Spiced Yellow Split Pea Soup With Crispy Shallots Recipe

Every week, we’re spotlighting a different food blogger who’s shaking up the blogosphere with tempting recipes and knockout photography. Below, Jodi Moreno of What’s Cooking Good Looking breaks out a golden-hued split pea soup topped with addicting fried shallots.

Photo: Jodi Moreno

Spiced Yellow Split Pea Soup With Crispy Shallots
Serves 4

My husband Michael is an excellent cook, and he will be the first to tell you that he owes it all to his exceptional ability to follow a recipe. Some of the best cooks are the best recipes followers, but that is where him and I differ: I am much more of an instinctual cook and a recipe rebel, whereas he will follow a recipe so precisely that he freaks out over the smallest detail, such as a lack of parsley for a garnish. I love that about him, and I think he makes me a better cook.

Over dinner the other night, we were chatting about when it’s best to let your instincts jump in. In the case of soups, I think you need to let your instincts lead a little. The cut of the vegetable, the seasoning, the garnishes, the texture, they should all be questioned if you feel that the recipe you’re following might differ from the way you want the outcome to be. If you want a smooth soup, throw it into the blender. If you want less salt, then add less. You can always add more but you can never take away. It’s the golden rule of soups, and cooking in general.  

Last week, we made this yellow split pea soup and there were no leftovers because we ate it all in the first day. That’s the downside to a delicious soup. I blame it on the crispy shallots: They add an addicting crunch. With some microgreens and a generous splash of coconut milk, I can eat this all day.

1 medium sweet potato (or yam)
2 tablespoons of ghee or olive oil
1 small red onion, sliced
1 red chili, seeded and sliced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoons of cumin
1 teaspoons of curry powder
A pinch of cayenne
1 teaspoon of sea salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
16 oz of yellow split peas, rinsed
6 cups of broth (I used homemade vegetable broth)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon

For the crispy shallots:
1 large shallot, sliced thinly
3 tablespoons of chickpea flour
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons of grapeseed oil (or another high-heat oil)

Additional garnishes:
1/4 cup of (canned) coconut milk (full fat or light)
Gomashio, to taste
A handful of microgreens

Pre-heat the oven to 425º F. Using a fork, poke a bunch of holes in the sweet potato, place it on a baking sheet, and roast for 30-40 minutes until it is soft. When it’s cool enough to handle, remove the sweet potato from the skin, measure out 1 cup, mash it well with a fork, and set it aside. Eat or save the skins and any extra sweet potato.

Make the soup: Heat the ghee or oil in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion and red chili and cook until the onion is translucent (a couple of minutes). Then add the garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, curry, salt and pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the sweet potato flesh, the split peas, and the broth. Gently stir the mixture and then bring it to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, partially cover, and cook for about 45 minutes until the split peas are soft. Add lemon juice, stir, and adjust seasonings if necessary.

While the soup is cooking, make the shallots:

On a plate, mix the flour with the salt and pepper. Then add the shallots to the flour mixture and toss to coat the shallots with the flour.

Line a small plate with paper towel and have it nearby. Then, in a small frying pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Test to make sure the oil is hot enough by adding a shallot and seeing if it sizzles. When the oil is ready, add all of the shallots. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, while shaking the pan to cook evenly (but do not disturb the shallots too much). Do this until they brown (not too dark, because you don’t want them to burn—this can happen quickly). Remove and set them on the plate with the paper towel.

Assemble the soup: If you like, puree the soup. (I like to puree half in my Vitamix, and leave the other half as is which gives it a chunkier texture.)

Pour the soup into individual bowls, finish with a healthy drizzle of the coconut milk, top with a few crispy shallots, a handful of microgreens, and a sprinkle of gomashio.

More vibrant soups to infuse mealtime with color:

A bright orange blue crab and chipotle bisque

Garlicky, verdant soup filled with emerald-hued spinach

A ruby-red beet soup topped with rich sour cream

What’s your go-to soup recipe? Tell us below!