Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management/Chapter LVIII
General Observations on Cookery in India, and Recipes for Typical Indian Dishes
Housekeeping in India is totally different from housekeeping here. The mistress cannot undertake the personal supervision of her kitchen, which is not in the house or bungalow, but outside, and often some distance away. She will also soon learn (that is supposing she has been accustomed to English housekeeping) that it is impossible to treat Indian servants in the same manner as those on whom she has been accustomed to depend for daily service. Indian servants are good, many of them: but they cannot be trusted and will cheat if they have a chance, and it is absolutely necessary to look after the cook (Khansa-man), who will probably be the marketer.
It is best to give him his orders overnight, that he may go early to the bazaar to buy. There is a tariff of all articles sold at the bazaar, regulated by the bazaar master and cantonment magistrate: therefore, having mastered the value of the various coins and a few words for everyday wants in the way of food, it should be difficult for your Khansa-man to exercise his proclivities for defrauding you.
Drink is the greatest expense in housekeeping. The climate is a thirsty one, and the water is bad, and so filled with animalculæ that it cannot be drunk with safety unless it is boiled and filtered. Then it is so flat and unpalatable that it is necessary to add something to make it more pleasant to the taste.
One of the most refreshing drinks is lime-juice and water, and iced tea is another very pleasant beverage. Bottled beer is a favourite drink, but this, as well as draught beer, is expensive. Still, drinking is, after all, more of a habit than a necessity: and those in India who wish to preserve their constitutions should drink as few "pegs" (as the brandies and sodas and other drinks are generally denominated) as possible.
Food in India is not dear, and the fact of only having to provide for the family and not for any servants makes a very great difference in the trouble of housekeeping. Indian cooks are clever, and will turn out a good dinner with simple materials which an ordinary English cook would waste or convert into the plainest meal.
Meat being eaten so soon after it is killed, even if for no other reason, is not good: the beef is coarse, sinewy, and tasteless, and the mutton decidedly inferior in quality. Fortunately Indian cooks are so clever in disguising the insipidity of both, otherwise meat would be very unpalatable. English ham is considered a delicacy: other pork is not eaten in India. Goat's flesh is sometimes cooked, but it is anything but pleasant to English tastes.
Poultry.—Chickens are plentiful and cheap, but inferior in quality to well-fed French and English birds. Notwithstanding this they play an important part in the Indian diet, and the native cooks are very skilful in preparing them for the table.
Game and Poultry.—Generally speaking, India abounds with game. Deer of many species are to be found in different parts of the country, and most of them afford excellent venison. High up in the Himalayas the ibex (a wild goat) and the ovis ammon (a wild sheep) are to be found, but their flesh is rarely tasted, except by sportsmen, though sometimes seen in the hill summer stations. Wild boar are found in most parts of the peninsula. The bison is also shot, and affords beef. Bears in great variety are found in the hills, and hunters appreciate the hams and stewpans prepared in the Russian fashion. Hares and rabbits are also abundant in some parts of the country: the Himalayas afford pheasants, partridges are abundant in the plains, snipe are plentiful and well flavoured, while quails and teal are better in India than almost anywhere else. Swampy districts abound with waterfowl, including wild geese.
Fish in the mountain streams are both plentiful and excellent in quality, but those found in the rivers of the plains are lightly esteemed. The murrel, which somewhat resembles the English pike or carp, provides a palatable dish. The native cook generally fills them with stuffing and either bakes or stews the fish over a slow fire. The sea affords an abundant supply; the seer is not unlike the salmon, and is usually dressed in the same way. The pomplet resembles turbot or brill, the hilsa is almost identical with our mackerel, while the Calcutta becktie, in size and appearance, is similar to the cod.
Vegetables.—Most parts of India are well provided with vegetables. Many European varieties are grown specially for the markets of big towns, and the hill stations are well supplied in this respect. Apart from these, there are many native varieties, such as the bringales or egg plants, maize, pumpkins, yams, sweet potatoes, and mollay which yields leaves that may be treated like our young greens or spinach. Yams and sweet potatoes may be baked, boiled or stewed, and served in that condition, or they may be converted into purées: the yam sliced also makes delicious sweet fritters. Horseradish is grown, but not abundantly, and very frequently the root of the moringa or drumstick tree is scraped and used in its place.
Fruit is well known to be plentiful in India, but many varieties cultivated there lack the fine flavour that characterizes the English fruit of the same class. Peaches are poor and not well flavoured, grapes are thick skinned and have a strong muscat flavour, plantains are insipid, and a taste for the turpentine flavour of the mango is not easily acquired, although most people who have lived long in India are fond of them. Amongst the best of the fruits indigenous to the country are bananas, dates, melons, and cocoanuts. English vegetables, with proper care, grow well, and Indian cooks, properly instructed, will cook them, as well as anything else, in the way we are accustomed to have them cooked at home.
The culinary arts followed by the Hindus and Mohammedans of Asia differ considerably, for while meat is rigidly excluded from the diet of the former, the Mohammedan indulges in it freely. The Hindu delights in farinaceous foods such as cakes of wheat and other grain, rice variously dressed, also curries prepared from vegetables, ghee, oil, acid- vegetables or fruit, the whole flavoured with spices; and the piquancy is further heightened by the chutneys and pickles served with them. The principal dishes of the Mohammedan are curries, pilleaus, brianes, hashes, and cakes.
A glance at the Oriental recipes for curries at once explains why those served in England differ so widely from the preparations in India. Some of the ingredients employed are unknown to us, all of them are used in a green state, and consequently impart a better flavour to the dish of which they form a part. Ghee, a substance largely used in making curries, differs from ordinary clarified butter, inasmuch as it is flavoured with ground cloves and green mint, cooked in the butter while it is being clarified. Curries are best when made in an earthenware vessel like the natives' "chattie," or the French casserole, and stirred with a wooden spoon. When making a curry in a stewpan, great care must be taken that the metal is well tinned. In India curries are very generally served with thin wafer-like cakes, called Papodums, and thin strips of dried fish, known as Bombay Ducks.
The pilleau is a purely Oriental dish, and may consist of meat, venison, poultry, or kid. Frequently the principal substance is stewed down, and the gravy containing the essence used to flavour the rice, the articles themselves seldom appearing in their original state. Sometimes the inferior parts of the meat, or whatever is being used, is reduced to a strong gravy, and mixed with parboiled rice, and the prime parts either roasted, grilled, or boiled separately. When the rice has absorbed the gravy, the prepared meat is placed in the centre of it in a closed stewpan, and cooked very gently for a considerable time. Rice not only forms part of the dish, but it is sometimes served as an accompaniment, being previously plainly boiled and mixed with a little butter or ghee.
Rice also enters into the composition of "brianes," which are highly spiced and seasoned dishes, resembling a mixture of curry and pilleau. The meat, game, fish, etc., is lightly fried, then put into a stewpan with rice, stock, various seasoning and flavouring ingredients, covered closely, and cooked very gently until done.
Except that the meat is thinly sliced, the Oriental hash bears not the least resemblance to the English production so named. The numerous spices, vegetables, and condiments which enter largely into their composition naturally produce a more palatable dish than a hash that simply consists of slices of cold meat warmed in a thin, insipid liquid, which frequently represents an amateur cook's idea of a brown sauce. As regards culinary apparatus, the native cook's requirements are extremely simple. With the aid of a fireplace made of clay, a few earthen dishes, and other utensils of a primitive description, he will produce excellent results.
The following recipes will be more generally useful in India, where all the materials contained in them are easily obtained. As a matter of convenience, the quantities are expressed in the commercial weights of this country, but the appended table of equivalents will enable the reader to easily convert Avoirdupois into Indian weight
| 1 | seer | 2 | lb. |
| 1 | chittack | 2 | oz. |
| 2½ | tolahs | 1 | oz. |
| 1 | masher | 19 | grains |
(or about ⅛ of a teaspoonful).
Typical Indian Dishes
3840.—BRIANS MAHEE.
Ingredients.—2 lbs. of white fish, 1 lb. of rice, ¼ of a lb. of ghee, or butter, 2 ozs. of roasted chennah, or other ground meal, 2 ozs. of green ginger, 2 ozs. of coriander seeds, 1 oz. of anise, ⅛ of a teaspoonful each of ground cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon, cumin seeds and saffron, 2 or 3 tablespoonfuls of gingly oil, 2 onions sliced, ¾ of a pint of buttermilk, salt.
Method.—Wash and clean the fish, cut it into pieces convenient for serving, dry thoroughly, pour over it the gingly oil, and let it stand for ½ an hour. Wash off the oil, dry the fish well, rub it all over with the chennah and anise pounded or ground, allow it to stand for a few minutes, then wash it again. Now pour over it the buttermilk, add the cardamoms and cloves, a teaspoonful of salt, the juice of the green ginger, and let it soak for 1 hour. Fry the onions in a little hot ghee, add the ginger, coriander, cinnamon, cumin and saffron, put in the fish, and cover with the rice, previously parboiled. Add a little of the buttermilk, pour over the whole the melted ghee, cover closely, and cook as slowly as possible for about 1 hour, serve hot.
Time.—1½ hours. Sufficient for 6 or 7 persons. Cost, 1s. 9d. to 2s. 3d.
3841.—BRIANE NOORMALEE.
Ingredients.—2 lbs. of lean mutton, 2 lbs. of rice, ¼ of a lb. of ghee or other fat, ¼ of a lb. of green chumah dhall, 2 onions sliced, ½ an oz. of green ginger, ⅛ of a teaspoonful each of coriander seeds, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms, cumin seeds and saffron, ¼ of a pint of good gravy, salt.
Method.—Slice the meat, sprinkle it liberally with salt and pounded ginger, let it remain for about ½ an hour, then pour over it the gravy. Allow the meat to soak for 1 hour, turning it 2 or 3 times, and adding a little more gravy if necessary, then drain it well, and dip each slice in flour seasoned with salt. Heat a little ghee in a stewpan, fry the onions until well browned, then add the meat, and fry it also. As soon as the meat is lightly browned, sprinkle in the coriander seeds, previously ground, pour in the gravy in which the meat was soaked, and cook gently until it has become evaporated or absorbed. Meanwhile, parboil the rice in water, then drain it well, and stir in the saffron. As soon as the meat is sufficiently dry add the coriander, cinnamon, cloves, cardamoms and cumin seeds, all previously pounded or ground, mix well together, place the rice on the top, over which spread the green chumah dhall, and pour upon it the remaining ghee previously melted. Cover closely, and cook as slowly as possible for about 40 minutes, then serve.
Time.—2 hours. Sufficient for 6 persons. Cost, 2s. 3d.
3842.—BURLAS.
This term is applied to a mixture of vegetables, fried in ghee (frying fat or butter). A favourite mixture is cabbage and potato, known to us as "Coleanum."
3843.—CALCUTTA BECTIE, TO COOK.
This fish may be cooked according to the numerous recipes for dressing cod (see Nos. 428–447), a fish it somewhat resembles.
3844.—CEYLON LOBSTER CURRY.
Ingredients.—1 large lobster, 1 large cucumber, 1 small cocoanut, 2 ozs. of butter, 3 ozs. of chopped onions, or shallots, 1 clove of garlic very finely chopped, 1 dessertspoonful of thinly-sliced green ginger, 1 dessertspoonful of rice flour, 1 teaspoonful of ground turmeric, 1 teaspoonful of salt, ½ a teaspoonful of sugar, ½ a teaspoonful of ground cloves, ½ a teaspoonful of ground cinnamon, ¼ of a pint of fish stock, lemon-juice.
Method.—Peel the cucumber, cut it lengthwise into quarters, across into pieces 2 inches long, and carefully remove the seeds. Have ready a saucepan of salted boiling water, put in the cucumber, cook gently until three-quarters done, then drain well. Break the cocoanut in half, saving the milk from the inside, and scrape or chop the white part of the nut finely. Pour ⅓ of a pint of boiling water over the cocoanut, let it stand for 20 minutes, then strain off the liquid, and put it aside. Cover the grated nut again with ⅓ of a pint of boiling water, let it remain for at least ½ an hour, then strain through fine muslin 2 or 3 times, squeezing the nut well each time. Fry the onions and garlic lightly in hot butter, add the rice flour, turmeric, cinnamon, cloves, sugar and salt, stir and cook very slowly for 15 minutes, then put in the pieces of lobster and cucumber, cover closely, and let the stewpan stand away from the fire for ½ an hour, in order that the contents may become thoroughly impregnated with the flavour of the curry sauce. At the end of this time, re-heat, add the first infusion of the cocoanut and 1 teaspoonful of lemon-juice, bring to boiling point, and serve.
Time.—1½ hours. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Cost, 1s. 9d. to 2s.
3845.—CHILWARS, TO COOK.
See directions for dressing whitebait (No. 687). They are served with fresh cut limes instead of lemons.
3846.—CHITCHKEE CURRY.
Ingredients.—2 onions sliced, 1½ pints of cooked vegetables, 1 tablespoonful of curry powder, rice.
Method.—The vegetables should comprise cauliflower, turnip, carrot, French beans, potato and any others in season, all of which should be cut into dice or small pieces. Heat the ghee, fry the onions, sprinkle in the curry powder, cook for about 20 minutes, and add the vegetables. Toss over the stove until thoroughly hot, adding a little gravy if too dry, and serve with boiled rice.
Time.—½ an hour. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons.
3847.—CURRY OF FISH.
Ingredients.—2 lbs. of fish, ½ a lb. of onions sliced, 2 ozs. of ghee or butter, ½ an oz. each of green chillies, dried chillies, green ginger, turmeric, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, ¼ of an oz. of fenugreek, 1 clove of garlic finely-chopped, ½ a pint of fish stock or milk, salt, the juice of 2 tamarinds.
Method.—Put ½ the onions into a mortar, add the dried chillies, ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander, fenugreek, garlic and a dessertspoonful of salt, and pound until smooth. Fry the remaining onions in hot ghee until lightly browned, add the fish, previously washed, well-dried and cut into small slices, fry lightly, then add the stock or milk, the pounded ingredients, the juice of the tamarinds, and the green ginger, and cover closely. Cook slowly for 20 minutes, then serve with plainly boiled rice.
Time.—45 minutes. Cost, 1s. 10d. to 2s. Sufficient for 5 persons.
3848.—CURRY OF FOWL.
Ingredients.—1 fowl, 2 ozs. of ghee or butter, ½ a lb. of Kabool chennah or Indian corn, ½ a lb. of onions sliced, ½ an oz. of green ginger, ½ an oz. of coriander seeds, ⅛ of a teaspoonful each of black pepper, ground cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms, salt.
Method.—Cut the fowl into neat joints, place them in a stewpan barely covered with cold water, add the sliced onions, coriander seeds, green ginger, pepper, 1 dessertspoonful of salt and the Kabool chennah previously well washed, and cook until the fowl is tender. Mix the ground cinnamon, cloves and cardamom together, moisten with a little cold stock or water, add the strained liquor from the fowl, stir until it boils, and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Fry the fowl in hot ghee until nicely browned, put it into the stewpan containing the curry sauce, and let it stand for 20 minutes where it will keep hot. Serve with plainly boiled rice.
Time.—1½ hours. Sufficient for 3 or 4 persons. Cost, 3s. 6d. to 3s. 10d.
3849.—CURRY OF MUTTON.
Ingredients.—2 lbs. of lean mutton, 2 ozs. of ghee or butter, ½ a lb. of onions (sliced), ½ a lb. of pounded almonds, ¼ of an oz. of green ginger, ½ a teaspoonful of saffron, ⅛ of a teaspoonful of ground cloves, ⅛ of a teaspoonful of ground cardamoms, the juice of 5 limes, 1 clove of garlic, ⅓ of a pint of cream, ½ a teaspoonful of black pepper, salt.
Method.—Pound the green ginger with a little ghee, season it well with salt, and rub it into the meat, previously cut into small thin slices. Let it stand for ½ an hour, and meanwhile fry the onions in hot ghee until lightly browned. Put the meat into the stewpan, add the garlic very finely-chopped, ground cloves, cardamom seeds and pepper, and fry until the meat is cooked, taking care the onions do not become burnt. Now add the cream, ground almonds, saffron, the juice of the limes, and salt to taste, cover closely, and cook as slowly as possible for 20 minutes. Serve with plainly boiled rice.
Time.—2¼ hours. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Cost, 2s. 2d.
3850.—CURRY POWDER.
Ingredients.—8 ozs. of turmeric, 6 ozs. of coriander seeds, 3 ozs. of cardamoms, 3 ozs. of cumin, 3 ozs. of fenugreek, 1 oz. of cloves, 1 oz. of white peppercorns, ¼ of an oz. of cayenne.
Method.—Thoroughly dry and pound the above ingredients, first separately, then all together. When well mixed, pass the whole through a fine sieve, put the preparation into dry bottles, cork tightly, and store for use.
Time.—1 hour. Sufficient for 1½ lbs. of powder. Cost, 1s. to 1s. 2d.
385I.—CUTHEEREE.
Ingredients.—½ a lb. of rice, ½ a pint of split dhall or dried peas, ¼ of a teaspoonful of ginger, ⅛ of a teaspoonful of mace, salt, 4 hard-boiled eggs, 2 small boiled onions, or onions sliced and fried.
Method.—Soak the dhall or peas in water overnight, then wash them well, and also wash the rice. Cover the dhall or peas with water, add the ginger, mace and salt to taste, cook until half done, then add the rice. Cover closely, and cook slowly until the rice is swollen and tender, stirring very frequently towards the end of the process, when nearly all the water should have evaporated. Serve garnished with hard-boiled eggs cut in half, and surrounded by either small boiled onions, or slices of fried onion.
Time.—1½ hours. Sufficient for 1 dish. Cost, 11d. to 1s. 1d.
3852..—DÂL.
Ingredients.—a pint of lentils, ¾ of a pint of stock, 2 ozs. of ghee, 1 tablespoonful of curry powder, 3 onions sliced, rice.
Method.—Wash and dry the lentils, cover them with stock, simmer gently until tender, adding more stock gradually, but when finished they should be quite dry. Heat the ghee, fry the onions until lightly browned. Sprinkle on the curry powder, stir for a few minutes, and add the lentils. Cook gently for about 20 minutes and serve with well boiled rice.
Time.—1½ hours. Sufficient for 1 dish. Cost, 7d. to 9d.
3853.—DÂL POOREE.
Ingredients.—½ a pint of lentils,¾ of a pint of stock, 4 medium-sized onions coarsely chopped, ¼ of a teaspoonful of ground chillies, ¼ of a teaspoonful of ginger and turmeric mixed, of a teaspoonful salt, 1 clove of garlic, 2 ozs. of butter paste, ghee.
Method.—Cook the lentils in the stock (see preceding recipe). Fry the onions in the butter, stir in the dry prepared lentils, add the chillies, ginger, turmeric, salt, and garlic and mix well. Roll the paste out thinly, cut into rounds, place a little of the mixture on one-half of the rounds, and cover with the remainder. Press and secure the edges, drop the rounds into hot ghee, and fry until nicely browned. Either plain flour and water or puff paste may be used.
Time.—1½ hours. Sufficient for 1 dish. Cost. 11d. to 1s.
3854.—DUMPOKE.
Ingredients.—1 boned chicken, 6 or 8 ozs. of rice, 3 ozs. of ghee or butter, 2 hard-boiled eggs cut into dice, 2 onions cut into dice, stock, cayenne, salt and pepper.
Method.—Wash, drain, and dry the rice, fry it in 1½ ozs. of hot ghee or butter until lightly browned, cover with stock and cook till soft, adding more stock when necessary; but when ready the rice should be rather dry. Fry the onions in the remainder of the ghee, add the rice, eggs, and seasoning to taste, and stuff the chicken with the preparation. Braise gently and serve coated with a good white sauce. Time.—2¾ hours. Sufficient for 5 persons. Cost, 3s. 10d. to 4s.
3855.—HASH BOGURRAH.
Ingredients.—2 lbs. of mutton, ½ a lb. of flour, ½ a lb. of ghee, or other fat, 2 ozs. of onions, ⅓ an oz. of ginger, cinnamon, cloves and cardamoms, ¼ of an oz. of salt, ¼ of an oz. of coriander seeds, ⅛ of a teaspoonful each of saffron and capsicum pepper, 1 yolk of egg.
Method.—Cut the meat and onions into small thin slices, reduce all the flavouring ingredients to a fine powder, and mix to a smooth paste with a little cold water. Fry the whole in hot ghee until well browned, then barely cover with water, and cook as slowly as possible until the meat is tender. Meanwhile knead the flour to a smooth paste with the yolk of egg, roll it out thinly, and cut it into strips about 2 inches in length and ½ an inch in breadth. Throw the strips into boiling salted water, cook until done, then drain them well and add them to the contents of the stewpan about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with the saffron sprinkled over the hash.
Time.—2 hours. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Cost, 2s.
3856.—HASH SUNGSHERE.
Ingredients.—2 lbs. of mutton, 2 ozs. of ghee or other fat, 1½ ozs. of white chennah flour, 4 ozs. of rice, ¼ of a lb. each of onions, carrots, paluk, soya greens, 1 oz. each of blanched almonds and green ginger, ¾ of an oz. of salt, ½ an oz. of coriander seeds, ¼ of a teaspoonful of cinnamon, ⅛ of a teaspoonful each of cardamoms and cloves, 1 pint of stock, 1 pint of milk.
Method.—Cut the meat and onions into thin slices, and fry them in hot ghee until lightly browned. Add the flour, stir over the fire until it acquires a nut-brown colour, then cover with stock and simmer very slowly until the meat is half cooked. Strain off the gravy, and again fry the meat in hot ghee or fat with the cloves and coriander seeds previously ground to a fine powder. Replace in the stewpan, add the strained gravy, stock and milk, bring to the boil, and thicken with ground rice. Stir over the fire for a few minutes, then add the salt, spices, carrots, soya and paluk cut into small pieces. Fry the almonds in hot ghee until well browned, add them to the contents of the stewpan, add also the previously well washed and soaked rice, cover closely, and cook gently for about 1 hour. Serve hot.
Time.—1¼ hours. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Cost, 2s. 3d.
3857.—HILSA, TO COOK.
See recipes for dressing Mackerel (Nos. 544-9), which fish the Hilsa resembles.
3858.—KIDGEREE.
Ingredients.—4 ozs. of rice, 4 ozs. of dâl, 4 ozs. onions, 4 ozs. ghee, a few slices of green ginger, peppercorns, cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon, salt.
Method.—Cut the onions across into rings, fry them in the hot ghee until nicely browned, then remove them and keep them hot and crisp. Add the dâl and rice, previously washed and dried, to the ghee, cook gently until all the ghee is absorbed, then barely cover with stock or water and add the ginger and peppercorns, cloves, etc., to taste. Cook very slowly until quite dry, and serve garnished with the fried onions.
Time.—45 minutes. Sufficient for 1 dish. Average Cost, 1s.
3859.—KUBÁB FOWL.
Ingredients.—1 fowl, 2 ozs. of ghee or other fat, 2 ozs. of coriander seeds, 2 ozs. of green ginger, ¼ of a teaspoonful of green cloves, ¼ of a teaspoonful of ground cardamoms, ½ a teaspoonful of turmeric, ½ a teaspoonful of salt, ¼ of a teaspoonful of black pepper, 2 onions sliced, ¼ of a pint of stock, ¼ of a pint of cream.
Method.—Prepare the fowl, truss it for roasting and prick it all over with a steel skewer or fork. Roast the coriander seed, crush it with the cloves, cardamoms, ginger, pepper and salt to a fine powder, and rub the mixture well into the fowl. Heat the ghee in a stewpan, fry the onions until lightly browned, then sprinkle in the turmeric, add the cream and stock, and stir until it boils. Place the fowl in the stewpan, baste it well, cover closely, and cook slowly until tender, basting it frequently. Serve with the sauce strained over and round.
Time.—2 hours. Sufficient for 5 persons. Cost, 3s. 10d. to 4s. 3d.
3860.—KULLEAH YEKHANEE.
Ingredients.—2 lbs. of lean mutton, ½ a lb. sliced onion, 2 tablespoonfuls of lime juice, 1 tablespoonful of castor sugar, ½ a teaspoonful each of curry powder, ginger and cloves, salt, rice.
Method.—Slice the meat thinly, barely cover it with warm water, add the onion, lime juice, sugar, curry powder, ginger, cloves and salt to taste. Simmer very gently from 2¼ to 3 hours, and serve with well boiled rice.
Time.—3 hours. Sufficient for 6 persons. Cost, 2s. 3d.
3861.—LIMES, PICKLED.
Ingredients.—25 limes, 4 ozs. of salt, 4 ozs. of green chillies, 4 ozs. of green ginger, 2 ozs. of mustard seed freed from husks, 1oz. of ground turmeric, 1½ pints of good vinegar.
Method.—Cut the limes across in halves, squeeze out all the juice, add 2 ozs. of salt, and cover closely. Sprinkle the remaining salt over the rinds, let them remain for 6 hours, then dry them in the sun for 3 days, or until hard. Boil the chillies, green ginger, mustard seed and turmeric in the vinegar for 20 minutes. Let the preparation cool, mix with it the lime juice, and strain it over the lime rinds previously laid compactly in wide-necked bottles or jars. Cover closely, place them in the sun for 3 or 4 days, then store for use.
Time.—5 days. Sufficient for 1 or 2 jars. Cost, uncertain.
3862.—LIME SAUCE.
Ingredients.—Fresh limes, loaf or castor sugar.
Method.—Squeeze the juice from the limes, strain it, and add sugar to taste. Serve diluted with iced water.
3863.—MANGO CHUTNEY.
Ingredients.—30 green mangoes, 2 lbs. of sugar, ½ a lb. of salt, 2 lbs. of raisins stoned, 1 lb. of green ginger, 1 lb. of dried chillies, 4 ozs. of garlic, 3 pints of good vinegar.
Method.—Peel and slice the mangoes, chop them finely, also chop finely the raisins, green ginger and garlic. Pound the chillies in a mortar until smooth, then mix them with the rest of the prepared ingredients. Dissolve the sugar and salt in the vinegar, bring to the boil, then let it become quite cold, and mix it with the mangoes, etc. Turn into wide-necked bottles or jars, cover closely, let them remain in the sun for 3 or 4 days, then store for use.
Time.—5 days. Sufficient for 3 jars. Cost, uncertain.
3864.—MANGO PICKLE.
Ingredients.—50 green mangoes, 1 lb. of dried chillies, 1 lb. of green ginger finely sliced, ½ a lb. of mustard seed, 2 ozs. of garlic, 2 ozs. of turmeric, vinegar, and salt.
Method.—Peel the mangoes, and partly divide them through the shell, so as to remove the seed from the inside. Sprinkle them with salt, and let them remain for 24 hours. Meanwhile boil the turmeric in 2 quarts of vinegar for 20 minutes, and let it become quite cold. Pound the chillies until smooth, add the ginger, the mustard seed freed from husks, the garlic finely-chopped, and mix well together. Fill the inside of the mangoes with this preparation, place them in jars, sprinkle over them any of the seasoning preparation that remains, and cover with vinegar.
Time.—30 hours or longer. Sufficient for 3 or 4 jars. Cost, uncertain.
3865.—MOLE.
Ingredients.—Cooked fish, chicken or meat, 1 small cocoanut, 2 ozs. of butter, 2 ozs. of finely-chopped shallots, 1 clove of garlic finely-chopped, 1 dessertspoonful of rice flour, 1 teaspoonful of finely-sliced green ginger, the skin of 1 red chilli, the skin of 1 green chilli, both finely-shredded, 1 teaspoonful of lemon-juice, salt.
Method.—Break the cocoanut, remove and preserve the milk, and scrape or chop the white part of the nut finely. Cover with of a pint of boiling water, let it stand for 20 minutes, then strain off the liquid and put it aside. Again cover the nut with the same quantity of boiling water, let it stand for at least an hour, then strain 2 or 3 times through fine muslin, squeezing the nut well each time. Fry the shallots and garlic in hot butter without browning, stir in the rice flour, add the second infusion of cocoanut, and boil well. When ready, add the first infusion of cocoanut, boil up, add lemon-juice and salt to taste, put in the green ginger, shredded chillies, prepared fish, chicken or meat, make thoroughly hot, and serve.
Time.—1½ hours. Sufficient for 1 dish. Cost, 10d. to 1s. 4d.
3866.—PILAU or PILLOFF.
Ingredients.—1 chicken, 4 ozs. of butter or ghee, 4 ozs. of rice, 2 green mangoes sliced, 4 or 5 onions sliced, 2 doz. stoned raisins, 1 doz. almonds coarsely shredded, 3 hard-boiled eggs, salt, cloves.
Method.—Truss the chicken as for boiling, fry it in 3 ozs. of butter or ghee until the whole surface is lightly browned, then add the mangoes and onions. Fry gently for 10 or 15 minutes longer, barely cover with white stock or water, add 6 cloves and salt to taste. Simmer gently for ¾ of an hour, then transfer to a baking vessel, baste with hot ghee, and roast gently for nearly an hour. Meanwhile boil the rice in the stock until tender, then strain and reduce the stock by rapid boiling. Place the rice in a small pan, add 1 oz. of butter, the raisins and almonds, and make thoroughly hot. Serve the rice round the chicken, garnish with sections of egg, and serve some of the well reduced sauce separately.
Time.—2 hours. Sufficient for 4 or 5 persons. Cost, 3s. 6d.
3867.—PILAU OF FOWL.
Ingredients.—1 fowl, 1 Ib. of lean mutton, ½ a lb. of rice, 6 onions, ¼ of a lb. of ghee or butter, 12 black peppercorns, 10 cloves, 10 cardamoms, 2 blades of mace, 3 currypak leaves, ¾ of an oz. of green ginger, 5 quarts of cold water, 1 dessertspoonful of salt, hard-boiled eggs.
Method.—Slice the mutton, put it into a stewpan with 4 onions cut in halves, the water and salt, and bring to the boil. Skim if necessary, put in the fowl, cook gently until tender, then put aside until required. Let the contents of the stewpan continue to simmer until the liquor is reduced to ⅓ its original quantity, then strain and press the meat well so as to extract all the juices. Slice the remaining onions, fry them brown in ghee previously heated in a stewpan, then drain them from the fat. Re-heat the fat and fry the fowl, turning it frequently to equalize the cooking. When well browned remove it and fry the rice, which must be previously washed and thoroughly dried. Add the peppercorns, cloves, cardamoms, mace, currypak leaves, green ginger thinly sliced, a little salt if necessary, and as the butter becomes absorbed add gradually the liquor in which the fowl and meat were cooked. When the rice is tender, draw the stewpan aside, put in the fowl with the rice piled over and round it, and let it remain until some of the moisture has evaporated, leaving the rice swollen and moderately dry. Serve the fowl imbedded in rice, and garnished with hardboiled eggs cut in quarters.
Time.—3 hours. Sufficient for 7 or 8 persons. Average Cost, 4s. 6d.
3868.—PILAU OF MUTTON.
Ingredients.—2½ lbs. of lean mutton, 2 lbs. of rice, ½ a lb. of onions sliced, ¼ of a lb. of ghee or butter, 1 oz. of raisins stoned, 1 oz. of almonds blanched, 1 oz. of pistachio nuts blanched, 1 oz. of dried apricots sliced, ½ an oz. of green ginger thinly sliced, ¼ of a teaspoonful of ground cinnamon, ⅛ of a teaspoonful each of ground cloves, ground cardamoms, cumin seeds, and black pepper, 6 eggs, salt.
Method.—Mince ¼ of the meat finely, and cut the rest into slices convenient for serving. Put the sliced meat into a stewpan, add the onions and ginger, the coriander and 1 teaspoonful of salt, cover with cold water, cook very gently until the meat is tender, then strain off the stock. Meanwhile the rice should have been well washed, parboiled and drained; now put it into the stewpan with the stock and simmer until the rice is tender, and the stock has become evaporated or absorbed. Heat ⅓ of the ghee in another stewpan, put in the slices of meat, sprinkle over them the ground cloves, cumin seeds, and a little cinnamon and cardamom, then toss over the fire for a few minutes. Spread the prepared rice over the meat, pour on a little melted ghee, cover closely, and cook very gently for ½ an hour. Heat the remaining ghee in another pan, put in the minced mutton with a little salt, and toss it over the fire until lightly browned. Add the rest of the flavouring ingredients, the raisins, almonds, pistachios, apricots, and a well-beaten egg, and stir by the side of the fire for a few minutes. Serve the slices of meat imbedded in the rice, spread the minced preparation on the top, and garnish with the remaining eggs either fried or poached.
Time.—2½ hours. Sufficient for 5 to 8 persons. Cost, 3s. 2d.
3869.—POMEGRANATE JUICE.
Ingredients.—6 pomegranates, ½ a lb. of castor sugar, the juice of 3 limes, 1 pint of water.
Method.—Press the pulp of the pomegranates through a very fine sieve, add the sugar and lime-juice, and dilute with the water. Strain several times through muslin, then bottle for use.
Time.—1 to 2 hours. Sufficient for 1 bottle. Cost, uncertain.
3870.—POMPLET, TO COOK.
This fish is not unlike turbot or brill, and may be treated according to the directions given for dressing turbot and brill (see Fish Section).
3871.—POOLOOT.
Ingredients.—1 fowl, 1 lb. of rice, 4 ozs. of butter, 1 oz. of green ginger finely-sliced, 3 onions sliced, 3 onions finely-chopped, ¼ of a teaspoonful of black pepper, ⅛ of a teaspoonful of ground cardamom seeds, 1 quart of stock, 6 hard-boiled eggs, rolls of fried bacon, the juice of 1 lemon, salt.
Method.—Wash, parboil and drain the rice. Truss the fowl for boiling, place it in a stewpan with the rice under and round it, add the chopped onions, green ginger, lemon-juice, 1 teaspoonful of salt, and a little stock. Cover closely, and cook as gently as possible, adding more stock from time to time. When the fowl is sufficiently cooked take it up and cut it into neat joints, keep it hot and dry by the side of the fire. Heat the butter in a stewpan, fry the remaining onions until lightly browned, then drain them and keep them hot. Fry the fowl in the same butter, turning it frequently that all parts may be equally browned. Pile the rice in the centre of a hot dish, arrange the pieces of fowl on the top with the fried onions interspersed, and garnish the base with quarters of hard-boiled eggs and rolls of fried bacon.
Time.—2½ hours. Sufficient for 5 or 6 persons. Average Cost, 4s.
3872.—QUOORMA CURRY.
Ingredients.—1 lb. of lean mutton, 2 ozs. of butter, 3 ozs. of shallots or onions finely-chopped, 1 clove of garlic very finely chopped, 1 dessertspoonful of finely-grated green ginger, 1 dessertspoonful of rice flour, 1 teaspoonful of ground coriander seed, 1 teaspoonful of ground black pepper, ½ a teaspoonful of ground cardamoms, ½ a teaspoonful of ground cloves, 1 teaspoonful of ground turmeric, 1 saltspoonful of sugar, 1 pint of mutton stock, ½ a pint of milk, 2 ozs. of ground almonds, the juice of 1 lemon, salt.
Method.—Cut the meat into ½ inch squares, sprinkle over them the ginger and a good seasoning of salt, and let them remain for 1 hour. Melt the butter in a stewpan, fry the shallots and garlic until lightly browned, then add the rice flour, coriander, pepper, cardamoms and cloves, and cook gently for 10 minutes. Add the stock, boil up and simmer gently for 15 minutes, then pour over the meat, and let it stand covered for ½ an hour. When ready, turn the whole into a stewpan, boil up, and cook as slowly as possible for ½ an hour, or until the meat is quite tender. Meanwhile soak the pounded almonds in the milk, and when the meat is tender, strain the milk 2 or 3 times through fine muslin, pressing the almonds well each time, then add it to the contents of the stewpan. Mix the turmeric smoothly with a little stock or water, stir it in, add the sugar and salt to taste, and continue to cook as slowly as possible for 20 minutes longer. Add the lemon-juice just before serving.
Time.—2 hours. Sufficient for 4 persons. Average Cost, 1s. 7d. to 1s. 9d.
3873.—SEER OR SEIR-FISH, TO COOK.
This fish inhabits the seas of the West Indies, and is one of the most valuable products of those parts. In size and form it is not unlike the salmon, but its flesh is white, although similar in point of firmness and flavour. Many of the recipes for cooking salmon which are included in the section devoted exclusively to fish, are applicable to the dressing of seer.
3874.—TAMARIND SAUCE.
Ingredients.—Ripe tamarinds, castor sugar.
Method.—Pack the fruit compactly in a fireproof jar, sprinkling each layer lightly with sugar, and cover closely. Cook in a cool oven until tender, then rub through a fine sieve, and put into jars. Fasten securely so as to completely exclude the air, and store for use.
Time.—2 to 3 hours. Sufficient for 1 jar. Cost, uncertain.