pressure cooker split pea soup with kale and sweet potato

Yellow Split-Pea Soup with Sweet Potatoes and Kale

You may cook this soup either in a pressure cooker or in a regular pot. You will need to have a pressure cooker that has at least a 7-quart capacity; for smaller cookers, cut the recipe in half or in thirds. Also, if you’re using a jiggle-top pressure cooker, add one teaspoon of oil to prevent foaming.

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons ginger paste or 1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 8 cups water
• 3 cups dried yellow split peas, picked over and rinsed
• 1-2 tablespoons mild curry powder (to taste)
• Salt to taste (optional)
• 1 bunch kale

Instructions

1. Heat a large pressure cooker or pot and sauté the onions for about 5 minutes. (I do this in a dry pot and add water by the tablespoon if needed to prevent sticking. Adding a pinch of baking soda will make the onions cooker more quickly.) When they are becoming translucent, stir in the cumin and mustard seeds and cook for another minute. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook for one more minute. Add the ginger and garlic, and cook for one more minute. Add the sweet potatoes, water, split peas and 1 tablespoon curry powder. Stir well.
2. If using a pressure cooker, seal the cooker and bring it up to high pressure. Cook at high pressure for 8 minutes (10 minutes for electric pressure cooker); then remove from the heat and allow the pressure to come down naturally.
3. If you’re cooking it in a regular pot, cover the pot and simmer until the split peas are tender and beginning to break down, about an hour. Stir regularly to make sure that the split peas don’t stick to the bottom of the pan, and add water if necessary.
4. While the soup is cooking, wash the kale and remove and discard the tough central rib. Chop the leaves coarsely. When the split peas are cooked, add the kale to the pot, season to taste with salt and additional curry powder, if necessary, and add additional water if the soup is too thick. Cover the pot. For kale that retains some crunch, simply leave the pot covered for 5 or 10 minutes without heating, allowing the kale to cook in the heat of the soup. For kale that is more tender, you may return the pot to low heat (or the warm setting of an electric PC) for 10 minutes.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s) | Cooking time: 30 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 8

Nutrition Facts

Makes about 8 servings. Per serving (without salt): 309 Calories (kcal); 2g Total Fat; (4% calories from fat); 20g Protein; 57g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 28mg Sodium; 21g Fiber