Lentils vs split peas

I’ve tried the blender — which only reduces the hard peas to fine grit. I wish, now, I’d followed my own advice when I came across an economical recipe for dhal and pumpkin soup — but I didn’t and, naturally, ended up with gritty soup.

So, unless you have a magic formula (that I hope you’ll share with Newsday readers — e-mail your magic formula for softening every last yellow split pea in your recipes tojannehilton@gmail.com) you’d be well advised to use lentils instead of yellow split peas in the following recipe for:

Dhal and Pumpkin Soup made with:

200 grammes yellow split peas (dhal)

I tablespoon vegetable oil

2 medium brown onions, chopped finely

1 tablespoon saffron powder (tumeric)

1 tablespoon ground gheera (cumin )

1 tablespoon ground dhunia (coriander)

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds

4 cups chicken stock (made with 4-6 Maggi cubes and hot water)

1 1/2 cups grated pumpkin

4 cups water

METHOD

Pick over, wash and soak the peas overnight, then do whatever you have to do to soften the lot.

Heat the oil in a large soup pot, add the prepared onion and saut? until the onions are soft and translucent.

Add the saffron powder, gheera, dhunia, mustard seeds and ginger; cook, stirring, until fragrant.

Stir in the stock and the dhal, bring the mixture to the boil and simmer, uncovered, for ten minutes. Add the water and grated pumpkin; simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until the soup thickens.

Serve as is, or blend, the choice is yours.

Serves 4-6.