Tomato & cardamom soup

Some new recipes to share with you all, as featured in last months issue of emel magazine with thanks to  Steven Lawson for his lovely photography work for this article

Tomato & cardamom soup

1 onion halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp turmeric
1tsp cayenne pepper
20 fresh curry leafs
25-30 cardamom pods smashed open, seeds removed and ground or 1tbsp pre-ground cardamom
1 tbsp demerera/brown sugar
1200g chopped tomatoes (3 tins)
150g yellow split peas washed & drained
1200 ml water

Sauté the onions over a medium heat with a splash of vegetable oil until they turn golden brown in colour, add garlic, curry leafs and spices and cook for a further 5 min

Add the sugar, tomatoes, split peas and water, stirring occasionally let the soup come to a gentle simmer.  Turning the heat down slightly but still allowing to simmer, cook for 30-45 min until the split peas have  softened, adding additional water if the soup starts to become too thick.

This soup is great served with some warm nann bread