Yellow Split Pea Curry

Back when my husband was working on his Master's Degree and we were living in a cute little one-bedroom apartment, I became the Queen of Dry Beans. Not a very attractive title, I know, but it did fit. Our budget was very tight, so I cut most meat out of our menu and replaced it with beans to save money at the grocery store. If my friends had extra dry beans, they kindly gave them to me, and we used them! We went through about 6 lbs. of dry beans a month. While we don't eat dry beans that often anymore, I still keep them in the menu at least once a week. They're healthy and budget-friendly and we still love them!

I didn't come up with this recipe during that time, but that is when I became really good at cooking dry beans. Believe me, they're not as hard as they might seem at first sight. Haha!

Yellow Split Pea Curry

Prep Time: 20 min.

Cook Time: 30 min.

Yield 8 Servings

1 lb. Beef steak or your preferred meat (optional), sliced into bite-sized pieces 

1 C. Yellow Split Peas

4 C. Beef Broth

1/2 Head Cauliflower, Chopped

1 Yellow Onion, Chopped

1 Bell Pepper, any color, Sliced

1/2 Package White Button Mushrooms, Sliced

1/2 Package Sugar Snap Peas

1 Can Bamboo Shoots

1 Bottle Thai Yellow Curry
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash and sort yellow split peas. Put split peas and broth in a small pot and boil for 30 min., or until split peas are tender. Meanwhile, saute beef in a deep saute pan over medium heat, salt and pepper to taste. Once browned, remove beef  from pan and set aside, leaving drippings. Return pan to heat and add in cauliflower, onion, and bell pepper. Remove split peas from heat and drain off broth. Once vegetables are softened, add the meat, split peas, and remaining ingredients. Reduce heat and allow to simmer about 5 minutes or until reaches desired thickness. Serve over jasmine rice and enjoy!