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Pe pyot (boiled yellow peas)
Pe pyot (ပဲပြုတ်): soft boiled peas with salt and crisp onion oil, a Yangon breakfast staple
Before the city wakes, pe pyot sellers pedal through Yangon's townships calling out from bicycle baskets of warm, steaming peas, scooping portions into leaf parcels for families to eat with fried rice, flatbreads or toasted naan. Dried yellow or white peas are soaked overnight and simmered until creamy inside but still whole, then seasoned simply with salt and a spoon of oil fried with shallots. The flavour is mellow, earthy and slightly sweet, and the texture is soft and fluffy, like a good baked potato. Too much bicarbonate of soda is the common slip: a pinch softens the skins, but more turns the peas to soapy mush. Chef's tip: make a double batch; pe pyot keeps for three days in the fridge and turns tomorrow's leftover rice into pea fried rice.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the peas
- 10 ½ oz dried whole yellow or white peas (marrowfat peas work too)soaked overnight in plenty of water
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 1 tsp salt
For the onion oil
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 shallotsthinly sliced
To serve
- 1 spring onion (optional)thinly sliced
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Drain 10 ½ oz dried whole yellow or white peas (marrowfat peas work too) and rinse them under cold water. They should have doubled in size; any that stayed small and hard can be picked out.
Step 2: Put the peas in a large pan with ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda and 6 ¼ cups water. Bring to the boil over a high heat and skim off the foam that rises.
8 minStep 3: Lower to a gentle simmer, half cover and cook for 35–45 minutes, until a pea crushes easily between your fingers but most still keep their shape. Top up with hot water if they peek above the surface.
40 minStep 4: Stir in 1 tsp salt and simmer for 2 more minutes, then drain, keeping a few spoons of the cooking water to stop the peas drying out.
2 minStep 5: Meanwhile, heat 4 tbsp vegetable oil in a small pan over a medium heat and fry 4 shallots for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until evenly golden and crisp. Watch closely at the end; they darken fast.
8 minStep 6: Spoon the shallots and their fragrant oil over the warm peas and fold through gently.
Step 7: Serve warm with 1 spring onion, alongside flatbread, sticky rice or fried rice. Cool leftovers quickly and keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 17 g
- Carbs
- 42 g
- Fat
- 11 g
- Fibre
- 14 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pe pyot (boiled yellow peas) take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of bicarbonate of soda?
- Baking powder, three times the amount (the bake may taste slightly different).
- What can I use instead of shallots?
- Half an onion per 2 shallots.
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