The spready: Pea dip

Who doesn’t like a creamy and tasty dip to spread on some bread? And what if that same dip was actually packed with proteins and vitamins?

In this recipe, I share with you one of my favorite spreads – and no, it is not even similar to a humus.

The list of ingredients can be adapted depending on your tastes, but here is what I suggest and some replacement options:

• About 50g of legumes
  I use yellow peas simply because I bought 2kg of it and need to use them, but you can decide to go for any kind of lentils, chickpeas, or even beans. If you opt for dried chickpeas or beans, do not forget to soak them overnight beforehand.
• 1 carrot
  If you have small carrots, add two. If you don’t want to use carrots, you can replace this ingredient with bell pepper.
• 4 tomatoes
  The only alternative I can suggest here is using tomato paste or canned tomatoes.
• 1 onion
• Some garlic
  The more the better, but if you are not used to garlic, go for 2-3 cloves.
• Spices
  If you are used to cooking, follow your heart. If you are not, here is what I recommend: 1 pod of cardamom, a teaspoon of “heat” (e.g., piri piri mix, curry powder, paprika powder, etc.), a teaspoon of powdered ginger, a pinch of cumin seeds and, of course, salt.
• Water
  You will need A LOT of water simply for the preparation not to burn.

The preparation might be a bit longer than for other recipes but, at least, you will have some spread for multiple meals.

1. Start by peeling and mincing your onion, garlic, carrot and tomatoes.
   For the tips on how to efficiently peel your garlic and avoid crying over the onion, see “the basic”.
2. Rinse your legumes until the water runs clear.
   If you are not sure on how to do that, also check “the basic”.
3. In a non-stick pot, add your veggies and legume and sauté for about 2-3 minutes.
4. Add your water and spices.
   If you use a pod of cardamom, crush it with the side of your knife before adding it.
5. Bring the preparation to a boil.
6. Let it simmer on medium to low heat for about 2 hours.
   Don’t forget to check from time to time so that your preparation doesn’t burn. After an hour, you can start to taste to know if the legumes are cooked: they will be ready when they are soft enough to be crushed with the back of a spoon.
7. Once everything is cooked and flavourful, let it cool down for a while.
8. Blend everything together.
   If you do not have a blender, you can use a potato masher or simply a fork to do that.
9. Blend/mash until it is smooth and homogenous.
   If you have some difficulties with this, it might be that your preparation is too dry, don’t hesitate to add water or a bit of oil.

Once your dip is ready, you can spread it on garlic flatbread or use it as a topping for pancakes (the best pancakes recipe is available in our last zine Utopia that came out last Monday!)

by Lu

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