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Originally Posted by Bethsy on Jan 14 2007
...the only thing is.... what are yellow split peas?
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yellow split peas are, ummmmm, yellow split peas...yellow split peas look like this

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pea - the seed found in the pod of certain kinds of legumes (peas are "pulses" - "pulses" are a type of "legume")
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split - a pea is round/spherical, a split pea is half a whole pea
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yellow - they're yellow
here's a definition of
legumes
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A specific type of plant, belonging to the family Fabaceae (formerly Leguminosae). These plants produce their fruit as a pod and generally possess nitrogen-fixing bacteria in nodules on their roots. Examples of legumes include peas, beans, and alfalfa.
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here's a definition of
pulses
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a family of plants producing seeds in pods which are of high nutritional value and includes peas, beans, mung beans and lentils
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here's a definition of
Dal
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Dal (also spelt dhal or dahl) is a Sanskrit and Hindi term referring to pulses which have been stripped of their outer hulls and split, as well as to the thick, spicy stew prepared therefrom, a mainstay of Indian cuisine.
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Sahini's
Classic Indian Cooking says Indian yellow split peas are called
channa dal and are not identical to US yellow split peas but that the US type can be substituted for recipes calling for channa dal.
Dried yellow (and green) split peas are widely available in US supermarkets packaged in one pound bags.
Unlike many dried beans, they don't need to be soaked before cooking and don't need long cooking times to become tender (splitting the pea helps water absorption during cooking). They also tend to disintegrate during cooking.