1 tablespoon ground cumin (yes, a whole tablespoon)
1 litre vegetable stock
1 tablespoon good quality vegetable oil
Instructions
First, roast the peppers. Cut in half and de-seed then place on a roasting tin (no oil) under a hot grill. Check frequently, turning occasionally. They'll burn a bit and blister - this is
good.
When the skin is largely blackened and the peppers are softening, remove from the heat. Leave to cool for a few minutes until the roasting tin is cool enough to hold cling film (saran wrap). Spread the cling film over the top of the dish and leave to one side while the peppers cool. When you take the cling film off, the skin of the peppers should peel away easily.
While the peppers are cooling, gently fry the onions and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes, until the onions start to soften.
Crush the fenugreek seeds in a mortar and pestle (or buzz briefly with a stick blender). Roast the seeds for a couple of minutes in dry pan and set to one side.
Add the fenugreek seeds, chilis, turmeric and ground cumin to the garlic and onions. Fry for 2 minutes to get rid of the grittiness from the spices. Add a little more oil if necessary.
Add the yellow split peas and vegetable stock. Stir well, bring to a rapid boil then reduce the heat so that the soup bubbles gently. Simmer like this for 35-45 minutes (depends how hard the split peas were to start with).
When the split peas are soft (they'll still have a bit of 'bite' to them but shouldn't be crunchy), remove from the heat and buzz in a food processor or with a stick blender. Blend until the soup thickens but leave some texture to it - it doesn't need to be smooth.
Return the soup to the pan. Finely slice the red peppers and add these. Heat the soup thoroughly and serve.
Recipe by Veggie Runners at https://www.veggierunners.com/2013/02/15/curried-split-pea-and-roasted-red-pepper-soup/