pea variety seem to take longer to soften than the yellow. This can also depend on different brands too, but generally you’re looking at 30-40 minutes to get them softa and palatable.
The length of time you cook your peas for will also depend on your taste buds. Some people like their peas cooked soft and mushy, whilst others like to keep some texture in there. This is a matter of personal taste and you should test them as they are cooking to get a feel for this.
Boiling your peas alone in water ill also cook a lot faster then if you were to add them into a thick sauce or stew, so bear this in mind also.
Stove Top, Slow Cooker Or Pressure Cooker Cooking
All of these methods work well and if you’re used to using your pressure cooker, then you may just want to add your spices and go down that route.
Slow cooking is great when you want to make a hearty stew or soup and really get those flavours infused.
Or, simply simmering your peas on the stove top gives you more control over getting your flavours and textures right, so that’s our preferred method in this recipe. However, you can go down any route you please with this as we’re confident you’re going to love this delicious, dried split pea recipe.
If you do decide to go down the pressure cooking or slow cooker route, then remember you may need to adjust your fluids to suit.
How To Cook And Make Dried Split Peas Tasty!
Equipment
- 1 large, heavy bottomed cooing pot
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 400 g Green or yellow split peas Both taste great!
- Hot water to cover at least 3 inches above the peas
- 2 tbsp taco spices
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 2-3 tsp dried garlic For a real POP of flavour, use dried and fresh garlic.
- 2 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast optional
- 2 tsp vegetable bouillon powder
Instructions
- Bring a large kettle of purified water to the boil ready to add to your peas. You'll want to be sure you have plenty of hot water available because you will be adding more water as you go along and as your peas start soaking up the fluids.
- Add all ingredients to a large pot and bring to the boil. Stir. Turn the heat down and bring your peas to a slow simmer. Cover and leave for around 10-15 minutes until your water is starts being absorbed. At this point, you'll want to keep adding more hot water to cover your peas, but not so much to drown them. The aim is to make it so that you don't have to tip ANY water away at the end of cooking because this is where all your delicious spices are. If you have to pour water away, you'll be pouring away flavour and your end dish will not taste as good as it should.
- Stir your peas and check water levels frequently. You'll also want to tase test often to get them to the texture you desire. 30-40 minutes seems to be an optimal time for most green, split pea brands we have tested. However, if you're using the green, split peas, you may find they take a little longer than the yellow.
- As you come to the end of your cooking time, the trick will be to just add little splashes of water so that you can get your peas cooked without any water wastage. Keep stirring at this point as they are likely to stick very easily as your water runs dry.
- You can taste check and add more spices and herbs if your need to.
- Once cooked, take your peas away from the heat source. Don't even leave them on the hot stove after you've turned it off because they will dry out and stick very easily.
- Serve as a high protein side with your favourite meals, OR on their own as a meal that has everything you need to satisfy you. TIP: They also tase great on top or rice if you leave a little fluid in the bottom of the pan to act as a gravy.
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