A spicy yellow split-pea soup

This very yummy soup builds on the techniques used in making the chickpea curry, especially in the cooking of the onions and the addition of lemon juice at the end. The flavours of this soup brings back memories of backpacking through Turkey and eating at roadside restaurants in Central Anatolia.

Ingredients

350g of yellow split-peas
1 large onion, finely chopped
4-6 tomatoes, skinned, deseeded and diced
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon each of cumin seeds, ground coriander, fenugreek seeds, turmeric
Half a teaspoon of black onion seeds
Quarter of teaspoon of cayenne pepper
2 Bay leaves
Three tablespoons of vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
Lemon to taste

What you do next is....
Heat the oil, add the garlic and onions and cook until the onions start to brown around the edges.
Add the cumin seeds, ground coriander and fenugreek seeds. Cook for 30 seconds then add the split peas. Stir a couple of times to get everything nice and mixed up then add a litre of water or chicken or vegetable stock.
Bring to a boil, turn down the heat and add the Bay Leaves, turmeric, cayenne pepper and onion seeds. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes before adding the diced tomato and salt and pepper. Cover and cook on a gentle heat until the split peas are cooked. The peas will absorb the stock, so be prepared to add more liquid to maintain a soupy consistency. A minute or two before you are ready to serve, add a generous squeeze of lemon.