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
Recipes as an idea can be observed far back into history, in fact as far back into history as pharonic Egypt, and quite possibly further than that. Having said that, mostly, these ancient cookbooks were just simple pictorial recipes for food preparation.
In an interesting twist, the most ancient recipe discovered, according to academics are some ancient tablets in Sumerian which recount 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 drank it feel `blissful`. As we move into The time of the roman empire around 25BC a roman called Apicius wrote a number of documents showing how to cook the recipes enjoyed by the Romans. In his scrolls, Apicius tells us how the meals of wealthy Romans were separated into hors d`oeuvre, main meal and afters, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. This early Roman chef tells us how the Roman chefs made use of many different herbs and spices, including some that we all recognise like basil, fennel and dill. Moving our culinary historical trip onwards, we find some books published in the fourteenth century - a cookery book titled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary titled `Curye on Inglish`. Don`t be fooled by the titles though, these are unconnected to the spicy food that is served today, but rather descriptions of the types of food on the menues of the rich and wealthy people of the period. In the 15th century, people returning from the crusades brought back a variety of foods and spices from the holy lands, including coriander, parsley, and rosemary. The introduction of these new foods and spices prompted an eruption in cookery books, the majority of which still exist in academic collections. Over the next few hundred years, the powerful and rich houses strove to serve up the most extravagent banquests, and consequentially the best cooks and their recipes were at a premium. Notwithstanding that, it wasn`t until the 19th century the formal cooking and cookery books really came of age. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to assembling, verifying, and writing down recipes to allow everyone to enjoy them. When we get to the 1900s, cook books were greatly in demand as a result of better eduction, people having increased free time and having more disposable income. The arrival of TV gave us TV chefs and the demand for the spin-off recipe books. Which brings us neatly up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, allowing us all to search through massive numbers of recipes like those on our site. |
We hope you enjoy this Masoor Dal Indian Lentils recipe.
