Do I have to soak them?

No. Split peas cook fine unsoaked. An hour's soak shortens the cooking a little and makes them gentler on the gut.

Why did my gheymeh turn to mush?

The peas went in with the meat. They need about forty minutes, the meat needs an hour and a half.

Are they the same as yellow lentils?

No, though they look similar and are often swapped. Lentils cook faster and break down sooner.

How do I stop the bloating?

Cook them until fully soft, rinse well before cooking, and build up the portion over a few weeks rather than all at once.

Chapter 1 of 12

Split Peas

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Half a cup cooked gives about 8 g of protein and 8 g of fibre.

Added late they stay whole. Added early they melt and thicken the pot.

Salting the water at the start keeps them tough. Salt at the end.

Lapeh is a field pea, dried, hulled and split in half so it cooks in half an hour instead of two. Split down the middle it has nowhere to hide: it either holds its shape, if you add it late, or dissolves into the sauce, if you add it early. Persian cooking uses both behaviours, and the difference between a good gheymeh and a grainy one is nothing more than timing.

Known to botanists as Pisum sativum.