The Khaki Kook Book Part 4

44. Kabobs.

This is a very popular dish among the Mohammedans. Kabobs are usually cooked by the roadside and served piping hot to pedestrians. They are also cooked on the platform of railway stations and handed out to pa.s.sengers on the train. Season a pound of minced meat with pepper and salt or any desired spices. Mix with a little flour to hold together.

Make in the form of sausages by pressing around iron pins. Roast over a hot fire. These are delicious cooked at picnics. One can easily purchase the iron pins or have them made. They are usually about a foot long and a quarter of an inch thick. If the meat is fat they easily slip from the pins; if it is lean, it is best to grease the pins first.

45. Char-chiz.

Fry together a cup of Hamburg steak, a cup of sliced tomatoes, a cup of minced onions, and a cup of minced peppers. After they have fried until dry, add a cup of water and simmer all together for a while. Make quite hot and serve with boiled rice.

46. Spanish Eggs.

Fry the desired number of eggs very lightly in bacon fat. Just before removing from the pan pour over them a sauce made by adding a tablespoonful of Worcestershire sauce to any good catsup. Heat hastily together and serve. This is a fine meat subst.i.tute.

[Ill.u.s.tration: STRAINING STARCH]

[Ill.u.s.tration: BULLOCK CART--DELHI]

III.

Split Peas or Dal.

Split peas, or "dal," as they are called in India, belong to the lentil family. There are three kinds--the green, which very much resembles an ordinary dried pea; the yellow, and the red. In this country we only see two kinds--the green and the yellow. The red are more frequently seen in India, and have a more delicate flavor.

Lentils are an old, old food. We read of Esau selling his birthright for a mess of red pottage, or a mess of red dal. Then later we read of the Hebrew children refusing to eat the king's meat, and growing rosy and fat on their daily portion of lentils.

Lentils are rich in protein. About twenty-five per cent of their food value is protein. They are richer in protein than beans, and are more digestible.

During Lent in the early days of the Roman Church, lentils were the chief article of food, because of meat being forbidden. Because of this the name lentil was given to them.

Split peas are used universally throughout India. Several recipes have already been given (Nos. 23 and 7), but a few others will be noted.

47. Split Pea Soup.

Soak a cup of peas over night and boil in three cups of water. Cook until peas are soft, then mash them quite smoothly. Then dilute with stock. This stock may be made from bones and cold meat or fresh meat.

Fry an onion and add to the soup, and when ready to serve add minced mint leaves and little squares of toast, fried very crisp.

48. Dal Soup with Milk.

Prepare the dal as above, except instead of diluting with stock dilute with milk.

49. Kidgeri.

First soak a cup of split peas for about three hours. Then put them on to stew with two whole onions. When about half done add a cup of rice.

The water must be about two inches above the split peas and rice. Cook until rice and peas are soft and the water is absorbed. Pour over all some melted b.u.t.ter or crisco. Usually kidgeri is served with poached eggs. Sometimes eggs are hard-boiled and sliced over the kidgeri after it is dished.

50. Armenian Kidgeri.

Soak a cup of split peas for several hours, then fry with two thinly-sliced onions and a cup of rice. When slightly brown, cover with water and boil. The water should be three inches above the peas and rice; also add a little bag of mixed spices. Fry some meat in a separate pan. It may be either beefsteak, Hamburg, or mutton. When rice and peas are soft, place a layer of meat in a dish and cover with a layer of the rice and peas. Repeat until all are used, being careful to have the rice and peas on top. Steam together and serve with cocoanut and fried onions sprinkled over the top.

51. Dal Bhat.

Dal Bhat is the universal breakfast dish all over India. Prepare as for split pea curry (No. 23), but omit the curry powder, if desired.

Often it is prepared by frying minced meat with the onions before the peas are added.

No food known gives as much real value for the cost as do lentils. The green and yellow ones can be obtained very easily at any large grocery, and we urge all to give them a trial.

IV.

Rice.

As a rule rice is badly cooked in the average American home. For this reason last winter when there was a good deal of talk of rice as a subst.i.tute for potatoes, very little enthusiasm was felt on the subject, and indeed when one thinks of the tasteless, gummy mess which is so often put before the family, this lack of enthusiasm is not strange.

However, rice properly prepared proves quite a formidable rival of the beloved potato, and there are endless ways of preparing it if one only knows how.

[Ill.u.s.tration: POUNDING RICE]

In the first place, very few know how to cook just plain boiled rice.

Many know that there is a way of preparing it so that when done it will be a fluffy ma.s.s of separate grains, but they have no idea how to go about making it look like this.

The process is very simple. Always use the unpolished rice. Rice with a creamy tinge is better than rice with a pearly white tinge, and the long grain is better than the short.

52. Plain Boiled Rice.

For every cup of rice have about eight cups of water. Do not add the rice until the water is boiling briskly. Then throw in the rice, and give it an occasional stir until the water begins to boil again. After that it need not be stirred.

Cook until a grain feels soft when rubbed between the thumb and finger, then turn into a colander. Drain off the water and pour over the rice several cups of cold water. Drain that off, too, and place the rice where it can have moist heat for a while before serving. A good plan is just to leave it in the colander and place it over a pan of boiling water; or a steamer may be used for keeping it warm, or a double-boiler.

By this method every grain is separate. Rice served with curry is always prepared in this way. It may be served in place of potatoes with meat, and may also be used as a basis for many inexpensive and attractive dishes, just as macaroni and spaghetti are.

There is one objection, however, to rice prepared in this way. A good deal of the nutritive value is lost down the sink-drain. In India this is not the case, for every ounce of rice water is there carefully saved.

It is used in various ways. Usually it is fed to the babies and weaker children. Often it is given to ducks and fowl to fatten them, and sometimes it is put into the curry pot.

There is another method of preparing rice which is almost as satisfactory, and by which all the nutrition is retained. That is by cooking it in a regular rice boiler. Put just enough water over the rice to well cover it. After the water in the lower vessel has boiled a while, if the rice seems a little dry, add more water. Cook until the rice is soft, then turn the fire very low, so that the water in the lower vessel does not boil but retains its heat. Let stand for a while before serving, and the rice will be almost as fluffy and white as though blanched by the cold water process.