Update on the Yellow Split Peas

[pameladean]

Replying to all comments at once, with great amusement at what people like to comment on (I do the same myself; a cooking problem almost always makes me want to comment):

There is no salt in the curry powder.

I have cooked yellow split peas dozens of times and they have always been done in an hour, often much less. Since the entire point of taking off their outside skins and splitting them is to obviate the need for soaking, I am a bit resistant to this suggestion, which in any case requires more organization than I have available as a rule, and certainly while trying to finish a book. Obviously the remainder of this batch of split peas will have to be soaked, or irradiated, or thrown into a kiln, or something, but as a general rule, I don't want to have to soak them.

While I may have misremembered when I bought the peas, I strongly suspect that Emma is right and that I got chana dal by mistake, because these peas are indeed retaining their structural integrity even after sitting in their pot with extra liquid (all of which they have absorbed), in the refrigerator, all night. Not to mention the total of four hours of cooking. Eating the soup does not cause digestive distress, squeaks the guinea pig, so they must be done for some value of "done." They certainly are firm, though.

The soup tastes pretty good, though I'll probably add a baked cubed sweet potato and some frozen spinach to provide a little variety in texture and some less-boiled nutrients.

Thank you all for keeping me company on this adventure.

P.

Comments

Why some people give up and eat meat. (NOT ME)

[gypsy1969.livejournal.com]

Of course you can never be sure how long they were stored in the grocery store.
Every time I cook dal, split peas or beans I think it is a crap shoot in regards to cooking time. The package directions are rarely correct. Soaking always helps. I think the lesson is cook them the day before you need them unless you are absolutely sure they are fresh. Sometimes we buy bulk and that usually ensures freshness but sometimes there are a few ringer hard peas in there.
Of course in my house I cook the vegetables, casseroles, white rice & baked goods and my husband does the brown rice, beans, quinoa and other weird (to US folks) stuff.

Re: Why some people give up and eat meat. (NOT ME)

[pameladean]

I think I got a double whammy -- old legumes that retain their structural integrity. But they continue to soften as the pot of soup sits in the refrigerator, so we'll go on eating it.

My husband taught me to cook and eat brown rice years before I became a vegetarian, but he still feels that on the whole, I am the one who went weird on him.

P.

[calimac.livejournal.com]

Chana dal: world's lowest glycemic index. Great stuff.

How I make it: soak for 2 hours, change water, boil gently for 20-30 minutes, then add to whatever dish I'm making it with. If to be eaten separately, throw a lot of miscellaneous spices in the soaking water.

[coffeeem.livejournal.com]

We got a pressure cooker mostly because we discovered we loved chana dal, and knew we weren't going to get any better about planning ahead for dinner. Works a treat, it does.

[pameladean]

Now that I know what it is, I'll certainly get it again as soon as I feel organized

And boy, that bit about the glycemic index is no joke. I've got blood-sugar issues related to my medication. I've been eating the soup for breakfast, and my tendency to suddenly become ravenously hungry and wobbly has vanished.

P.

[aedifica]

If it is indeed chana dal, this website has a lot of suggestions for things to do with it: http://www.mendosa.com/chanadal.html . I've only tried the Chana Guacamole, which was good after I tripled or quadrupled the seasonings. Chana dal certainly seems to soak up spices...

[pameladean]

Oh, NICE. Thank you!

P.