How to make half moons and split pea soup: Recipes from Farzana Kumandan

Half Moons

Recipe by Farzana Kumandan @sprinklesandspicect

Half Moon Dough Ingredients:

2 cups flour

2 cups water

2 tablespoons butter

¼ teaspoon salt

Method:

On a stovetop, in a pot over medium to high heat, bring the water and butter to a slow boil. Once boiling, remove from the heat and add the salt and flour. Transfer to a glass bowl and mix to form a soft dough. Roll out on a floured surface and cut out circular rounds with a cookie cutter or glass. Add the cooled filling, fold over, and seal the half-moon by pressing firmly. Chill for 15 minutes and dip in a mixture of water and flour, milk, or egg, then roll in breadcrumbs. Freeze and use as needed. Fry in hot oil.

Split pea and veg soup

Recipe by Farzana Kumandan @sprinklesandspicect

Ingredients:

2 cups green dried split peas

1 cup soup mix

3 allspice

1 clove

1 tablespoon butter

5 carrots

2 large onions or 1 onion and 1 leek

1 large potato or turnip

1 small tomato

1 handful of celery leaves

1 handful of parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Thick veg soup powder (optional)

Method:

Rinse the pulses well until the water runs clear. Soak the pulses in boiling water and cover for at least an hour or overnight. Roughly chop or blend all the vegetables until fine and pulpy. In a large pot, add the pulses, vegetables, and top up with water. Bring to a boil and cook on medium to low heat, stirring occasionally and topping up water if needed. Boil for 2 hours until the soup thickens and the colour darkens. Season with salt and pepper and add a sachet of thick veg soup powder for extra flavour (optional).

For a chunky soup, leave as is; for a smoother soup, use a stick blender and blend until fine.