The Curry Cook's Assistant Part 3

One pound of fresh and lean pork, and the ingredients same as for Madras Curry, No. 4; use only three parts of everything. A pinch of Cayenne will flavour this Curry. Tamarind (an acid?) is nicer than lemon juice, vinegar, etc. To use the tamarind, take a piece the size of a large walnut, put into a cup and add about two tablespoons of cold water, and squeeze it with a spoon or with your finger, strain through a clean muslin and add to the Curry. Tamarind is always good for any sort of brown Curry, and lemon juice for yellow or white Curries, and vinegar for "moley," because it is an entree, and not much Curry stuffs are used.

No. 12.--VEAL CURRY.

Everything same as Madras Curry, No. 4, but veal Curry, not nicer. If you have veal chops, treat same as Curried mutton chops, No. 17.

No. 13.--MUTTON CURRY.

For One Pound Mutton (without Fat).

Ingredients same as for Madras Curry, No. 4 but not the quant.i.ty. Only three parts should be taken of each; the Curry stuffs need not be fried as for Madras Curries, but cut the mutton in half-inch squares, put into a stew-pan, and then add the Curry stuffs (powders?), spices, etc., and add a tablespoon of cream when serving, as well as a few drops lemon juice. Curries made from mutton are not so nice as if made from tender part of beef, but in India and Ceylon several castes do not touch beef--they call themselves high caste people, and bear numerous names--they always eat mutton, fowl, vegetable, etc. The Brahman caste never eat any meat of any sort; still they eat the pure juice of beef--as milk, ghee,[5] b.u.t.ter, and another kind of medicine made out of the flesh of the ox, called in Tamil "paroong kayam."[6]

[5] Ghee is only melted b.u.t.ter, much used in India, most by Bengali.

[6] Natives of India says it is a very useful medicine, but I myself know too little history about it, but has a nasty smell.

No. 14.--PARTRIDGE CURRY.

I have nothing to say for this Curry, because you can imitate the pigeon Curry; anyhow you must put in strong gravy, as partridge does not taste nice if curried. If you have any partridge left from dinner, the next day you may Curry it same as pigeon, but don't let it simmer too long over the oven. Any kind of game (birds?) can be made same as the pigeon.

No. 15.--TRIPE CURRY.

Take about two lbs. of good, thick part of the tripe, cut them in about four inches square, or not at all, dip it in hot water, not boiling, but nearly so. Then take out and sc.r.a.pe off all the black stuff, and clean it as white as a white tablecloth, and boil it tender as you boil for "Tripe Frica.s.see." When cool cut it in half-inch squares, slightly pepper it. Place a stew-pan on fire, and put in a lump of b.u.t.ter. When hot add the tripe, fry it to a brownish gold colour, then take out and put in a plate till required. Now add the Curry stuffs, as No. 4, into the stew-pan on the fire, and turn it over and over till nice and brown.

Now add the tripe you fried, and half-pint of good gravy, and let it simmer gently on slow fire. When serving add a tablespoon of cream and few drops of lemon. Some nice spices and a pinch of cayenne pepper should be added when frying the Curry Powders. This is a very nice Curry. By-the-by, the gravy you boil the tripe in should be boiled with other bones, vegetables, etc., and add to the Curry instead of other gravy.

No. 16.--LIVER CURRY, WITH BACON.

Take a pound of liver and a piece of fat of bacon, boil both in one pan for quarter of an hour, then take it off the fire, let it cool, then cut it in half-inch squares, add about 1/4 lb. bacon to a pound of liver, and treat it same as Madras Curry, No. 4. The Liver Curry considered not nicer. Parties in India and Ceylon (Europeans) do not care much for Liver Curry but as an entree, "Liver and Bacon." A breakfast dish in India and Ceylon.

No. 17.--CHOPS CURRIED.

This is a changeable way to have mutton chops done for breakfast or as an entree for dinner. Take eight good chops, and flavour it the usual as for serving itself (I mean place the chops on a flat dish, pepper and salt it). Vinegar, a dash of Lucca oil, and few drops of sauce, and let these soak for a few minutes, then place a frying-pan on fire, add a lump of b.u.t.ter. When melted add the chops, and fry it in usual way of mutton chops. When done take it off the frying-pan, keep it in a plate.

Now take a large onion and slice it, and fry it to a gold colour in the frying-pan you fried the chops, then add all the Curry stuffs to it as said in the Madras Curry, No. 4, except the cayenne, ginger, and garlic.

When all these are nicely fried add four spoons of good stock (brown), and now add the chops into the frying-pan. Let it warm, then serve on a hot dish, and send to table with potatoes, vegetables, etc., same as an entree. Certainly can used with boiled rice too.

No. 18.--STEAKS CURRIED.

Same as chops curried, but to fry the steaks first, then proceed same as for mutton chops. Mashed potatoes should join this dish, and boiled spinach fried in b.u.t.ter with an onion will be a nice accompaniment, but tough part of beef wouldn't do neither. You must not beat up the steaks with a chopper or steak tenderer, because all the juice will be out; scarcely any taste. When serving add a few drops of lemon juice, and this Curry will taste nicer if gleeced before sending to table in the following way:--Set a stew-pan on fire, when hot put a small bit of b.u.t.ter and a small onion, finely sliced, and teaspoon of any gravy. Now use a wooden spoon for frying the onions, and press them in the sauce-pan. When nice and brown colour, and the fried onions have stuck in the sauce-pan, pour the Curry you prepared and a spoon of cream; let it simmer a few minutes. Send to table with rice. Don't forget to add lemon juice or vinegar.

No. 19.--GAME CURRIES (Various).

The Game Curry I mean is thus:--elk; venisons; poultry, as turkey, geese, duck, etc.; rabbit, etc. Can be curried same as No. 4, but it is not nicer to make them into a yellow Curry, as for fish or vegetables.

No. 20.--RABBIT OR YOUNG HARE CURRY.

N.B.--I think the Rabbit made into a gleeced brown stew much nicer than putting it in a jar, and prepare like a jugged hare, as it takes away all the flavour, and the gravy tastes nice, and the meat almost like the soup meat or plain boiled meat; but the Curried Rabbit is not a bad recipe, if properly made, to use as an ordinary entree.

Take a small rabbit; skin it; and cut up in small pieces as large as two inch square; flour it, and fry in b.u.t.ter or lard, just underdone, and brown it outside; keep it to a side. Now place a stew-pan on fire, and add the remaining b.u.t.ter or lard you fried the rabbit with; when this lard is nice and hot, slice one onion, and brown in the stew-pan. Now add Curry powder same as Madras Curry, No. 4. When all these are nice and brownish gold, add a pint of gravy or milk, and let it simmer gently on slow fire; and quarter of an hour before sending to table, add the fried rabbit to the Curry sauce, and let it simmer for 15 minutes. When serving add few drops of lemon juice, and a spoon of cream. The above Curry for boiled rice; if for an "entree," just cut the rabbit in joints, and prepare same as the above Curry. When serving add a gla.s.s of claret in place of lemon juice.

No. 21.--EGG CURRY (Whitish Yellow).

Hard boil six eggs, and put in cold water till wanted. Now place a stew-pan on fire, and add half teaspoon of saffron powder (yellow); half-pint of milk; one large onion, sliced; one tablespoon finely chopped ham or corned beef; one green capsic.u.m, cut in quarters; one potato, mashed up (the potato left from last meal will do). Now simmer this for quarter of an hour; don't let it burn. When serving, take eggs out of the sh.e.l.l; cut in halves; place the eggs on a vegetable dish (the cut part up). Now add a tablespoon of cream, and a few drops of lemon juice; salt to taste, and pour over the eggs, and send to table with a brown Curry to accompany the rice (boiled). Samball and fried herring may be sent with these above Curries and rice. Poppadoms[7] and Bombay ducks will be a good accompaniment if could be procured.

[7] Poppadoms is a thin kind of flour and turtle eggs, and a kind of grain, mixed and made as thin as paper.

No. 22.--EGG CURRY (Brown).