Part 3

Cut the salmon nearly an inch thick, then cut it in two inches long, one inch wide, or little round pieces. Now mix in a stew-pan the following:--a pint of fish stock, white gravy, or milk, one small spoon of butter, one eggspoon saffron powder, one dessertspoonful finely-chopped ham, pinch of cayenne, one bay leaf, spices (bit of cinnamon or cloves), one large onion sliced, salt to taste. Mix all the above into the stew-pan, and set on fire. When it simmers, add the fish and let it simmer gently until the fish is done. When serving, mash up a boiled potato in two tablespoons of cream. Pour to the moley, and add few drops of lemon juice, and send to table with boiled potatoes (mashed up and baked in an oven), in shape as a pudding. Suppose if you have any cold fish boiled the day before, just only mix up the sauce and let it simmer till wanted, and add the fish five or ten minutes before sending to table. Any fresh beef, cold beef, mutton, etc., can be made into moley, but the fresh beef ought to be tender part--the under cut of a sirloin will do nicely. It cannot be made from pork, because it will not taste as nice as chicken or fish.

No. 31.--FISH CURRY (Salmon).

The fish Curry is made several different ways in Ceylon and India, as brown or yellow Curry, but similar to fish moley, hard-boiled egg Curry, No. 22, and the potato Curry, No. 35; but you must add a spoonful of chopped ham or corned beef, and use lemon juice, not vinegar. The fish Curry (brown) can be made same as Madras Curry, No. 4. But proceed to make the Curry Sauce, No. 26, then add the fish. As soon as the fish is tender, the Curry is ready. Don't add any butter to fish Curries. The native cooks use the coriander, saffron, chillies, etc., without roasting them in the frying-pan.--See "Home-made Curry Powder," No. 1, but grinding it without roasting.

No. 32.--FISH CURRY (Various).

Salmon. Haddocks. Soles. Whiting. Codfish. Whitebait. Fresh Herrings. Lobsters. Crabs. Oysters. Prawns. Shrimps, etc.

The above Fish Curries can be made same as Salmon Curry, No. 31, egg Curry (yellow), fish moley, Madras Curry, No. 4, but great care must be taken not to be burned. The soles and whiting are not nice when curried, and the oysters should be used without the liquor. Prawns and shrimps are celebrated Curries if they are freshly caught and properly prepared. Tamarind used for Fish Curries (brown) are very nice--better than lime (lemon) juice or vinegar.

No. 33.--TINNED SARDINES (Curried).

For a Small Tin of Sardines of One Dozen.

Take the sardines, and take off the black part; just finely scrape; with a spoon place on a tin or plate, and make it warm in an oven. Now make a Curry sauce (brown), same as No. 26, but less milk or gravy. The Curry sauce must not be more than a small tea cup, nice and thick, if not thicker,--just mash up a boiled potato, and add to the sauce. Just before serving, take each sardine carefully and place in the Curry sauce you made; do not stir it; set on slow fire for five minutes. When serving take each carefully without breaking, arrange them nicely on a Curry or vegetable dish; pour over the gravy, and send to table with boiled rice or hot toast. Any tinned fish can be made same as the above, except Yarmouth bloaters, smoked fish, salt fish, mackerel, etc., etc. Tinned salmon makes a nice Curry. Afraid it will mash up and be like a gruel instead of lumps. The above Curry sauce will answer to several boiled fish--boiled the day before.

No. 34.--VEGETABLE CURRIES (Various).

With reference to above, the potato, knol khol, turnips, carrots, parsnips, vegetable marrow, cucumber, beans, etc., can be made same way as potato Curry, No. 35; but cabbage, spinach, turnip tops (young shoots), Brussels sprouts, can be made same way as potato Curry, with same ingredients, but the cabbage, Brussels sprouts, etc., take little more time to tenderly boil; therefore extra gravy, milk, butter, and extra spoon of ham or corned beef. Onions should be added for greens. The more good gravy you add the better the Curry. As far as I have seen, there is not many English vegetables can be Curried, but in India and Ceylon there is numberless vegetables, greens, grasses, etc., can be Curried.

No. 35.--POTATO CURRY.

For One Pound of Good Potatoes (peeled).

Cut them in half-inch squares; put them into a clean stew-pan with an eggspoon of saffron; one large onion, sliced; one large spoon of chopped ham or corned beef (salt to taste); three parts of a pint of milk. Mix well together; put in a bay leaf; set on fire, and let it simmer till the potatoes are tender. If the three-quarters pint of milk is not sufficient to tender the potatoes, add some good gravy (stock), but not brown stock. When serving, add a quarter pint of milk and a dessertspoon or more of cream, and let it simmer. When simmering add a few drops of lemon juice, and send to table with boiled rice. But a Brown Curry must accompany the above Curry.

No. 36.--CABBAGE CURRY.

Take half of a small cabbage, and cut it with a sharp knife as big as you cutting a lettuce for a salad; wash it thoroughly clean; put into a stew-pan with a pint of gravy, and boil it till half done. Now take it off the fire; add an eggspoonful of saffron powder; two large spoons of chopped ham, etc.; a pinch of cayenne (if required hot); one large onion, sliced; salt to taste. Mix well; set on fire. More gravy or milk should be added, till the cabbage is soft as usual form.

No. 37.--BEAN CURRY.

For a Pound of French Beans.

Cut up the beans one inch long and prepare same as the cabbage Curry. The same ingredients will do and must accompany a meat Curry to table. These Curries may only be gleeced, if you please, or can serve plain, but the gleece gives a nice smell and good taste. Any Curry can be gleeced. If you wish to make Curry of broad beans, must take off the thicker skin and weigh a pound; but broad beans are not a useful bean for Curry, but only better as a vegetable by cooking it in a jar with butter and mint.--See Vegetables for Table, as No. 53.

No. 38.--ONION CURRY.

Same as potato Curry, No. 35. The large onions should be cut in quarters, and the small onions put in whole; but in India and Ceylon we have onions (I mean the button onions with red skin) which makes a delicious Curry.

No. 39.--DEVILLED CABIN BISCUITS.

1 Onion sliced. 1 Dessertspoon Butter. 2 Tablespoons of good Beef Gravy. 1 Eggspoon or less of Cayenne. Pinch of Pepper; Salt to taste. 1 Small Potato mashed up. 1 Dessertspoon of Worcester Sauce (Lea & Perrins).

_Mode._--Slice the onions and fry in a stew-pan with the butter; when the onions turn to a gold colour add all other ingredients. During you preparing the above, soak six cabin biscuits in boiling water for two minutes, then take it out of the water and dish the biscuits, and pour over the devil gravy you prepared. Cover the biscuits with gravy and serve hot. The above dish is good for lunch, etc.

No. 40.--DEVILLED MEAT (Various).

Same ingredients as for biscuits, No. 39, but meat must be cut two inches long and added to the stew-pan soon as the onions are fried. Give it stirring for some while by turning the pieces of meat in it. By-the-bye, the fresh meat should be fried a little brown, because fresh meat devilled always tough unless the meat is undercut. Extra spoons of gravy should be added to devilled meats. Cuttings from cold joints are nice devilled; but fresh beef ought to be of tender part (as I said before, undercut). Fowl, duck, mutton, turkey, geese can be done in same way (I mean from joints roasted beforehand); but you must reduce or exceed the ingredients for the amount of weight. The quantities given for devilled biscuits are sufficient for 1 lb., or less of meat. Be careful not to burn.--See Devilled Biscuits.

No. 41.--MOLLAGOO TANNEY, AND NOT MULLIGATAWNY.[9]

[9] Why English people always spell this word wrong? Everybody knows this--Mollagoo, _pepper_; tanney, _water_. In proper Tamil the mollagoo tanney is pronounced "Mollagoo Neer" and "Mollagoo Tannir."

2 Good Quarts of Gravy of Mutton Beef or Chicken Soup. 2 Large Spoons of Coriander Powder. 1 Tablespoon of Rice Powder as No. 48, and Pinch of Pepper. 1 Pint of good Milk. 2 Large Onions, sliced. 1 Piece of Ginger. 1 Garlic, small one. 1/2 Teaspoon of Cumin Powder. Pinch of Saffron. 1 Dessertspoon Butter.

_Mode._--The Curry stuffs you use for mollagoo tanney should be very fine. Take a large stew-pan and mix all the above together, only one onion (sliced), garlic and ginger chopped up fine. Let these simmer for ten minutes, now strain it through a muslin or gravy strainer. Now fry the other onion in the dessertspoon of butter in another stew-pan. When the onions are browned add the mollagoo tanney with a small bay leaf, and skim off the grease, and send to table in a soup tureen as a soup; but this should be used instead of soup, or the first dish for a lunch or breakfast or dinner, but I recommend for dinner in Europe. Cut lemon should be handed round with the above and plain boiled rice. Fried red herring wouldn't be a bad accompaniment. In India the mullagatawny is used generally once a week--say on a Sunday or Wednesday. The natives usually have this mullagatawny on Fridays after their caste. Some mullagatawny are made of plain Curry stuffs, tamarind, etc., not worth for Europeans. Some parties who visited India like native mullagatawny better than the above, according to taste, but I recommend the above for Europeans. The cayenne pepper should be added if required hot.

No. 42.--PILLAU RICE (a Mohammedan Dish), au Joint for Dinner.

Cook rice as No. 50. Keep it aside till wanted, then place a frying-pan on fire. Have two large onions (sliced) and two tablespoons of butter, and add half-teaspoon of saffron. When all the above is nicely brown add the rice, and keep on turning for few minutes, sprinkle a little salt. Now this is ready after dishing the above. Fry a large onion (sliced), and raisins (fried), sliced almonds. Sprinkle the above three over the pillau rice. The pillau rice should accompany roast fowl or mutton chops by dishing the meat on a flat dish, and cover it with pillau rice, and sprinkle over with fried onions, etc. Parsley mint can be fried and added. If it is to be eaten with Curry, use Madras Curry, kabob, or salmon, and omit the meat with pillau.

No. 43.--LEMON (HOT) SAUCE.

Juice of a Large Lemon. 1 Dessertspoon Cayenne. 1 Dessertspoon Pounded White Sugar; some Salt.

Mix all together in a cup and use. If required to be kept, boil the whole in an enamel-plated saucepan; when cold bottle it. This sauce is very nice with cold meat or with made dishes.

No. 44.--APPLE CHUTNEY.

How to make in England.

1/2 lb. Sour Apples, peeled and cored. 1/4 lb. Currants. 1 oz. Chillies (or 1/2 oz. Cayenne). 1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar. 4 oz. Salt, or to taste. 1 Eggspoon Pepper, finely ground. 1 oz. Garlic, chopped up fine. 1/4 oz. Green Ginger, chopped up fine. 1/4 lb. Raisins.

_Mode._--Have the currants and raisins clean, and pound them in grinder or pounder of stone. Now grind the apples and all other ingredients to a smooth paste (I mean, not too thin or in lumps). Now mix these well together with half bottle of best vinegar, and bottle it in tart fruit bottles, corked well. If you require sweeter have more sugar, and if it is too watery put in a little less of vinegar. The above plan of chutney is suitable for cold meats, Curries, etc. In Ceylon, Mango Chutney is made in similar way, but they use tamarind, and when grinding use vinegar to soften the ingredients when grinding.

No. 44a.--MINT CHUTNEY.

1/2 lb. Mint. 1 oz. Cayenne. 1/4 lb. Salt. 1/4 lb. Raisins. 2 oz. Ginger. 1/4 lb. Brown Sugar. 1 oz. Garlic. 1/2 Bottle Vinegar to grind the above. 1/2 Bottle Vinegar, hot, to pour over.

_Mode._--Grind or pound the above by adding the cold vinegar by degrees to soften. When nice and smooth, put into a bowl and pour over the hot vinegar. When cool, bottle it in tart fruit bottles, and cork well.

N.B.--I can give dozens of recipes for chutney. I am afraid it is no use telling in this book, because the ingredients cannot be procured fresh, as mangoes, pineapples, lavi-lavi, blinga, tamarind, ripe chillies, chutnies, etc., etc. The above is a recipe I tried in Newera Eliya, Ceylon, where fresh mint can be had in any quantity of first class, same as in England and Scotland.

No. 45.--QUICKLY-MADE SAMBALL.

How to make it in England.

Chop up fine one large onion, a teaspoon of cayenne, another of crushed sugar, one tablespoon finely-chopped ham (cooked), one teaspoon salt, one tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice.

_Mode._--Mix all the above in a small bowl with a wooden spoon or with your clean finger. Now add the vinegar. Again mix well, and send to table with cold pork, Curries, etc. A little more sugar may be added if preferred sweet. There are great many samballs can be made, but all must pass the Curry stone or stone-made pounder. The samballs made of dry chillies, green chillies, cocoanut juice, Maldive fish, onions, cooked fishes, meats, mint, etc., etc. The samballs are a great improvement to Curries. In Ceylon every cook would send a samball to table with the Curry and rice; also native meals are never without a samball--especially _samball_, or some ball. It is only a new-made chutney or pickle, but _fresh_ made, called _sampball_.

No. 46.--HOW TO FRY RED HERRINGS FOR CURRIES.

Take two stout common red herrings, cut them about one and a-half inch long (cross ways); put in a plate and add one tablespoon of vinegar and a little dash of cayenne; roll the herrings well, and fry them in butter or lard, and send to table dry, free from grease. To be eaten with rice and Curry instead of Bombay ducks.

The above is a new idea, which I came to know during my first visit to England, Royal Jubilee Exhibition, 1887, in Liverpool.

No. 47.--TOAST CURRY.

Prepare some Curry gravy, same as Madras Curry, No. 4. Now toast two slices of bread; cut thin, and in diamond shape. After toasted, dish the toast on a vegetable dish, and pour over the gravy you prepared, and send to table hot, with Curry and rice, samball, etc.

No. 48.--HOW TO MAKE RICE POWDER.

Take a pound of good rice, and pick out all the black and other things from it. And now place a frying-pan on fire; soon as it gets hot put in the rice, and keep on turning till you find it nice and brown colour; then put on a plate to get cool; then pound this in a stone-made mortar or pounder (very fine), and bottle it, well corked. Use a tablespoon to brown Curries.

No. 49.--MUSHROOMS CURRIED AND SERVED ON TOAST.

Pick out half-pound of fresh and good mushrooms; sprinkle with little pepper and salt. Now prepare Curry sauce as for Snipe Curry. Fry the mushrooms in a dessertspoon of butter, and add to the Curry sauce; let it simmer gently for five minutes, then serve on hot toast. A nice dish for lunch or supper. When eating, a dash of cayenne and mushroom ketchup may be a nice taste. Try the above.

No. 50.--RICE, HOW TO BOIL FOR CURRIES.

Take an enamelled saucepan to hold four quarts, and fill it three-quarters full of fresh water, and let it boil. During the time the water is boiling, soak two pounds of rice (white) for three minutes in cold water; then strain off the water, and put the rice in the pan that is boiling, and stir for two minutes, and cover it up. When boiling put in a spoon, and take out some rice and feel it with your finger. If it is done drain off all the water, and place the pan near a hot oven till wanted.

Must not let it be overdone. If it is overdone and nearly soft, just drain the boiling rice water, and add a few cups of very cold water. Stir it, and drain again, and set by the fire or on hot oven for a few minutes, and you will find each grain separate. Boiled rice ought to have each grain separate.

N.B.--The rice I have seen in England they call it "Patcha Areysi," used for rice cakes, etc., in India and Ceylon, etc. I mean the rice taken out the shell without boiling the paddy. The rice taken out the shell, called "Sothareysigal," as follows, of Rangoon, Chittagong, Bengal, etc., etc.:--

Samba. Muthoo Samba. Mollagoo Samba. Oosi Samba. Collundha. Bangalam. Cara. Vallareysee. Masareysi. Waddakathy Samba.

And several other native names too numerous to mention. The above all good for eating after boiled.

No. 51.--A SALAD FOR DINNER, Etc., for Hot Weather.

Cucumber. Beet Root, boiled. Hard-Boiled Eggs. Ripe Tomatoes. Water-Cress. 1 Large Onion, thin sliced. Cold Fowl, Beef, or Mutton.

_Mode._--Cut the meat in thin slices, and put in a flat dish, then slice the cucumber, beet root, eggs, tomato, and onion, and dress the dish with the above, neatly arranging by putting one piece cucumber, another of beet root, another of eggs, and another of tomato, and put the sliced onions in the middle, and the water-cress round the dish as a decoration. Now prepare this

Sauce.

Yolks of 2 Hard Boiled Eggs. 1 Potato, finely mashed up. 1 Dessertspoon of Made Mustard. 1 Teaspoonful of crushed Sugar, another of Butter. 2 Dessertspoons of Condensed Milk (omit the Sugar); or, 1 Large spoon of Cream instead of Condensed Milk. 1/2 Teaspoon of Salt, Dash of Cayenne and Pepper. 3 Tablespoons Vinegar, or more.

Take a small bowl and mash up the potato, yolks of eggs, mustard, sugar, salt, butter. When nice and smooth add the milk or cream. After mixed add the vinegar, and mix well and keep separate. When sending to table just pour the sauce all over the salad with a spoon. Let it stand for two minutes and serve. The above can be made with or without meat, and also with lettuce if at hand. Several other salads could be made as learned cooks have written in the cooks' books; but the above I tried myself in one of my former masters' bungalows in Ceylon and in England.

No. 52.--SUNDAL OR POOGATHU (a Native Dish).

Finely cut one cabbage (a small one)--I mean as fine as the tobacco used for cigarettes, put a stew-pan on fire, add a small spoonful of butter, one onion (sliced). When the onions are nice and brown put in the cabbage, give it a turn, and add a teacup of good gravy, and cover it up, and set on gentle fire for few minutes; then add a spoonful of chopped ham, dash of cayenne and pepper, a pinch of saffron powder, and set over an oven till wanted. Do not let it burn; keep on turning. When nice and dry send to table with Curry, and rice, and samball. The above can be made from any greens; but this is not in use in European houses in Ceylon, but very nice dish for Curries.

No. 53.--VEGETABLES BOILED FOR TABLE.

French beans, broad beans, peas, Brussels sprouts, etc., will be nice when boiled in preserve jar with a lump of butter, salt, and dash of pepper (and mint to peas), but Brussels sprouts requiring lots of cooking may add some water to it. Spinach and sorrel can be cooked in a jar with a small onion (sliced), and little more salt to sorrel. Any vegetables might be done as above. I think it is an economical way of cooking vegetables; but I am afraid it wouldn't do for large establishments as hotels, etc., but for family houses it is a better way. The jar to be placed in a large pan, half full of water, and see it occasionally to prevent drying up.

No. 54.--ECONOMICAL CURRY PASTE.

1 lb. Coriander Seed. 1/4 lb. Dry Chillies. 1/2 lb. Mustard Seed. 2 oz. Garlic. 2 oz. ---- 1/2 lb. Dried Peas. 1/2 pint Vinegar. 1/4 lb. Saffron. 1/4 lb. Pepper. 2 oz. Dry Ginger. 1/2 lb. Salt. 1/2 lb. Brown Sugar. 2 oz. Cumin Seed. 1/2 pint Lucca Oil.

N.B.--Few Bay Leaves in Ceylon and India. Using Carugapilbay or _Curry Leaves_, black.

_Mode._--Grind all the above with the vinegar using to moisten the ingredients, using a Curry stone or stone-made pounder. When all the above nice and thin as a paste, put in a jar and pour over the Lucca oil, and cover it up. Use a large spoon for Madras Curries. The above good for mushroom, snipe, partridge, and other brown Curries of superior quality.

No. 55.--CURRY POWDER (a Recipe).

2 lbs. Coriander Seed. 1/2 oz. Chillies. 4 oz. Pepper. 7 oz. Cumin Seed. 7 oz. Mustard Seed. 1 oz. Bay Leaves. 8 oz. Carum Seed. 2 oz. Saffron.

Make all the above into powder, and calculate the weight--ought to equal. Use one and a-half tablespoonful for brown Curries only.

No. 56.--CURRY POWDER (a Recipe).

1 lb. Coriander Seed. 1/4 lb. Cumin Seed. 6 oz. Saffron. 10 oz. Dry Chillies. 2 1/2 oz. Vantheyam (Tamil name) Fenugreek. 4 oz. Ginger. 1 Handful chopped-up Bay Leaves.

Pound smooth all these, and bottle it in, well corked, and use as above. The above three recipes are from Mr. Symon Nayajam, cook, of Madras and Colombo, Ceylon.

No. 57.--CURRY POWDER (a most excellent).

2 Large Old Fowls. 1 lb. Coriander. 1/8 lb. Chillies or Cayenne. 6 oz. Saffron. 2 Large Spoons Cumin Seed. 1 oz. Dry Ginger. 2 oz. Garlic. 4 Large Spoons of Rice Powder, as No. 48; or 4 Large Spoons of Dried Peas (roasted and ground). 1/2 Handful Dried Bay Leaves. 1 Tablespoon Peppercorns. 2 doz. Cloves. 1/4 lb. Button Onions, 1/4 lb. Butter or Ghee.

_Mode._--Clean the fowls and cut them in small pieces, the giblets and all. Put into a large saucepan, and add a few quarts of water, and boil it very tender--I mean simmer gently for two days. The bones, meat, etc., should be mashed up. Now take out all the bones, and keep to a side. Take a large saucepan, put in the butter and sliced onions, and fry it to a brown colour. Now add all the Curry Powders, garlic chopped up, bay leaves, dry ginger, cloves, pepper, all in powders, and fry gently for a few minutes. Now add the gravy of boiled fowls, with the meat, etc., and let it simmer so a few minutes. When all these are reduced to three quarts, just dish it on a flat dish and let it cool for a day, or till it gets hard as a brick. Now pound this in a stone-made mortar to a smooth powder, and bottle it, well corked, and use for Brown Curries, a dessertspoon to a pound, with sliced onions, milk or gravy, and lemon juice.

N.B.--The above recipe is a most excellent of all the Curry Powders and Pastes, only second to none. In India we can prepare the above with tamarind included, for acid taste, and few other ingredients which can get fresh in Ceylon and India, but I think not procurable in England.

No. 58.--TOMATO CURRY.

For a pound of young or green tomato, ingredients same as for Potato Curry, No. 35, or for Brown Curry same as No. 4, Madras Curry. Treat it same as the Cabbage Curry. But I recommend that tomatoes should be made Brown Curry--tastes nice. Tomato curried is better than all the vegetables if it is properly made. Ripe tomato not nice when curried, only for salads.

No. 59.--CURRIES UNDER VARIOUS NAMES.

As to my opinion, Curries can be made from anything, if you could procure the proper Curry Powders, etc. Almost every Curry is made one or two ways, by only reducing, exceeding, or mixing the various Curry stuffs. Some Curries are hot, some dry, some juicy, some sour, and so on. Then the cooks celebrate the names in the menu as Delhi Curry, Agra Curry, Madras Curry, Curry a la Punjab, Bengal Curry, Mysore Curry, and several other names too numerous to mention in this little work. But I myself and several parties who have visited India will be glad to recommend Madras Curries as best; and Ceylon Singhalese Curry (yellow) is good, made of cocoanut juice, Maldive fish, lemon, Curry leaves, saffron, etc. Several cooks add too much ghee or butter, lard, etc., but it only spoils the taste of the Curry; and some cooks put too much spice, and give it too much flavouring. Reasonable ingredients couldn't spoil a Curry. A small girl of 10 years of age will make a Curry, as Curries are easily made in India and Ceylon.