1 1/2 lb lean stewing beef or lamb
1/2 cup oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 1/2 cup water
1 salt
1 freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp hot chili pepper (or more)
3 cup spinach, chopped
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped (more if, desired)
Directions
Cooking time: 1 1/2-2 hours
1. Cut meat into 3/4' cubes. 2. Heat oil in a heavy
pan, add onion and fry gently until transparent.
Increase heat, add garlic and meat cubes and fry,
stirring often, until juices evaporate and meat begins
to brown. 3. Add water, salt and pepper to taste,
chili pepper, and cumin. Bring to a slow simmer and
reduce heat. Cover pan and simmer gently for 1-1 1/2
hours until meat is tender. Time depends on cut of
meat used. 4. Add spinach and coriander and cook for
further 10-15 minutes. 5. Mound chalau [see note 2] on
a platter and spoon some of the sauce on top. Serve
remainder in a separate bowl.
Note1: 1/4 c. yellow split peas (daul nakhud) can be
substituted for the spinach. This dish is then called
Korma and the split peas are added at step 3.
Note 2: To make 6-8 servings of Chalau, start with 3
cups of basmati or other good quality long grain rice.
Heat 1/4 cup oil in a cooking pot, add the rice, and
stir for 5 minutes. Add required water, bring to a
boil, reduce heat to low and cook covered +/- 30
minutes. To cook this authentically, put a cloth over
the rim of the pan before putting on the lid.
Servings: 6 servings
Korma Sabzee Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Indian
The History of Recipes
We can read the history of `recipes` way back into distant history, at least as far back into history as the early Egyptians, and maybe further still. Interesting though that maybe, these, old recipes were just very simple hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for preparing food.
Fascinatingly, the oldest recipe in existence, according to food historians is a collection of ancient tablets in the Sumerian language which describe the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making drinkers feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. As we move into The time of the roman empire 25BC a man called Apicius assembled a few documents describing recipes prepared by wealthy roman citizens. In his publication, Apicius recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were divided into appetizers, main course and desserts, something that is very familiar to us today. Aspicius recounts how the Romans used a wide range of spices, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs like thyme, mint and asafoetida. As our culinary historical trip moves to more modern times there are some recipe books which date from the 14th Century - a book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary called `Curye on Inglish`. Perhaps surprisingly, these two books are not about the spicy food that appears on menues today, but instead accounts of the types of meals enjoyed by the nobility of those days. In the 15th century, the Crusaders brought back many spices and herbs from Arab countries, such as coriander, basil and rosemary. These new foods and spices led to an increase in cookery books, some of which are now in private cookery archives. Over the next few centuries, the powerful families of the West competed with each other to offer the most exotic meals, and as a consequence, cooks and their recipes could command a high salary. Nevertheless, it was during the nineteenth century the formal cooking and recipe publications rose to prominence. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated their lives to assembling, testing, and publishing recipes to help cooks of their time. By the arrival of the twentieth century, recipe books are in great demand, mostly due to more people being able to read, people having more free time and having more money to spend. The introduction of television brought us TV cookery programs and the recipe books that accompanied them. And that brings us to the present day and the internet revolution, permitting everybody to search through thousands of recipes just like those on this web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Korma Sabzee recipe.
