Make Pellow the Indian Way is a traditional British recipe, based on Hannah Glasse's recipe of 1747, for a classic dish of boiled chickens and gammon or bacon served with spiced rice that represents one of the earliest recipes for pilau-style rice in an English text. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Make Pellow the Indian Way.
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This is a traditional British recipe redacted from Hannah Glasse's 1747 volume The Aft of Cookery Made Plain and Easy, the classic Georgian cookbook.
To make a pellow the Indian way.
TAKE three pounds of rice, pick and waſh it very clean, put it in a cullender, and let it drain very dry ; take three quarters of a pound of butter, and put it into a pan over a very ſlow fire till it melts, then put in the rice and cover it over very cloſe, that it may keep all the ſteam in ; add to it a little ſalt, ſome whole pepper, half a dozen blades or mace, and a few cloves, You muſt put in a little water to keep it from burning then stir it up very often, and let it ſtew till the rice is ſoft. Boil two fowls, and a fine piece of bacon of about two pounds weight as common, cut the bacon in two pieces, lay it in the diſh with the fowls, cover it over with rice, and garniſh it with about half a dozen hard eggs and a dozen of onions fried whole and very brown.
Note, This is the true Indian way of dreſſing them.
Modern Redaction
This is another very fascinating recipe from Hannah Glasse's collection, in that it's one of the oldest recorded recipes for an Indian-style pilau of spiced rice combined with meat.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
1kg rice, picked over and washed thoroughly
300g butter
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black peppercorns
6 large blades of mace
6 whole cloves
2 small prepared chickens
600g piece of gammon
Method:
Wash and dry the chickens, place in a large pot with gammon, cover with plenty of water, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for about 80 minutes, or until the meats are tender.
In the meantime, wash and pick over the rice then set aside to drain in a colander. Melt the butter in a large pan, stir in the rice and add the spices. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and steam the rice for 5 minutes then add 500ml water then bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook the rice until tender (about 20 minutes), adding more water or stock, as necessary.
Aim for the rice and the meats to be ready at the same time. Remove the gammon and chickens from their pot. Cut the gammon in half and arrange on a plate with the chickens. Spoon around the cooked aromatic rice and serve.
