Gungo Peas Soup

Posted Aug. 28, 2022 by reliq

In many Jamaican households soup is the norm on a Saturday evening. Here's our recipe for delicious gungo peas soup.

Ingredients

  • 1½ lb stew beef or ham bone (with meat on it) or cubed stew beef or soup bone
  • 1 lb salted pig tail or salt beef
  • 2 cups gungo peas green (dried or frozen gungo peas can be used)
  • 3 sprigs thyme
  • 2 stalks scallion
  • 8 pimento (all spice) seeds
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 quarts water
  • 3 medium small Irish potatoes (peeled and cubed)
  • 2 scotch bonnet peppers
  • 2 garlic pegs (crushed)
  • ½  cup carrots, cubed (optional)
  • 1 lb yellow yam, cut up (optional) 

Method

  1. Soak peas in cold water to soften (preferably overnight).
  2. Soak salted pigtail in cold water to get rid of excess salt (preferably overnight).
  3. Place the pig tail, beef, and gungo peas in a large sauce pan with boiling water. (Optional – use a pressure cooker to save time).
  4. Simmer for about two hours or until beans and meat become tender. (Using a pressure cooker would take 30 minutes. Then transfer to a large sauce pan).
  5. Add the potatoes, yam, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, pimento (all spice), scotch bonnet peppers and hot pepper.
  6. Stir the soup and simmer for ½ hour before adding spinners/dumplings (optional) and carrot (optional).
  7. Simmer for another ½ hour until the soup is of a medium consistency.

NB. You may use 1 tin of gungo peas, which would be cooked already and ready to use.

Spinners/dumplings (optional)

Ingredients
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/8 cup cornmeal
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup water
Method
  1. Sift the flour, cornmeal, and salt together into a large mixing bowl. 
  2. Add the water 3 teaspoons at a time, just enough to bring the dough together with a firm consistency.
  3. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough well, for about five minutes.
  4. Break off pieces and form the dough into slightly flattened biscuits, about 2 inches across; for spinners roll the pieces between your palms into an elongated shape.

Originally posted on jamaicanpass.com. (discontinued)


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