Green Split Peas - delicious to eat, easy to forget about. You probably already have a packet of these delicious gems lurking in the back of your cupboard without the faintest clue as to how to cook them. Luckily, this chicken and green split pea dhal is incredibly moreish, flavourful and so easy to make.
All different types of pulses have come in and out of fashion over the years due to the fact that they are so affordable, sustainable and delicious. Split peas enjoy a distinct advantage over their other pulse cousins due to the fact that they don't require any pre-soaking or pre-cooking - a definite win on weeknight suppers!
Compared to their yellow siblings, both yellow and green split peas have very similar nutritional content and cooking time. However, yellow peas are earthier in their flavour whereas green peas are sweeter. This sweetness is paired perfectly below with the spicy chicken.
Remember to save some for lunch the next day - dhal the day after cooking is even more delicious as the spices infuse a bit more, making for an incredibly mouthwatering leftover lunch or supper.
Ingredients for Dhal
250g Properly Free Range Diced Chicken250g Organic Green Split Peas
1 litre Pure Chicken Stock
1 finely diced onion
3 chopped garlic cloves
1 inch of ginger, chopped
2 diced red chillies
½ tsp turmeric
1 tbsp cumin seeds
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp garam masala
200ml coconut milk
Handful of chopped coriander
Juice of a lime
Method for Dhal
Place a heavy based saucepan over a medium heat and add the onions, garlic, chilli and ginger to sweat down until softened slightly. To the pan, add the spices and stir together.
Next, add to the pan the diced chicken and stir it in gently so the chicken is covered in the spice mixture. Let the chicken cook slightly.
Add to the pan the green split peas and the chicken stock. Stir and then leave to simmer on a low heat for around 25 minutes.
After 25 minutes pour in the coconut milk and lime juice and leave to cook out for a few minutes.
Season to taste and just before serving sprinkle the coriander over the top.
Serve in deep bowls with warm flatbreads and cool tangy raita.
Ingredients for Flatbreads
200g of strong white bread flour130g water
4g salt
2g dried yeast
Method for Flatbreads
Place the flour, yeast and salt into a bowl and mix together. Pour the water into the dry ingredients and mix together to form a dough.
Knead the dough for around 4 minutes, then separate into 6 evenly sized doughballs. Cover the dough balls with cling film (or beeswax wraps) and leave to prove for 1 hour in the fridge.
Remove from the fridge and roll out the flatbreads as thin as possible. Take a cast iron pan or griddle pan and place over a high heat. Once the pan is super smoking hot (and dry) fry the bread for 30 seconds on each side.
