Success… eventually. I gave up after 2.5 hours of simmering - the split peas were still crunchy. I left it overnight in the fridge to to soak, then resumed next day. And THEN it was lovely. I’d make it again. It’s a simple recipe and super-warming and flavourful. But I will pre-soak or pre-cook (in the pressure cooker) my split peas!
I also used coconut milk instead of desiccated coconut (as I didn’t have any) and realised I should of course have reduced the amount of water accordingly - so it was quite soupy! But still delish.