Kids Make Ethiopian Yellow Pea Stew
May 7th, 2010 · No Comments · Posted in Ethnic, kids
Transforming split peas
I wouldn’t have guessed that kids could go crazy for split peas. But they did for this dish of Ethiopian yellow split pea stew, called Kik Alicha, that we made in our food appreciation classes this week as we continue our world culinary tour in Africa.
This preparation is so ridiculously simple, it begs the question why we go to so much trouble making more elaborate food. The key ingredient is the split peas themselves, which I purchased at a local Ethiopian grocery here in the District of Columbia where we have a large Ethiopean population. (Well, is a small shop and carry-out attached to a larger Ethiopian restaurant, and they have all the injera break you could possibly need).
My experience with split peas is they turn to mush when cooked. Think of split pea soup. But these split peas is very sturdy and stand up to cooking well. The final stew should have some still-recognizable peas in it and a good amount of texture. We’re not trying to make gruel here.
The other ingredients are very simple: olive oil, onion, garlic ginger and turmeric. We substituted curry powder for the turmeric after the salewoman at the Ethiopian grocery recommended it. Turmeric’s great for color, but it doesn’t have that much recognizable flavor. You could add some turmeric as well there if you wanted to boost the flavor. Turmeric also is a potent anti-inflammatory.
Split peas are not on my normal, low carb diet. They’re pretty starchy. But they’re an excellent source of fiber and provide protein as well.
In a saucepan, bring 1 cup yellow split peas to a boil in three cups of water. Reduce the heat and simmer until almost tender. Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, saute 1 medium onion cut into small dice with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season the onions with salt. When the onions begin to soften, add 2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced, and 1 1-inch-long piece ginger root, peeled and minced. Stir in 1 teaspoon curry powder (or substitute turmeric). Continue cooking until the garlic and ginger are soft.
Scrape the onion mixture into the pan with the peas and continue cooking, covered, until the peas are very soft and have begun to break apart into a stew-like consistency, about 30 minutes. Total cooking time for the peas should be about an hour, or a little less.
Serve Kik Alicha with plenty of injera bread. You don’t need eating utensils with this. Use the bread instead of a fork.
For more great stories about how we are taking back our food system, read Fight Back Friday.
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