4 oz yellow split peas
1 tbsp ghee
1 each onion, chopped
1/2 tsp whole coriander seeds
1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 each 1/2 inch piece ginger, slice
1 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
4 oz brown rice
1 each green chili, chopped
3/4 pt water
1 each juice of half a lemon
2 each tomatoes, skinned & chopped
1 salt
Directions
Steep peas in boiling water for 1 hour. Drain & rinse
well. In a large pot, heat oil & fry onions & spices
for 4 minutes over a medium heat.
Add split peas, rice & green chili. Mix well. Pour
on water & lemon juice. Add tomatoes, stir once &
cover. Simmer very gently for 40 minutes or until
rice is soft. Season & serve.
Servings: 4 servings
Khichhari Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Chili; Dessert; Fruit; Grain; Pie
The History of Recipes
It is possible to trace the history of written recipes way back into ancient history, certainly as far as the Egyptians, and possibly even further. In practice though, sadly, these old records were just very basic pictorial instructions for preparing food.
The truth of the matter is, the oldest recipe discovered so far, according to experts in ancient history is a series of stone tablets in the Sumerian language which show the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made drinkers feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. As we move on, we have a couple of cookery books from the 1300s ; a book called `Forme of Cury`, and another named `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are a little misleading though, they are unconnected to the spicy food that is familiar to us all today, but instead descriptions of the types of meals prepared by the chefs of the rich and powerful of that period. Later, in the fifteenth century, knights returning from the crusades brought us a variety of foods, spices and herbs from Arab cuisine, including spices such as basil and coriander. These new culinary innovations was responsible for an eruption in books on cooking, most of which are kept safe in academic collections. During the following few hundred years, the wealthy families of Europe competed to lay on the best banquets, and because of this chefs and their recipe collections increased in prestige. Notwithstanding that, it was during the 19th century the formal cooking and recipe books reached a high level of popularity. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Farmer in the USA, spent years to collating, verifying, and publishing recipes to help cooks of their time. The arrival of television brought us TV cooks and the spin-off recipe books. Which pretty much brings us to the present day and the internet revolution, permitting everyone to access massive numbers of recipes like the ones you can find on this web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Khichhari recipe.
