Food, cooking
and growing

Eating in: 2

Some years ago, in fact many decades ago, I was having a pint in a pub in Gateshead when the landlady brought round a huge tray of pease pudding sandwiches. Salty pease pudding on white bread. It made us thirsty. Another round of pints was called for.

It's interesting to compare what we do with dried legumes and what other food cultures do.

Pease pudding

Soak 200g of yellow split peas overnight discard the soaking water and put them in a pan with 750ml of water and bring to the boil. Skim off any scum and add a vegetable stock cube or some Marigold bouillon powder. Simmer for about 90 minutes until the peas are soft. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a dish where it will set.

Hummus

There was never any hummus in Gateshead, when I was growing up but now it can be found everywhere. It is a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine.
The easiest way to make it is to drain a 400g tin of chick peas, reserving the liquid and blend this with 4 tsps. of tahini, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 1 crushed clove of garlic and ½ tsp salt, gradually adding 3 tbsp olive oil. If it's too stiff, add some of the liquid from the tin. Garnish with a sprinkling of paprika and some chopped parsley.

Dal

If you go further east to India, or to any Indian restaurant you will find dal on the menu. This is split lentils or peas cooked with onion, garlic, ginger and other spices.

For a while I have been following 'sobiaspice' on Instagram, where she has posted about 250 recipes. Her name is Sobia Bashir and she lives in Bradford or near it. If you find her on Instagram look for her recipe 'Tadka Daal (Red split lentils)'

Chas Nicholson
Eating with Chas

Sunday, 25 January 2026