The Indian Cookery Book by - (good fiction books to read txt) 📕

teaspoonfuls of ground chilies, one teaspoonful

of roasted and ground coriander-seed, half a teaspoonful of roasted

and ground cumin-seed, two or three bay-leaves, a few peppercorns,

four or five cloves, roasted and ground, four or five cardamoms,

roasted and ground, six small sticks of cinnamon, roasted and ground,

with half a cup of good vinegar, to two pounds of pork or beef or a

duck.

 

N.B.—The best vindaloo is that prepared with mustard oil.

 

61.—Beef Vindaloo

 

Cut up two pounds of fat beef into large squares, and steep them in

the vinegar, together with half a teaspoonful of salt and all the

ground condiments, from eighteen to twenty-four hours. Then warm the

ghee or lard and throw in the meat, together with the condiments and

vinegar in which it had been steeped, adding a few peppercorns and

bay-leaves, and allow to simmer gently over a slow fire for two hours,

or until the meat is perfectly tender, and serve up hot.

 

62.—Pork Vindaloo

 

Cut up two pounds of fat pork into large squares, and curry according

to the directions given in the foregoing recipe, omitting the cloves,

cardamoms, and cinnamon.

 

63.—Duck Vindaloo

 

Take a young, full-grown, but tender duck; cut it up as for a curry,

and put it through the same course of pickling from eighteen to

twenty-four hours before being cooked.

 

64.—Pickled Vindaloo

(adapted as a Present to Friends at a Distance)

 

If the following instructions be carried out carefully, the vindaloo

will keep good for months, and, if required, may be sent as an

acceptable present to friends at home.

 

In order to keep it good sufficiently long to be sent home round the

Cape, select the fattest parts of pork; satisfy yourself that the meat

is fresh and sound, and that it has not been washed with water in the

butcher’s shop. Cut the meat into two-inch squares, wash thoroughly in

vinegar (no water), rub over with the following condiments, and then

steep them in really good English vinegar for twenty-four

hours:—Garlic bruised, not ground down, dry ginger powdered, turmeric

powdered, peppercorns roasted and powdered, coriander-seeds roasted

and powdered, cumin-seeds roasted and powdered, and dry salt.

 

Melt a large quantity of the best mustard oil in an earthen pot, and,

according to the quantity of meat, take additional condiments

mentioned above, but in the proportion given in recipe No. 61; grind

in vinegar, and fry in the oil; then put in the meat, and all the

vinegar, &c., in which it had been stepped, together with some more

salt, a little more vinegar, a few bay-leaves and peppercorns, and

allow to simmer until the meat is quite tender. Remove from the fire

and allow it to get quite cold; then put it into dry stone jars, with

patent screw tops, well filled with plenty of the oil in which the

vindaloo was cooked. Take care that all the meat is well covered over

with oil, which latter ought to be at least from two to three inches

above the meat in the jar. Screw down the lid, and cover it over with

a good sound bladder to render it perfectly airtight.

 

When required for use, take out only as much as will suffice, and

simply warm it in a little of its own gravy.

 

65.—Curry Paste

 

Is likewise adapted for sending as a present to friends at home. It is

made in the following manner:—Eight ounces of dhunnia, or

coriander-seed, roasted; one ounce of jeerah, or cumin-seed, roasted;

two ounces of huldee, or dry turmeric; two ounces of lal mirritch, dry

chilies; two ounces of kala mirritch, black pepper, roasted; two

ounces of rai, or mustard-seed; one ounce of soat, or dry ginger; one

ounce of lussan, or garlic; four ounces of nimmuck, salt; four ounces

of cheenee, or sugar; four ounces of chunna or gram dal without husk,

and roasted. The above ingredients, in the proportions given, to be

carefully pounded and ground down with the best English white wine

vinegar to the consistency of a thick jelly; then warm some good sweet

oil, and while bubbling fry in it the mixture until it is reduced to a

paste; let it cool, and then bottle it.

 

N.B.—Great care must be taken not to use any water in the

preparation, and mustard oil is better adapted than sweet oil for

frying the mixture in.

MADRAS MULLIGATAWNY CURRY

As this dish is usually served up and partaken of in the place of

ordinary soup, reference will be made to it hereafter under the head

of “Soups.”

 

Before proceeding to remark on fish, vegetable, and peas curries, a

few useful hints and suggestions may be offered on meat curries

generally.

 

In many families the remains of cold meat, if not required for other

purposes, are made into curry: cold roast or boiled mutton is

admirably adapted for the purpose; and in ninety-nine cases out of a

hundred consumers cannot tell the difference. If there be any

difference or advantage, it is decidedly in favour of the cold meat:

the roasting joints are always of a superior quality to meats sold

under the designation of “curry meats.”

 

The remains of cold roast beef make the best cofta curries, croquets,

&c., and if the beef be under-done no fresh beef will make a better

doopiaja.

 

Vegetables are sometimes put into gravy meat curries, never into

doopiajas; but, as a rule, the introduction of vegetable into any meat

curry is objectionable, from the fact that all vegetables in the

process of boiling or cooking throw out a liquid, some more and some

less: the potato throws out the least, but of a disagreeable

character. It is true potatoes may be boiled before being put into a

curry, but the piquancy and peculiarity of flavour looked for in a

curry is so palpably destroyed that the innovation may be discovered

with closed eyes. The introduction of vegetable into gravy fish

curries, however, is no innovation, as the condiments used for the one

answer for the other; both are cooked in oil, and the ginger omitted.

 

66.—Gravy Fish Curries

 

The condiments are as follows:—Mustard oil, one chittack or two

ounces; water, two cups; four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one

teaspoonful of ground turmeric, one teaspoonful of ground chilies, and

a quarter of a teaspoonful of garlic.

 

It will be noticed that mustard oil is used instead of ghee, and no

ginger.

 

Too much care cannot be observed in thoroughly cleaning, rubbing, and

washing the fish in salt and water before cooking it for the table.

Fish, if properly washed, when served up will never be offensive,

unless it be bad when purchased.

 

67.—Hilsa Fish Gravy Curry

 

The head and tail are thrown away, and the fish cut into slices of

rather more than half an inch thick; these should be washed in several

waters with salt, to rid them of all “besine,” before they are

curried.

 

The acid of tamarind is considered an improvement, or “amchoor,” which

is sliced green mangoe dried in salt.

 

68.—Beckty Fish Gravy Curry

 

Is sliced and washed in salt like the hilsa before being cooked. It is

not usual to put any acid in the beckty fish curry.

 

69.—Prawn Doopiaja

 

Take one chittack and a half of mustard oil, four teaspoonfuls of

ground onions, one teaspoonful of ground turmeric, one teaspoonful of

ground chilies, a quarter of a teaspoonful of garlic, twelve curry

onions cut lengthways, each into six or eight slices, one cupful of

water, and twelve large prawns.

 

Clean and thoroughly wash the prawns, rejecting the heads, or taking

only their substance pounded and squeezed out with unroasted

coriander-seed, and after parboiling the prawns make the doopiaja in

all respects according to the ordinary mode.

 

70.—Sliced Hilsa Fish Fried in Curry Condiments

 

Take two teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one teaspoonful of ground

chilies, two teaspoonfuls of salt, half a teaspoonful of ground

turmeric, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground garlic, and one

chittack of mustard oil.

 

After slicing a hilsa in the manner directed for a curry, and having

thoroughly cleaned and washed it with salt, rub into the slices all

the ground condiments and the remaining salt, and allow them to remain

for at least an hour. Warm the oil, and fry the slices of fish of a

very light and bright brown. Serve up hot.

 

71.—Sliced Beckty Fish Fried in Curry Condiments

 

Slice, wash, and fry exactly as directed above. Fish served up in this

manner is well suited to some European tastes, and makes an agreeable

change to the ordinary mode of frying fish for breakfast.

 

72.—Egg Curry

 

Take six or eight eggs, boil hard, shell, cut into halves, and set

them aside; take ghee, ground condiments, and sliced fried onions, in

all respects the same as for a chicken doopiaja, and observe precisely

the same method of cooking, keeping in mind the fact that, the eggs

being already cooked or boiled, a smaller quantity of water and a

shorter time to simmer will suffice.

 

73.—Egg Curry with Green Peas

 

This is a favourite curry with some families in winter, when the

English green peas are procurable. The method of preparing it is

exactly the same as recipe No. 71, allowing the curry to simmer until

the peas are quite tender.

 

74.—Egg Curry, with Chunna Ka Dal

 

Parboil and dal, say half a cupful; curry the dal first; when about

nearly cooked, throw in the hard-boiled eggs, and finish the simmering

immediately the dal is soft or tender.

CHAHKEES

Chahkee is a term applied to vegetable curries, some of which are

deservedly popular, and one in particular, which many families have

daily during the season the vegetables are procurable, and yet never

tire of, viz.—

 

75.—Seam, Potato, and Peas Chahkee

 

Take twenty seams, four new potatoes, and a quarter of a seer of green

peas; divide each seam into three pieces, and throw into a bowl of

water; divide each potato into four pieces, and throw into water;

shell the peas, wash all thoroughly, put into a colander to drain, and

cook with the following condiments:—One chittack and a half of

mustard oil, four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one teaspoonful of

ground chilies, half a teaspoonful of ground turmeric, a quarter of a

teaspoonful of ground garlic, one teaspoonful and a half of salt, and

one cupful of water. Warm the oil, let it bubble well, and fry the

ground condiments; when these are quite brown put in the vegetables

and salt; let the whole fry, stirring it well; then add the water, and

allow it to simmer over a slow fire until the vegetables are quite

tender.

 

N.B.—A cauliflower may be added if required for a change.

 

76.—Pulwal, Potatoes, and Torrie

 

Clean as much of the above three kinds of vegetables as will overfill

a vegetable-dish, and make the chahkee in all respects as the

foregoing.

 

77.—Red Pumpkin and Tamarind

 

A quarter of a red pumpkin and the pulp of two or three tamarinds will

be enough. Dissolve the pulp of the tamarind in the water, and put it

into the curry after the pumpkin has been fried.

 

78.—White Pumpkin and Tamarind

 

Chahkee it in the same way as the red pumpkin.

 

79.—White Pumpkin, Plain, Cut Small

 

It is not necessary to give any further instructions than those

already given.

 

80.—Tomato with Tamarind

 

Take twenty tomatoes and the pulp of two or three tamarinds, and

chahkee as directed for red pumpkin.

 

81.—Tomato, Plain

 

Chahkee twenty tomatoes according to instructions given for other

chahkees.

 

N.B.—There is a fresh green herb called soa mattee, which is

sometimes put into fish, vegetable, and other