Split-Pea Soup Question

Mishie ↓

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 10:14 am

How do you get your Split-Pea Soup to have that thick consistency, with the peas like a mush?

Mine looks like a clear soup with split peas in it.

What am I doing wrong??

p.s. I soaked the peas in hot water for several hours before I started the soup....

Another thing, I'm afraid to use the stick-blender, because the soup is full of sliced-carrots....

Tamiri ↓

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 10:23 am

You need the proper ratio of beans to water and then the soup is automatically thick.. You cook the beans for hours. I never use a stick blender for SPS.

↑ Mishie ↓

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 10:34 am

It's been cooking on low for close to 3 hours now, and no sign of getting any thicker.....
Ideas anyone?

BeershevaBubby ↓

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 10:35 am

I tend to buy 2 kilo of split peas. I rinse and drain them and pour them into a huge pot.

I add enough water so it's covered by a good two inches of extra water and just let 'em cook on a medium-low flame for 4 or 5 hours, stirring occasionally.

Once it's cooked (the split peas have disintegrated) I let it cool and then divide into 4 ziploc freezer bags. Then I freeze and use each as a base for the split pea soup.

It's a nice thick base, I add another 6 to 8 liters of water (depending on how thick I want the soup), diced onions and carrots, salt and pepper.

It's important to not add salt when first cooking the split peas. Salt halts the cooking/softening process in legumes and beans.

↑ BeershevaBubby

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 10:36 am

Mishie wrote:

It's been cooking on low for close to 3 hours now, and no sign of getting any thicker.....
Ideas anyone?

Stir it and cook it uncovered. I find the mash tends to settle on the bottom.

grin ↓

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 10:38 am

a pressure cooker makes all the difference, cutting the cooking time down by hours while thickening it as well.

DefyGravity ↓

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 11:29 am

I use a mix of frozen and canned peas. It gives it a super thick consistency and it also cooks extremely quick.

rexie

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 11:38 am

Maybe you didn't use enough split peas? When I use 1.5 cups to 2 cups of split peas, it always comes out nice and thick. I dont use any sort of blenders. After the split peas are cooking a few hours, I just mix the soup with a big spoon and it has a good consistency. I add other veggies to the pot some time in the middle of all this.

greenfire ↓

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 3:08 pm

it really take a lot of cooking, cooking & cooking ... I think I do mine all day long before it softens and mix it up well and often ...

octopus

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 3:30 pm

I know this is cheating, but if you throw in some baby food jars of split peas , it really thickens the soup up. Plus there are no additives, so it is really just mushy peas! (It automatically thickens the broth).

↑ grin

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 3:30 pm

I got inspired from this and also put up pea soup. Hashem wanted me to eat my words, and it came out liquidy!
Hopefully it'll thicken when it cools.

Rutabaga

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 3:31 pm

I usually make split-pea soup in a crockpot, so the long cooking time definitely helps. I also boil onions, garlic, and celery in another pot for around 30 minutes, then puree that and add it to the crockpot.

cassandra

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 3:37 pm

I have the easiest recipe and it's really thick and good:

1 lb split peas
1 onion, chopped
1 c. sliced carrots
1 T. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. oregano
2 quarts of water.

I boil it on a med. flame for around 2 hours, just keep checking it to make sure it isn't burning. When you don't see distinct peas anymore and it's just a thick mush it's ready.

mali ↓

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 4:29 pm

mishie, forget all the tips you get from people from chu"l. in israel your best bet would be to put a tsp. of baking soda after the soup reaches a boil. you'll get that creamy mush in less than an hour. if you don't want to use a pressure cooker, that's the only trick that works on the israeli peas.

↑ mali ↓

Sun, Aug 10 2008, 4:37 pm

they take much longer to cook.

not only peas, most grains and legumes here take longer to cook.

MOE

Tue, Aug 12 2008, 3:10 pm

why dont you pour it into a cuisnart or a blender and puree it....
I usually sautee the peas with some salami and onions and carrots untill they get soften then I add chicken stock and water salt and pepper...where did you people learn to cook from

↑ Mishie

Tue, Aug 12 2008, 3:17 pm

Mali, I would be so nervous about the baking soda giving the soup a bad taste.... is it noticable?