This recipe for split-pea soup was shared with us by Claire Gibson, who grew up in beautiful Belize, which is in the Caribbean. Claire enjoys making vegan food inspired both by her childhood and her subsequent travels around the world.

Claire says: “traditionally we add a pig tail to this recipe, but no piggies have lost their little tails for this dish!”

For more delicious, Belizean-inspired recipes, take a peek at Claire’s online vegan “recipe-zine” Bakabush

Belizean Split pea soup with dumplings

Ingredients:

3 cups yellow split peas

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, diced

1 sweet pepper, diced

1 onion diced

1 courgette diced

Salt and pepper

Dash of oregano

Dash of paprika

For the dumplings:

1 cup flour

3 tbsp vegetable oil

Pinch of salt

To make the dough for dumplings:

Combine flour, oil and salt. Add enough water to form a dough. Knead dough for a couple of minutes and then divide into small balls approximately 1 inch across.

To make the soup:

Cook split peas in a large pot of water until soft (approx. 30 -45 minutes). 10 minutes before the end of cooking, drop in the dumpling balls (make sure mixture is boiling when you do this).

Sautee the garlic, onion, carrot, sweet pepper and courgette with the oregano and paprika until soft then add to the split pea and dumpling mixture. Simmer on a low heat for approximately 15 more minutes or until thick. It can either be eaten like a soup or served over rice with a side of fried or baked plantain.

Enjoy!

Claire Gibson