1 cup chick peas, soaked
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 each green chile
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin, ground
2 tbsp raisins
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 each bay leaf
1 each dried red chile
5 each cardamom pods
1 each 2 cinnamon stick
2 each cloves
1/4 tsp kalonji seeds
1 tbsp green chile, seeded & minced
2 tbsp coconut, shredded
1/4 tsp garam masala
1 ghee, optional
Directions
Cook chickpeas in water with turmeric & whole chile for about 1 hour
or until they are very tender. Discard whole chiles. Add salt & cumin
& remove from heat.
Puree one cup of the dal mixture in a blender, adding a little water
if necessary. Return to the pan, add raisins & bring back to a
simmer. Keep warm.
Heat oil in a small skillet. Fry bay leaf & red chile until the chile
darkens. Fry cardamom, cinnamon & cloves for 5 seconds. Add kalonji
& fry a few seconds longer. Turn heat to low & add minced chile &
coconut. Cook for a few seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from
heat & pour over the dal. Simmer a couple more minutes & remove from
heat. Garnish with lemon wedges, sprinkle with cilantro & ghee &
serve.
Bharti Kirchner, "The Healthy Cuisine of India: Recipes from the
Bengal Region"
Servings: 4 servings
Chholar Dal Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Indian
The History of Recipes
It is actually possible to trace the history of written recipes way back into ancient history, in fact as far back as ancient Egypt, and quite possibly further than that. However, these, early cookbooks were just simple hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for preparing meals.
Interestingly, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to food historians are a few clay tablets in ancient Sumerian which show the baking 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 wonderful. As we move into The time of the romans 25BC a Roman scholar, called Apicius, assembled some scrolls showing how to cook the recipes enjoyed by wealthy Romans. In his works, Apicius tells us how the meals were separated into appetizers, main course and afters, something that is very familiar to us today. Aspicius also informs us how the cooks of his times made use of many herbs and spices, including some familiar names such as bay, rue and parsley. During the succeeding few centuries, the wealthy families of Europe strove to serve the most extravagent meals, and consequentially cooks and their recipes could command a high salary. Nevertheless, it was during the nineteenth century that cooking and recipe publications reached a high level of popularity. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the US, dedicated years of their lives to collecting, verifying, and writing down popular recipes of the day. By the time we get to the twentieth century, recipe publications are greatly in demand mostly as a result of better eduction, people having more free time and having more money to spend. |
We hope you enjoy this Chholar Dal recipe.
