Description
Jamaican Gungo Peas Soup is a hearty and flavorful Caribbean dish featuring gungo peas simmered with fresh vegetables, aromatic herbs, and spices. This traditional Jamaican soup combines tender gungo peas with sweet potato, yellow yam, callaloo greens, and a subtle heat from scotch bonnet pepper, offering a comforting and nutritious meal perfect for any time of the year.
Ingredients
Scale
Peas and Broth
- 2/3 cup dried gungo peas
- 1 litre vegetable stock
Vegetables
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 large piece of yellow yam, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 cups shredded callaloo or spinach
- 1 large carrot, sliced (optional)
- 1 cho cho (optional)
- 1 small onion, sliced
- 2 large spring onions, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
Herbs and Spices
- 4 sprigs of thyme or 1 tbsp thyme
- 1 tbsp pimento seeds (or 1/2 tsp ground allspice)
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper (or 1 fresh chili)
- Pink salt, to taste
Instructions
- Soak the gungo peas: Place the dried gungo peas in a large pot with water and leave to soak overnight to soften the peas and reduce cooking time.
- Rinse the peas: Discard the soaking water, rinse the gungo peas thoroughly under fresh water to remove impurities.
- Parboil the peas: Add approximately 5 cups of fresh water to the pot with the peas and bring to a boil uncovered. Cook for about 1 hour or until the peas are slightly tender but not fully cooked, as they will finish cooking in the soup.
- Prepare the soup base: In another large pot, add the vegetable stock and bring it to a boil.
- Add aromatics: Stir in the chopped spring onions, pimento seeds, minced garlic, thyme sprigs, and sliced onions into the boiling stock, enhancing the flavor.
- Simmer to infuse flavors: Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid, and let the mixture simmer gently for 15 minutes to allow the herbs and spices to blend.
- Add vegetables and peas: Remove the lid, stir gently, then add the parboiled gungo peas, sweet potato chunks, yellow yam pieces, shredded callaloo, sliced carrot, and cho cho if using. Carefully add the scotch bonnet pepper whole, taking care not to burst it to prevent excessive heat.
- Cook the soup: Cover the pot again and allow the soup to gently simmer for 45 minutes. The soup will thicken as the vegetables soften and flavors meld. Add more vegetable stock or water if needed to achieve desired consistency.
- Season and adjust: Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with pink salt and black pepper according to your preference.
- Serve: Serve the Jamaican Gungo Peas Soup hot as a wholesome and satisfying meal.
Notes
- Soaking the peas overnight significantly reduces cooking time and improves digestibility.
- Keep the scotch bonnet pepper whole during cooking to infuse flavor without making the soup too spicy; remove before serving if desired.
- Callaloo can be substituted with spinach or kale if unavailable.
- The soup can be thickened or thinned by adjusting the amount of vegetable stock or water used.
- Optional vegetables like cho cho and carrot add extra texture and nutrition but can be omitted based on availability or preference.
- Prep Time: 12 hours 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Caribbean, Jamaican
Keywords: Jamaican soup, Gungo peas soup, Caribbean recipe, vegan soup, callaloo soup, traditional Jamaican dish, vegetarian, healthy soup
