The Curry Cook's Assistant Part 4

Boil the eggs same as No. 21, and put in cold water till wanted. Now prepare Curry sauce (brown) as No. 26, pour over the eggs cut in halves, as egg Curry (yellow). Egg Curries always called in Ceylon "a rest-house Curry," because in several rest-houses in Ceylon usually not many visitors pa.s.s that way, beside these rest-house keepers cannot get fresh beef, etc. They always have plenty of eggs, fowls, native vegetables, etc., but egg Curry only can be made quick. When a gentleman is going from one planting district to another, a box cooly or a horse-keeper (groom) runs in front to a certain place, by order of his master. When he gets into the rest-house, the rest-house keeper knows that a gentleman is coming. At once he will order to kill a chicken and grill it in Scotch form? and boil two eggs; when this is doing the kitchen mate[8] will squeeze half of a cocoanut, with little water mix some saffron, salt green chillie, Maldive fish, etc., now he boils this for five minutes. There is the breakfast ready! The bill of fare may be thus:--Grilled chicken; boiled pumpkin or beans, sometimes potatoes; boiled rice; egg Curry; samball; tea, coffee, or beer, etc. The dinner might be similar to above with addition of soup. Sometimes the Curries are made from native vegetables, as there is plenty of nice and wholesome vegetables in Ceylon (I mean) besides the English vegetables.

The rest-houses are in place of refreshment rooms and eating-houses are in England.

[8] Kitchen mate is a boy kept under the cook to do all the washing, etc., etc.

No. 23.--EGG CURRY (Omelet).

Make a savoury omelet with chopped ham, parsley, etc. When done, cut in one-inch squares, and pour over the Curry sauce, brown or yellow, as Nos. 21 and 22.

N.B.--The omelet should only be made just before serving, as it will get tough, etc. The Curry sauce may be made beforehand.

No. 24.--EGG CURRY (Poached).

Prepare Curry sauce, brown or yellow, as Nos. 26, 27. When serving just let the Curry sauce simmer gently. Now break the eggs carefully and put in the Curry sauce, each separately. Same as poaching eggs in a frying-pan. The pan must be a wide stew-pan. When dishing you must carefully take the yolks without breaking them and pour over the gravy, and send to table with boiled rice; and thin slices of ham should be handed round with this Curry and rice. Don't forget the samball for every Curry, as well as fried red herring.

No. 25.--FRIED EGGS FOR CURRIES.

Beat up the eggs same as for savoury omelet, but omit the sweet herbs, add chopped ham, salt, pepper, dash of flour, and pinch of cayenne, and fry in b.u.t.ter or lard (same as omelets, or in small cakes). Send to table with the Curry and rice in separate dish. The above dish (usually the native way) not used in gentlemen's houses, but I recommend it to be tried.

No. 26.--CURRY SAUCE (Brown, for Meat of any sort).

Place a stew-pan on fire, add a spoonful of b.u.t.ter; when melted add one onion, sliced; when half brownish colour add a tablespoon and a half of coriander powder, one of rice powder as No. 48, a saltspoon saffron, a pinch of c.u.min-seed powder. Now turn this well with a wooden spoon. When nicely fried, add the spices as said in the Curry No. 4, ginger and garlic chopped up fine. Now add a pint of good gravy or fresh milk, and let it simmer on slow fire till you find it reduced to a half-pint. Add salt to taste, and a little cayenne if preferred hot. Now this Curry Sauce is ready. This sauce can be heated up with any cold meats, as beef, mutton, pork, poultry, game, etc., etc., because the meat cooked beforehand cannot be cooked up in the above sauce, only warmed up. When preparing, the meat should only be added to the gravy about five to ten minutes before serving. The above recipe is only suitable for cold meats, fried livers, chops, steaks, etc., etc. The above is a brown Curry for parties, like the Curry stuffs; but for yellow Curry with less Curry stuffs, etc., see the accompanying recipe. But in Ceylon or in India always two Curries, etc., accompany the rice; especially in Ceylon a brown and yellow Curry, etc., accompanies the rice to table.

No. 27.--YELLOW CURRY SAUCE (for Vegetables, Fish, etc.).

Slice one onion, one large spoonful of chopped-up ham (fresh, best) or nice corned beef (cooked), one green capsic.u.m cut in quarters, one small teaspoon of saffron powder, pinch of cayenne pepper if preferred hot Curry, half-pint of milk, salt to taste. Now put all these into a clean stew-pan and set on fire for twenty minutes or more, simmer gently, and let it reduce to half-pint. When serving add few drops of lemon juice and a large spoon of cream. The above Curry Sauce is very nice for fish and vegetables. If it is cooked up vegetable or fish, just add ten minutes before serving. If it is fresh vegetable or fish, to be cooked in the sauce from the beginning; see their separate headings. The above Curry only second to a moley made of fish or fowl.

No. 28.--CURRIED FOWL (a Joint).

1 good-sized Fowl and Curry Stuffs.

Everything same as for Madras Curry, but an extra spoon of coriander powder and spoonful of cocoanut sc.r.a.ped up fine (_i.e._, in England I have seen and also used cocoanut sc.r.a.ped and preserved in tins by some firm in London). This cocoanut can add to all kinds of brown Curries, as it gives flavour to Curry; but it is a new idea, not suitable or used in the East for a Curry. Dress the fowl as for boiling, and boil it for few minutes (underdone). Keep this to a side, but don't waste the broth. Now place a large stew-pan on fire (large enough to hold the fowl), slice one large onion and fry in the b.u.t.ter. When nicely brown take out the onions and put in the fowl, and fry it all sides nice and gold colour, take the fowl out of the pan. Now add all the Curry stuffs, spices, ginger, garlic, etc., etc., and the broth that the fowl has been boiled in, and a half-pint of milk and bay leaves. Let all these simmer till the Curry Sauce is reduced to a pint or little more. Now add the fowl and turn it occasionally; do not let it burn. When serving, add a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar (pickled), a spoonful of cream, salt to taste, and cayenne if preferred. Send to table on a flat dish large enough to carve the fowl, and leave enough gravy to go round the table; I mean not juicy, neither dry. The above should be treated as a joint.

If any left can be warmed up in frying-pan, the fowl cut in pieces, and send to table with fried potatoes, garnished with nice green cabbage (boiled), or Brussels sprouts will do best. The above will do better on a Sunday for dinner, as thus:--

Not a bad dinner for a small party.

Beef, mullagatawny, and rice.

Curried fowls, and plenty of vegetables and potatoes.

Some kind of pudding.

No. 29.--CHICKEN MOLEY.

For Two Young Chickens and some Gravy.

Cut up the chicken in joints, and boil all the bones, etc., for gravy.

Place a stew-pan on fire, add the chicken-bone gravy, half-pint milk, one small spoon of b.u.t.ter, one eggspoon saffron powder, one tablespoon of chopped ham, small pinch of cayenne, one bay leaf, spices (bit of cinnamon, two cloves), salt to taste, one onion sliced. Let it boil (I mean simmer) for five minutes, then add the chicken, set on slow fire till the meat is tender. When serving, mix a dessertspoon of flour in two tablespoons of cream in a tea cup, then add this into the moley and stir well; let simmer for two or three minutes. When dishing, add a few drops of lemon juice or pickled vinegar. The above dish should be light-yellow colour, the gravy thick as cream. Mashed potatoes and fried bacon may garnish this dish, with red carrots, cut fine and pretty, and stuck in the mashed potatoes round the dish. The above entree should be served up on a small flat dish for a dinner, lunch, supper, etc.

No. 30.--FISH MOLEY.

For Two Pounds of Salmon.

N.B.--The Fish Moley is almost like a Curry (_see_ Fish Curry, Salmon, No. 31).

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 b.u.t.ter, 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 b.u.t.ter 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).