Ingredients
1 1/2 cup yellow split peas
1/3 tsp turmeric
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup ghee
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 1/2 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 tsp red pepper
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Directions
Wash peas well. Place in a bowl, cover with hot water & let sit for
an hour. Drain. Place in a large pot, add 4 1/2 cups water & throw
in the turmeric. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat
to medium low, partially cover & simmer for 45 minutes. Remove from
heat, beat with a wire whisk till the mixture is finely pureed. Stir
in salt & set aside.
When ready to serve, simmer puree over low heat till piping hot. Heat
ghee in a skillet over medium high heat. When very hot, add cumin
seeds & fry for 10 seconds. Lower heat, add onions & fry for 20
minutes, stirring constantly to prevent burning. Stir in red pepper
& immediately pour in to the puree. Garnish with coriander.
Serve with a potato dish, rice & bread.
Julie Sahni, "Classic Indian Cooking"
Servings: 4 servings
Masala Dal Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Indian
The History of Recipes
It is quite feasible to prove the history of written cooking instructions far back into the far past, at least as far as the Egypt of the Pharoahs, and maybe even further. Having said that, mostly, these old cookbooks were just very simple pictorial recipes for food preparation.
Interestingly, the oldest recipe in existence, according to experts in ancient history is a series of stone tablets in the Sumerian language 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 anyone who tried it feel `blissful`. As we move into The time of the romans 25BC a roman called Apicius created a few scripts describing recipes enjoyed by wealthy roman citizens. In his scrolls, Apicius tells us how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into appetizers, main meal and afters, a style of dining still practiced today. This early Roman chef informs us how the cooks of Roman times were skilled in the use of many different aromatic flavours, including some familiar names for example basil, rue and parsley. Later, in the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought us many foods and spices from Arab cooking, including spices such as basil and rosemary. The introduction of these new foods and spices created an explosion in manuscripts on cookery, many of which are now in private cookery archives. During the next few hundred years, the families of Europe competed with each other to serve up the most extravagent banquests, and as a consequence, chefs and their collection of recipes increased in prestige. Notwithstanding that, it was during the 19th century that cooking and recipe collections rose to prominence. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Farmer in the US, spent years to collating, trying out, and writing down the recipes of their peers. By the time we get to the twentieth century, cookbooks were in high demand, as a result of more people being able to read, leisure time and a general increase in wealth. |
We hope you enjoy this Masala Dal recipe.
