Yellow Split Pea Soup with Spiced Yogurt

A different take on split pea soup, using yellow split peas instead of green, with a swirl of spiced yogurt to brighten things up.

Yellow Split Pea Soup with Spiced Yogurt

Split pea soup is a classic, and for good reason. It's hearty, pretty healthy, and simple -- and can even be made vegetarian or vegan if desired. But the split pea is much more versatile than you might have imagined -- it doesn't just have to stick to the simple flavor profile of what we might consider the original dish. This take on it uses a variety of warm and earthy spices to bring out the sweetness of the yellow split pea, and a vibrantly colored and spiced yogurt swirl adds some zest and complexity.

Spices used in this recipe


Bay Leaves
Cumin Ground
Cloves, Ground
Turmeric, Ground
Paprika, Spanish Sweet
Cayenne Pepper
Salt, Kosher

Ingredients

Preparation

  1. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. When shimmering, add the onion and salt and saute until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, bay leaf, cumin, and cloves and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the celery and carrots and saute until vegetables are beginning to soften, another 5 minutes.
  2. Add the drained, soaked split peas and 8 cups of water or stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer gently until peas are tender, 60-90 minutes. Add more water if it looks like the soup is getting too dry.
  3. While the soup is cooking, make the spiced yogurt: stir together the yogurt, turmeric, paprika, cayenne, cumin, and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, and put aside in the fridge.
  4. When peas are falling apart tender, remove the pot from heat and puree with an immersion blender, or in batches in a regular blender. If using a regular blender, make sure the soup cools enough that it won’t scald you if it splashes out of the blender.
  5. Stir the lemon juice and zest into the soup and adjust the salt to taste.
  6. Serve each bowl of soup with a dollop of spiced yogurt swirled in.


Serves 8.

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