Mushy Peas
Marrowfat peas soaked overnight with bicarbonate of soda and cooked to a thick green pool. The correct thing next to fish and chips and not negotiable.
Photograph credit: Vegan fish and chips with mushy peas by Mx. Granger · CC0 1.0 · Wikimedia
The bicarbonate of soda in the soaking water is what makes them mushy — it raises the pH, which breaks down the pectin in the pea skins so they collapse instead of staying whole. Without it you can boil marrowfats for three hours and still have peas. Rinse them very thoroughly afterwards, though, because any bicarbonate left in tastes soapy. And salt only at the end: salt during cooking toughens the skins and works directly against everything the bicarbonate is doing.
Questions About Mushy Peas
How long does Mushy Peas take to make?
10 minutes of preparation and 1 hour of cooking, plus 12 hours of soaking the peas with bicarbonate of soda overnight, so allow 13 hours 10 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 6.
Mushy Peas: Step by Step
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Put the peas in a large bowl with the bicarbonate of soda and pour the 1.5 litres of cold water over. Soak 12 hours.
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Drain and rinse the peas thoroughly under running water for a full minute, until the water runs clear.
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Put them in a pan with the litre of fresh water and bring to the boil.
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Skim the foam, then simmer, half covered, 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they have collapsed.
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If they are still holding shape, cook 15 minutes more and crush them against the side of the pan.
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Take off the heat and beat in the salt, pepper, sugar and oil.
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They should be thick enough to hold a spoon upright. Loosen with a splash of water if not.
Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Ingredient substitutions.
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Tips That Matter
- Bicarbonate in the soak. Without it they never break down.
- Rinse for a full minute or they taste of soap.
- Salt at the end only. Early salt toughens the skins.
What to Serve With It
Fish and chips · Faggots · Mint sauce
Keeping and Reheating
Refrigerated for 4 days. Freezes 3 months. Loosen with water on reheating.
Mushy Peas Nutrition Facts
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Vegan when made with olive oil rather than butter. Dairy-free when made with olive oil rather than butter.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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