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Bowl of thick yellow split pea soup topped with red onion, capers and olive oil, with a lemon wedge on a wooden table

Cypriot Yellow Split Pea Soup with Lemon and Capers

A thick, half-blended yellow split pea soup with onion, garlic and olive oil, finished with lemon juice and topped with raw red onion and capers.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Calories: 200
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the soup
  • 400 g yellow split peas (2 cups); rinsed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion large (250 g); finely diced
  • 1 carrot medium (100 g); finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1.8 l water (7 1/2 cups)
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt divided
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 60 ml fresh lemon juice (4 tbsp); from about 2 lemons
To serve
  • 1 red onion small (about 60 g); thinly sliced
  • 2 tbsp capers drained and rinsed
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 lemon cut into 6 wedges

Method
 

  1. Rinse the split peas in a fine-mesh sieve under cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Dice the onion and carrot, mince the garlic, and thinly slice the red onion for serving.
  2. Heat the 2 tbsp olive oil in a 24 cm / 9.5-inch heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and 1/2 tsp salt, and cook for 8 minutes, stirring, until soft. Add the garlic and oregano and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
  3. Add the split peas, bay leaf and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, which takes about 7 minutes, and skim off any foam. Lower the heat, partly cover, and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes and scrape the bottom, until the peas are very soft and fall apart when pressed with a spoon.
  4. Remove the bay leaf. Blend about half the soup with an immersion blender in short pulses, so some whole peas remain. Take the pot off the heat, then stir in the lemon juice, the remaining 1 tsp salt and the pepper. Taste and add a splash of hot water if the soup is thicker than you like.
  5. Ladle the soup into six bowls. Top each with red onion, capers, parsley and 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Serve with a lemon wedge.

Notes

  • Rinse the split peas but do not soak them.
  • Add the lemon juice only after the peas are completely soft.
  • Blend only half the soup so it stays thick with some texture.
  • Taste before adding the last of the salt, since capers add their own.