Split pea soup is a South African favorite. I have such lovely winter childhood memories of enjoying a warm bowl on a cold winter's night; this split pea soup is vegan-friendly. The ingredients used are everyday ingredients that can be easily found in any retail shop.
However, buckwheat is not popular in SA, so it will take some time to introduce the food and its benefits. Buckwheat is a grain-like seed similar to quinoa. It is an ingredient in many everyday food products like breakfast foods, flour, and noodles.
Buckwheat nutritional benefits
Buckwheat is considered a superfood. It is a good source of protein, fiber, iron, and complex carbohydrates. More impressive is that it is gluten-free and very diverse in its usage, e.g., it can be used as a porridge, in salads and soups, etc.
To learn more about the health benefits of buckwheat, read this article. Otherwise, let's get into the recipe.
Ingredients
split pea soup:
- Four carrots
- 3 cups of green split pea
- salt to taste
- One sachet of liquid vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 red onion
- 2 tsp of crushed garlic
- Oil for sauteing
- Three large carrots chopped up
- Two bay leaves
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp chili flake
- Five chopped fresh jalapeño
- 250 g of split green peas
- 2 cups of water
- 1 tsp of chicken spice
- cheddar cheese for garnishing (optional)
Buckwheat
- 1 cup of dehulled buckwheat
- Two tablespoons of cold press coconut old (or butter)
- salt to taste
- 1 1/2 cups of water.
Method:
split pea soup:
- Prepare a pan on the stove, add oil and the diced onions into a pan & cook onions until translucent.
- Add the chopped carrots, crushed garlic, ground cumin, chicken spice, chili flake, split green peas, chopped jalapeño, liquid vegetable stock, and bay leaves, and mix them all.
- Add water to the pan, make sure the water covers the pot's contents. If two cups of water are not enough, add more. Let cook until the vegetables and split pea is soft (approx. 20 minutes).
- Once vegetables and split peas are soft, mash everything together using a hand masher. Taste and make any seasoning adjustments at this point. If happy with the taste, remove it from the stove and set it aside.
Buckwheat
- Wash and strain the dehulled buckwheat.
- Add the water, salt, and oil to a pot and bring to a boil
- add the washed buckwheat to the pot and simmer until the water is absorbed
- serve with the split pea soup and garnish with cheese. Enjoy!