Ingredients
3 cup water
1 cup red lentils
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 each bay leaves
2 each dried red chiles
1/2 tsp kalonji seeds
1 cup onion, thinly slivered
1 tsp green chile, chopped
1 tsp garam masala
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cilantro, chopped
Directions
Bring water to a boil over medium heat & add lentils. Add turmeric &
simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender, about 15 minutes. They
are cooked when they easily break when pressed between the thumb &
index finger. Add salt & sugar. In a blender, puree until smooth.
Return to the pan & keep warm.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Fry bay leaves & red
chiles until the chiles darken. Add kalonji seeds & fry a few
seconds more. Add onion & fry until it darkens to a rich brown: do
not allow it to burn. If you have the heat nice & low, this should
take 15 to 18 minutes. Stir constantly. Stir in the green chile &
pour this mixture over the pureed lentils. Simmer for another 2 to 3
minutes.
Remove from the heat. Stir in the garama masala, lemon juice (or
lime if you prefer) & cilantro. Garnish with lemon wedges & serve
immediately.
Bharti Kirchner "The Healthy Cuisine of India: Recipes from the Bengal
Region"
Servings: 4 servings
Masurir Dal Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Indian
The History of Recipes
Historians have tracked the existance of recipes far back into the far past, certainly as far into history as the early Egyptians, and quite possibly further than that. Interesting though that is, these, early cook books were just very basic pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for preparing food.
Fascinatingly, the oldest recipe discovered, according to academics are some tablets in ancient 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 making anyone who tried it feel exhilarated. During the time of the Roman Empire a roman called Apicius created a number of documents describing recipes cooked by the Romans. In his scrolls, he recounts how the meals of wealthy Romans were divided into starters, main meal and afters, known in latin as `Gustatio, Primae Mensae and Secundae Mensae`. He also tells us how the cooks of Roman times made use of many different herbs, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs such as basil, rue and dill. Over the following few hundred years, the families of Europe competed with each other to lay on the most exotic banquets, and consequentially the best cooks and their recipes were much in demand. However, it was during the 19th century that formal cookery and recipe publications rose to prominence. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Farmer in the US, dedicated the best years of their lives to collating, verifying, and publishing popular recipes of the day. By the arrival of the 20th century, cookbooks were in high demand, due to better eduction, more leisure time and having more disposable income. |
We hope you enjoy this Masurir Dal recipe.
