Ingredients
1/2 lb masoor dal (pink lentils)
1 medium onion,thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup ghee or oil
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground chili
4 cardamom pods
4 cloves
1 2-inch stick of cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 oz desiccated coconut
2 tomatoes
Directions
Wash the Lentils well with plenty of water, put into a saucepan with
enough water to cover. Bring to the boil and boil gently until the
Lentils are soft. Meanwhile, heat the Ghee or Oil in a frying pan and
fry the Onion and Garlic. When the Onion softens add the Coriander,
Cumin, Turmeric, and Chili, mixing well. Cook for two minutes, then
add the Cardamoms, Cloves, and Cinammon. Now add the Lentils together
with any liquid they have been cooking in and stir rapidly to ensure
the spices mix in well. Add a little more water if necessary. (This
dish should be fairly liquid.) Add the Salt and continue to cook for
a further 5 minutes. Blend the Coconut with 2/3 Cup Water in a
liquidiser and add to the pan. Chop the Tomatoes into quarters and
add to the Dal just before serving.
Servings: 6 servings
Masoor Dal - Indian Lentils Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Asian; Bean; Indian; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
We can trace the history of written recipes far back into the distant past, in truth as far back into recorded history as the ancient Egyptians, and quite possibly further than that. Having said that, these, old cookbooks were just very simple hieroglyphic or cunieform instructions for food preparation.
In fact, the most ancient recipe in existence, according to experts in ancient history are a few 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 anyone who drank it feel `wonderful`. Later on, there were a couple of interesting cookery books which date from the fourteenth century : a book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another called `Curye on Inglish`. Don`t be fooled by the titles though, these books have no connection with the curry that is served today, but instead accounts of the types of meals enjoyed by the rich and powerful of the time. For the next few years, the upper classes tried to serve the most exotic banquets, and as a consequence, the best chefs and their collection of recipes increased in prestige. Notwithstanding that, it wasn`t until the 19th century that fine cookery and recipe publications became popular. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated their lives to collating, verifying, and writing down recipes common in their social group. The introduction of the TV gave us celebrity chefs and the accompanying recipe books. And that brings us to the present day and the invention of computers and the internet, allowing everyone to search through thousands of recipes like the ones you can find on our web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Masoor Dal Indian Lentils recipe.
