Yellow split peas soup – Soupa louvana
A citrus and filling soup
A traditional Cypriot soup using yellow split peas and rice essentially. The lemon juice used gives it a nice taste of acidity and adds to the Vitamin C boost we all need in the winter. You can make this soup with potatoes instead of rice, i just find that using rice is easier as there is one less thing to chop. It is the perfect soup for a meat free meal also!
Thyme is not typically used but i love the aroma it gives it. It is quite a small amount used in proportion to the overall amount of soup but i wouldn’t ditch it if i was you. The added sides are eaten with the soup to make it even more filling and provide different textures to the meal also.
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 medium brown onions, chopped chopped
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 3 L warm water
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 cup yellow split peas, washed and strained
- 1/2 cup long grain rice, washed and strained
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- salt and pepper
- parsley finely chopped
- black olives
- rocket
- tomatoes
- radish
- crusty bread
-
Heat a large casserole on a medium/high heat with the olive oil. Fry the onions until softened and then add the thyme until it becomes aromatic.
-
Pour the water, stock, peas and rice in the casserole and bring it to the boil. Let them simmer for 30-35min or until the peas and rice are tender. Remove any foam that forms on the top with a slotted spoon.
-
While the food is cooking you can prepare the added sides by washing and chopping them as desired.
-
Add salt, pepper and the lemon juice before using an immersion stick (or a heatproof blender) to blend it all together. You may otherwise leave the soup as is if you prefer the texture.
-
Serve warm with the additions as a side.
The soup thickens a lot when chilled but once reheated it thins out again.
I avoid using too much salt as we usually eat it with olives which can be quite salty as well
