1/2 cup yellow split peas
1/4 tsp chili powder
1 pinch turmeric
10 oz spinach or
4 cup vegetarian etc. *
MASALA
2 tsp urad dal
1/3 tsp black pepper
2 red chillies
1 tsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp coconut (grated)
Directions
* combination of cabbage, squash, beans, etc.
Boil yellow split peas. Keep aside. Boil vegetables
with salt, chili powder and turmeric until just
cooked. Add masala and dal.
Masala: Roast urad dal, black pepper and red chillies
until the dal is golden yellow. Add cumin seeds to the
mixture after removing from stove. Add the coconut
when the mixture is cold. Grind with water.
Rajeev Krishnamoorthy, rajeev@twain.EE.CORNELL.EDU
Servings: 4 servings
Kootu Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Chili; Fruit; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
It is actually possible to trace the history of written cooking instructions back into ancient history, at least as far back into recorded history as the early Egyptians, and potentially, even further back. Interesting though that maybe, sadly, these ancient recipes were just basic hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for preparing meals.
In fact, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to academics are some clay tablets in Sumerian which show the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made those who drank it feel blissful. Progressing into The time of the roman empire 25BC a roman called Apicius assembled a few documents which described recipes enjoyed by wealthy roman citizens. In his scrolls, Apicius describes how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into starters, main course and afters, something that is very familiar to us today. Additionally, he tells us how the chefs of Roman times made use of a wide range of spices, including some that we all recognise for example basil, rue and dill. Later, there were a couple of interesting cookery books which date from the fourteenth century ; a cookery book titled `Forme of Cury`, and another titled `Curye on Inglish`. Despite their titles, they are not about the curry that appears on menues today, but instead descriptions of the types of meals on the menues of the rich and powerful of those days. Later on in the 1400s, knights returning from the crusades brought back many new spices and herbs from the holy land, including spices like rosemary and coriander. The introduction of these new tastes was responsible for a torrent in manuscripts on cooking, some of which are kept safe in academic collections. The introduction of the TV brings us celebrity chefs and the recipe books that accompanied them. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, allowing everyone to search through thousands of recipes just like those on this recipe site. |
We hope you enjoy this Kootu recipe.
