Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Western Split Pea and Ham Soup
西式火腿乾豌豆濃湯
Recipe overview
Split peas collapse into a thick soft soup with tender vegetables and small, piping-hot cubes of ham.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 350 g dry split peas
- 300 g cooked ham
- 2 piece carrot
- 2 piece stalks celery
- 1 piece onion
- 1500 ml chicken stock
- 1 tbsp olive oil
02
Tools
- colander
- knife
- cutting board
- stockpot
- wooden spoon
- ladle
- measuring cup
- measuring spoons
- serving bowl
- timer
03
Steps
Step 1
Rinse and inspect the split peas
Rinse all 350 g split peas in a fine sieve until the water runs clear, removing any stones or dark damaged peas.
Step 2
Dice the ham
Cut all 300 g ham into even 1 cm cubes so each spoonful of soup gets small pieces that heat through quickly.
Step 3
Dice the carrot, celery and onion
Peel both carrots and dice them with both celery stalks and the whole onion into even 1 cm pieces.
Step 4
Warm the olive oil
Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat until fluid but not smoking.
Step 5
Soften the diced vegetables
Add all carrot, celery and onion and cook over medium-low heat for 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until soft and translucent without browning.
Step 6
Add split peas and chicken stock
Stir in all 350 g split peas, pour in all 1.5 litres chicken stock, and scrape the pot bottom until nothing is stuck.
Step 7
Bring to a boil and skim
Raise to high heat until boiling, skim away the grey foam from the surface, then immediately reduce to a low simmer.
Step 8
Simmer until the peas collapse
Cover slightly ajar and simmer over low heat for 60 minutes until the split peas collapse into a thick puree and the vegetables are very soft.
Step 9
Scrape the pot bottom regularly
During the 60-minute simmer, scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon every 10 minutes, especially for the final 20 minutes when the soup thickens.
Step 10
Add all the diced ham
Stir all 300 g diced ham into the thick pea soup until the pieces are evenly distributed and submerged.
Step 11
Heat the ham through
Simmer the soup over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring twice, until every ham piece is piping hot.
Step 12
Adjust thickness and serve
If needed, stir in hot water 100 ml at a time until spoonable, then divide the soft soup equally among 6 bowls.
Common mistakes
- Failing to scrape the pot burns the thick pea base.
- Adding ham at the start makes it dry and overly salty.
Tips
Stir every ten minutes and more often near the end.
Leave the finished soup slightly loose because it thickens while standing.
