Simple Pea Soup Recipe

Pea soup is also called as split pea soup. It is made from dried peas. This recipe of pea soup has some variations according to cultures, but now many cultures adapted other’s pea soup recipes. You can choose the one that you like the most. This soup has two colors yellow and green, according to the type of dried pea and the other ingredient you use for it. Some people prefer smooth puree of peas in the soup and some prefer a combination of smooth puree with visible pieces of peas. Again the choice is yours. Make sure, if you are going to feed this soup to your baby, then it should be smooth puree only as the baby will not able to chew and digest the pieces of peas. Pea soup is the best recipe for bridal shower as it is easy to make and everyone could enjoy it.

Dried peas have high level of vitamin B, carbohydrates, magnesium, protein, manganese, potassium, phosphorus, and iron. It is a good source of fibers, carotenes, vitamin K and C. Therefore, it has good nutritional value and it is rich in calories. It also has plenty of antioxidant.

Recipe of dried green/yellow pea soup

Difficulty level: Easy

Serves: 4 to 6 people

Category: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Dried whole or split peas (green or yellow) 2 cups
Olive oil (extra virgin olive oil if you want) 1 tablespoon
Sea salt (fine grain) ½ teaspoon
Lemon juice ½ tablespoon
Onions (large in size) 2
smoked paprika (according to your taste)
water 5 cups
olive oil to drizzle (optional)
fresh cream or butter (optional and according to taste)

Preparation

soak dried peas in water for whole night or 7-8 hours and then rinse it
chopped the onion finely

Direction

Make a large pot hot over medium flame. Add olive oil in the pot after it becomes hot. Stir fry the finely chopped onion in it with salt till the onion gets soft. Now, add the soaked peas and water in it and let it boil on high flame. Once, it gets to the boiling point, low down the flame at least for 20 minutes or until the peas are cooked well. Now, blend the cooked mixture in grinder or with hand blender and make smooth puree of it. Hand blender is preferred because the mixture is very hot. If you want it thick, keep it as it is. If you want it as thin soup then add one or two cups of water in it. Add lemon juice and salt in it and make it boil again for two minutes. Keep stirring it to get all these ingredient mix in it well.

Now, serve it in bowls by spreading a pinch of paprika, olive oil, and lemon juice in it. Lemon juice and olive oil at times of serving are optional and totally depends on the taste of the person, who is going to eat it. If you are feeding it to your baby or small kid, do not add lemon juice and olive oil and add only one pinch of paprika. You can add fresh cream in it for your baby.

Variations

If you want to some put some pieces of peas in the soup then keep some spits of peas aside when it is half cooked. Add these pieces in the soup (at times of you add lemon juice and salt) once you make a smooth blend or puree of the peas.
You can add some pieces of green olives in this soup to make it spicy. You can add pieces of black olives to decorate the soup and to bring some different taste.
You can add other vegetables in this soup like blend of spinach, or half cooked carrot, small pieces of broccoli or mushrooms, according to your taste and likes. Adding any one vegetable will make your pea soup more nutritious and healthy.
You can add some soya chunks in it

Recipe of fresh green pea soup

Difficulty level: Easy

Time to cook: 30 minutes

Serves: 4 to 6 people

Category: Non-vegetarian

Ingredients

Fresh green peas 4 cups (you can use frozen peas also)
Butter 3 tablespoon
Chicken broth 3 cups
Salt ½ teaspoon
Pepper powder (white or black pepper) ½ spoon
Bay leaf 1
All purpose flour 2 tablespoon
Large leeks 2 (halve cut according to length and sliced)
Grated nutmeg (to garnish and optional)
Milk 1 cup
Water ¼ cup

Direction

Take a large pan or pot, make it hot and put 2 tablespoon butter in it and keep the flame low to avoid smoke of the butter. Now, add leeks and stir after few seconds, until it softens. This procedure will take around 10 minutes. Remove the pan from flame when the leeks start getting brown. Let it come to normal temperature, till that time you must stir it consistently. Keep the pan on low flame again and add 1 tablespoon butter once again. Sprinkle the all purpose flour in the pan and keep stirring until it gets light brown in color. Now, raise the flame to medium and add chicken broth in it slowly and continue stirring to avoid flour lumps in it. Keep stirring till the mixture becomes thick.

Now, add green peas in the mixture (keep half cup of peas aside to garnish). Now, it is the time to add bay leaf, pepper powder, and salt. Let it boil for 12-15 minutes, until the peas become soft. Blanch the peas, you kept aside for 30 seconds in boiling water. Drain the water.

Now, remove the pan from flame and the bay leaf from large pan and blend the mixture with hand blender, until it smoothens. Keep the pan again on low flame. Now, let the puree boil again. Add milk in it and stir it well. Now, remove the pan from flame, add salt in it. Serve in bowls and garnish it with whole peas (blanched) and grated nutmeg.

You can make some variations in it. Instead of using chicken broth you can use turkey broth or crab broth in the pea soup