This is a rare example of an early Anglo-Indian cookery book written for British expats in India. Though the majority of the recipes are Victorian European, 45 are clearly Anglo-Indian and 130 are Indian/Malay (or at least more Indian than any contemporary recipes published in Europe). It is these that I have the most interest in as they provide archetypes for the kitchari/kedgeree, pilau, dupiazas, koftas, jalfrezis, tikkas, kormas, bhajis, bharta/bhurttha and vindaloos as well as flatbreads that we are familiar with today. As well as the first recipe I've seen for a curry paste.
This is from the first edition of the book, author unknown. It was published in Clacutta by Wyman & Co. c. 1869. The book mentions the cyclones of 1864 and 1867, so must have been published after this date. It is bound with one recipe page followed by a blank ruled page so the purchaser can make their own notes. One of these pages has a recipe dated 1873, which puts the publication date at between 1868 and 1873. However, the copy I saw was catalogued by the British Library in September 1932, but the catalogue puts its publication date at 1869, which I am currently accepting. Later editions were published c. 1889 and an imprint by a different publisher of c. 1899.
THE kitchen should be roomy, light, and airy, with contrivances, in the shape of shelves and other conveniences, for laying out in order all utensils and other necessaries inseparable from the kitchen.
The oven and all the fireplaces should be constructed of fire-bricks, and not of the ordinary clay-bricks so generally used in Indian kitchens, requiring constant repairs, to the great annoyance of the cook and hindrance to his work.
A good supply of reservoirs and large earthen jars (jallahs) for fresh water is essential. Of these there should be two at least, both to contain equally good clean water, but yet to be applied to two widely different purposes.—the one for washing, and the other exclusively for cooking the victuals. Those who can afford the expense ought to have a reservoir on the terrace of the kitchen, and the water brought down by means of a pipe, with cock attached; which would effectually prevent dirty and greasy hands being put into the reservoirs.
The drainage should be well constructed, with a sufficient incline to carry away easily all washings and offal; and the doors and windows provided with finely-made bamboo chicks, to keep out the flies, which at some seasons are more troublesome than at others.
Great cleanliness is necessary throughout the kitchen: the flooring as well as the ceiling, the walls, and every nook and corner, ought to be kept constantly in the familiar acquaintance with the whisk, and the knight of the broom called in occasionally to aid the cook in the work of the thorough turn-over. There are very many kitchens in India the ceilings of which are cleaned only once in three years, when the triennial repairs to the premises oblige it to be done.
The very best recipes, however, for ensuring a perfectly clean kitchen, well-tinned utensils, and fresh water, are the frequent visits of the lord and lady of the mansion to the cook. On these occasions expressions of satisfaction should never be withheld, if deserved, at the mode of cooking or serving up; where not merited, the one or more instances should be particularized, and such modifications as may appear necessary be gradually suggested. Attention should next be directed to the order of cleanliness of the kitchen &c.: let there be no sparing of praise, if well deserved,—such treatment is encouraging; and then, if need be, anything disorderly or unclean can be pointed out more as a passing remark than as one of complaint or censure.
The following implements are necessary in every kitchen; and in describing them, care has been taken to use terms generally understood by the native cooks, servants, and bazaar shopkeepers, in order that young housekeepers may the more easily comprehend the requirements of the cook, and provide them accordingly:—
A good supply of enamelled plates, soup-plates and bowls for kitchen purposes, as a preventative against the necessity of using proportions of dinner, breakfast, and tea services of china and porcelain. If enamelled articles are not procurable, the commonest descriptions of Spude's or Queen's ware will do, as well as the most expensive wares.
The cook should be kept well supplied with dusters, of the commonest kind, for cleaning and wiping pots and pans, and two dozens of a better, yet coarse description, for straining soups, gravy, &c.
There ought always to be a supply of twine for tying up roast meats, &c.
A quarterly reckoning should be taken of all the kitchen property in charge of the cook; this is more particularly necessary in houses where there are frequent changes of cooks and servants.
Finally, one other suggestion is of no little importance, viz., cats, dogs, and sweepers, as a rule, have no business in the kitchen. The sweeper, or as he is elsewhere called, the "knight of the broom," should only be admitted either before the operations of the day have commenced, or after their final termination. Ninety-nine sweepers out of a hundred know that intrusions in the kitchen are against all established rule throughout the length and breadth of India; and yet, if the master or mistress be indifferent, not only the knight, but his lady also will indulge their fingers in many a savoury pie. It is no uncommon thing to find them constantly in kitchens of houses of gentlemen ignorant of the rule, peeling potatoes, shelling peas, and performing other offices of the cook, in expectation of some return for such assistance or service rendered.
Tinning of Copper Utensils.—Copper utensils are at all times preferable, but the greatest possible care must be observed in seeing that they be perfectly and throughly tinned every fortnight or three weeks, or at least once every month.
Fuel.—Coal should be used for all purposes of cooking, excepting only for boiling large and heavy joints of meat, requiring many hours of a steady flaming fire.
Cooks.—Never quarrel with a good cook if his only fault be that of eating from your kitchen; all cooks will do so, and a good one will eat no more than a bad one.
For all practical purposes of this work it is not necessary to enter into any lengthened tables of the Indian weights and measures in general daily use in sale and delivery of commodities. Nor is it necessary to do more than to state in a few words the different coins current in the Indian markets.
Although the introduction of the half-piece, a small copper coins, has partially superseded the use of shells called cowries, yet they are in daily use, for the payment of fractional parts of a pice, not only by poor natives, but also by servants on behalf of their masters, dwelling in princely mansions in the city and town of Calcutta. It is not unusual to see on tables groaning with viands the most costly a few unpretending green chilies in a small glass urn with water, particularly on breakfast tables, the actual cost of which never exceeded one gunda or four cowries.
The Indian money table is computed thus:—
The copper coins are of three degrees—the half-pice, the pice, and the double-pice.
There are four degrees of silver coin, the two-anna piece, the four-anna piece, the eight-anna piece, and the rupee.
It is not necessary to remark on the gold coin, but some valuable suggestions may be offered in dealing with the Government of India nots in the Calcutta bazaars. The shopkeepers and peddlars, as a rule, require a signature endorsed on the note before accepting it in payment of an account, or exchanging it for silver. This should be resisted in every instance; but if from any cause you are obliged to comply with the only condition on which the note will be accepted, never omit to insert, under the name, distinctly in ink, the date of endorsement: by the observance of this simple precaution, you prevent the possibility of the annoyance of being unnecessarily subjected to examination and inquiry in the event of the note being stolen subsequently to your having parted with it.
The following are the different weights made use of in Bengal, with their value in sicca weights:—
The articles of rice, sugar, ghee, curry condiments, poultry, salt, and other non-perishable articles are procurable all the year round and may be purchased at all times of the day or night; but it is not so with meat, fish, and game, or with fruit and vegetables; there are seasons for these, and when in season, if not procured betimes in the morning, the chances are ten to one that all the arrangements for that day's meals will be sadly disorganized. Another inconvenience is experienced by some families ordering a particular description of fish or vegetable which is really not in season. The order is frequently misunderstood by the servant, who procures an article widely different from that ordered, or he returns empty-handed, with the declaration of the truth, “Piah neigh," or “Millah neigh," which means “Could not get," or “Could not find." In order, therefore, to obviate these disappointments and inconveniences, it is deemed desirable to give a list of such articles of consumption as are procurable monthly in the Calcutta daily markets before proceeding further with other matters.
The following is a list of such articles of consumption as are procurable monthly in the Calcutta daily bazaar:—
Beef, mutton, veal, lamb, kid, poultry &c., are also plentiful and of the first quality.
Game in gread abundance—snipe, duck, teal &c.
The fish market is well found with beckty, moonjee, rowe, cutlah, quoye, sowle, selliah, bhola, eels, banspattah, &c.
The fruits in season are Sylhet oranges, loquats, plantains, pine-apples, sugar-canes, country almonds, limes, and tipparee.
The additional vegetables are asparagus, pumpkins, and young cucumbers; and custard-apples, mulberries, bail, and small water-melons are added to the fruit.
Fish in abundance, with the addition of the goonteah, a small and well-flavoured fish.
Green peas and turnips disappear; salad, cabbage, carrots and celery are on the decline; but asparagus and potatoes continue excellent; green mangoes and unripe footee are to be had, also amrah, greens, watercresses, and the kerrella.
Fruit is also plentiful; large water-melons appear during the month, and continue in perfection for two or three months.
The fish market has the addition of carp, the mhagoor, and the mangoe-fish, so called from its annual visit to all the Bengal rivers at this season to spawn. This latter fish appears as soon as the mangoe is formed on the tree, and disappears at the close of the season—that is, about the middle of July. It has, perhaps, the most agreeable flavour of any in the known world, and is so sought after (by natives as well as Europeans) that, although not so large as a middle-sized whiting, it is sold at the beginning of the month at from four to eight per rupee. Before the end of May, as it becomes plentiful, the price is one rupee the score; and in June from two to three scores are sold for one rupee.
Potatoes, asparagus, onions, cucumbers, and a few cabbage-sprouts are the only vegetables procurable.
Water-melons and musk-melons are in perfection; green mangoes for pickling, and caraunda for tarts, are in great abundance.
The meat market is very inferior to that of last month.
Asparagus, potatoes, and cabbage-sprouts, with indifferent turnips, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, and inions are nearly all the vegetables now in the market; pumpkins and other cucurbitaceous roots are, however, procurable.
The fish market is much the same as that of last month.
Mangoes and mangoe-fish are in great abundance. The Maldah mangoes arrive in Calcutta, and are considered the best that can be procured in Bengal. Grapes, peaches, lichees, &c., disappear. Custard-apples, pine-apples, jack-fruits, and guavas are in perfection.
Asparagus, potatoes, onions, and Indian corn are the principal vegetables that remain.
The fish market continues good. The moonjee, the rowe, the cutla, the quoye, the sowle, the mhagoor, the chingree, the tangra, and the chunah are procurable all the year round. The hilsa or sable-fish makes its appearance this month: this fish is delicious, boiled, baked, or roasted, but very unwholesome. On being cured with tamarind it forms a good substitute for the herring: it is then known by the appellation of the tamarind fish.
Mangoes and mangoe-fish disappear this month.
Pine-apples, custard-apples, jacks, and guavas continue in season.
The vegetable market is very indifferent: asparagus is in season, but potatoes become poor and watery. Young lettuces, cucumbers, and sweet potatoes are now procurable; also cumrunga and caraunda.
Pumplenose (shaddock) appears this month; pine-apples, custard-apples, and guavas continue in perfection.
The vegetables procurable are salad, asparagus, cucumbers, brinjalls, muchun-seam (a kind of French beans), radishes, turnips, cabbage-sprouts, and some indifferent potatoes; Indian corn, cucumbers, and spinach are to be had all the year round, but are tasteless, except at this season, when the become firm, good, and palatable.
The avigato pear is sometimes procurable at this period.
The fish market experiences but slight improvement; for although there is abundance, yet it is not always firm and good, except the beckty, which becomes larger and better flavoured. The following are also in the market:—The bholia, dessy tangra, gonteah, bhengris, gontorah, kwetoonte, pyrah chanda, and the shell-fish (bagda chingree).
Vegetables are very indifferent; yams come into season about this time.
In the fruit market small oranges make their appearance; custart-apples, pine-apples, guavas, and pumplenose continue in season.
Vegetables and fruit continue much the same as last month; but if the season be favourable, both experience a considerable improvement about the end of the month.
Oranges become large and better flavoured, and custard-apples are in great perfection.
Young potatoes sometimes make their appearance this month; pomegranates are procurable, also kutbail.
Game comes in also in considerable quantities—wild duck, snipes, teal, &c.
Abundance of fish is procurable, such as beckty, banspattah, gontorah, mirgal, carp, and mangoe-fish without roes.
The vegetable market begins with the introduction of green peas, new potatoes, lettuces, greens of various kinds, spinach, radishes, and turnips.
In the fruit market may be had oranges, lemons, pumplenose, custard-apples, papias, plantains, cocoanuts, country almonds, pomegranates, kutbail, &c.
The coonkee of rice when properly boiled will fill a good-sized curry or vegetable dish. The rice will be found quite soft, and yet every grain perfectly separate. Rice should never be cooked into a pap, excepting it is required for very young children; and leaving the grains hard or uncooked should be equally avoided.
A small pinch of pounded alum or fitkerree is used by some cooks with advantage to improve the whiteness of boiled rice.
For the modern redaction see the Plain Boiled Rice page.
For the modern redaction see the Rice Congee page.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Pish-pash page.
These are occasionally substituted for boiled rice at breakfast, and are eaten with fried fish, omelets, croquets, jhal frezee, &c. They are prepared as follows:—
Take twelve large curry onions and cut them up lengthways into fine slices. Warm up two chittacks or four ounces of ghee (but before doing so be careful to warm the pot), and, while bubbling, throw in the sliced onions, removing them immediately they become of a bright brown colour. Set the fried onions aside, and throw in the dal and rice (having previously allowed all the water in which they were washed to drain through a colander). Fry until the dal and rice have absorbed all the ghee; then add a few slices of green ginger, some peppercorns, salt to taste (say one dessertspoonful), a few cloves, three or four cardamoms, half a dozen bay-leaves, and as many small sticks of cinnamon. Mix well together; add as much water only as will entirely cover over the whole of the rice and dal, put a good-fitting cover on, and set over a slow fire, reducing the same from time to time as the water is being absorbed. Care must be taken not to allow the kitcheeree to burn, which may be prevented by occasionally shaking the pot, or stirring its contents with a wooden spoon.
Serve up quite hot, strewing over it the fried onions, which serve both as a relish and garnish of the dish.
For the modern redaction see the Bhuna Kedgeree page.
For the modern redaction see the Red Lentil Bhuna Kedgeree page.
For the modern redaction see the Yellow Split Pea Bhuna Kedgeree page.
By bhoonee is meant crisp, and geela signifies soft.
Pellows are purely Hindoostanee dishes. There are several kinds of pellow, but some of them are so entirely of an Asiatic character and taste that no European will ever be persuaded to partake of them. It is therefore considered useless to offer instructions how to prepare such as the ukhnee pellow, in which are introduced cream, milk, butter-milk, garlic, and lime-juice; or the sweet pellow, in which almonds and raisins are introduced, in addition to sugar, &c.
The following are the pellows in general use:—
Place the chicken, either whole or cut up, on the centre of a dish, covering it with the pellow; strew over it the fried onions, garnishing it besides with two hard-boiled eggs, cut into halves, or in some device, and with half a dozen bits of finely-sliced and fried bacon, to suit the taste of those who like the latter.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Chicken Pilau page.
Make a good, strong gravy with seasoning of sliced onions, ginger, and salt, with water, which when cooked down will be reduced to about sufficient only to cover the rice. Then proceed to make the pellow in all respects as directed in the foregoing recipe. The beef is not further used for the table, but treat the legs of the kid, or the mutton, the same as the chicken, and serve up with fried onions, hard-boiled eggs, and fried bacon, like the chicken pellow.
The cocoanut milk will impart a sweetish flavour to the pellow, but it is not disagreeable; and its sweetness may be subdued, if required, by reducing the strength of the cocoanut milk.
A curry-stone and muller, or what the natives call seal our lurriah, are necessary for the preparation of condiments for daily use. The condiments should be carefully, and each kind separately, ground down to a nice paste with a little water.
Condiments prepared with water will not keep good any number of days; if required for a journey, therefore, or as presents for friends at home, good sweet oil and the best English vinegar should be substituted for the water. For the preparation of condiments for this purpose see recipe No. 65.
The first cost of a curry-stone and muller of large size will not exceed one rupee, but they will require re-cutting every three or four months, at a cost not exceeding one anna each re-setting.
The following is a list of curry condiments and hotspice in almost daily use:—
However high prices may range, one rupee-worth of mixed condiments, including hotspice, will suffice for a month's consumption for a party of from four to six adults, allowing for three curries per day, cutlets and made dishes included.
The following directions for an every-day gravy chicken curry will apply equally to all ordinary meat gravy curries:—
To suit the taste of those who like it, half a teaspoonful of ground coriander-seed may be added, which should be roasted before being ground. Observe the following directions for cookings- Take the usual full-sized curry chicken, the price of which has latterly ranged from three to four annas, and divide it into sixteen or eighteen pieces. Warm the pot, melt in it the ghee, and immediately it begins to bubble throw in all the ground condiments, stirring until quite brown; then put in the cut-up chicken and the salt, and stir up to a good light-brown colour; then add the water, and allow the whole to simmer over a slow fire until the chicken is quite tender, and the liquid reduced to about half its original quantity. The operation of cooking or simmering will take from a half to three-quarters of an hour.
For the modern redaction see the Chicken Curry page.
N.B.—The bones of the veal and mutton, referred to in this and the foregoing recipe, may be turned to account for stock or gravy for some made dish.
For the modern redaction see the Duckling/Green Duck Curry page.
The literal translation of doopiaja is "two onions," and the term probably is correctly applicable, as it will be noticed, in the recipes for preparing the doopiaja curries, that besides the full quantity of ground onions, it is necessary to put in about an equal quantity of fried onions, thereby doubling the quantity of onions.
Doopiajas are more piquant curries; they are cooked with more ghee and less water. The following condiments, &c, are considered ample for a really good doopiaja of chicken or of any meat:—
One chittack and a half or three ounces of ghee, one breakfast-cupful of water, one teaspoonful and a half of salt, four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one teaspoonful each of ground turmeric and chilies, half a teaspoonful of ground ginger, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground garlic, twelve onions cut lengthways, each into six or eight slices, and half a teaspoonful of ground coriander-seed if it be liked.
For the modern redaction see the Chicken Dupiaza page.
It is necessary to impress on the amateur artist the importance of paying particular attention to the firing: a brisk fire will dry up the ghee and the water before the curry is half cooked, and necessitate the addition of more water, which will in every instance spoil the doopiaja, although the addition of a little water, if such be necessary when the curry is nearly cooked, will do it no harm. In every instance where ghee butter, &c, is to be melted, it is desirable first to warm the pot.
Beef, mutton, chicken, fish, crabs, and prawns are usually taken for making these curries. The ingredients for two pounds of meat or fish are as follow:—Lard, ghee, or mustard oil, three to four ounces; water or stock, five to six ounces; ground onions, one tablespoonful or one ounce; ground chilies, a quarter of a tablespoonful, ground turmeric, a quarter of a tablespoonful; ground green ginger, half a teaspoonful; ground peppercorns, half a teaspoonful; ground garlic, a quarter of a teaspoonful; garden herbs, finely chopped, one dessertspoonful; salt, one dessertspoonful; finely- grated bread-crumbs, three table spoonfuls; one egg.
N.B.—In the fish, crab, and prawn coftas the ginger must be omitted.
N.B.—Some cooks add to the beef cofta curries ground hot spices, which are fried with the curry condiments, and are suited to most tastes.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Beef Kofta Curry page.
N.B.—The chicken cofta curry may also be made without any suet; the general practice is to get chickens rather larger than those usually selected for ordinary curries.
N.B.—Good mustard oil is preferable to using lard or ghee, and the ginger must be omitted; but the addition of a few bay-leaves and blades of lemon-grass would be an improvement. It is not usual to dish up the lemon-grass.
For the modern redaction see the Prawn Kofta Curry page.
N.B.—The remains of hermetically-sealed fish, such as salmon and mackerel, removed from dinner, are well adapted for making cofta curries.
For the modern redaction see the Fish Kofta Curry page.
Under-done roast meats, such as beef, mutton, veal, and fowl, will make excellent cofta curries.
The country captain is usually made of chicken, and occasionally of kid and veal. Cold meats and curries are also sometimes converted into this dish, the condiments for which are as follow:—Two chittacks or four ounces of ghee, half a teaspoonful of ground chilies, one teaspoonful of salt, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground turmeric, and twenty onions, cut up lengthways into fine slices.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Chicken Country Captain page.
For the modern redaction see the Leftover Roast Beef Jalfrezi page.
Take two pounds of beef, mutton, or veal; remove the bones, and chop the meat slightly, without mincing or cutting through it; mix well together all the ground condiments, including the oil, tyre, and lemon-juice, in which steep the chopped meat, turning it over occasionally to absorb the mixture. After a while cut up the meat into squares of equal size, say two inches, and continue to keep them in the mixture for fully one hour; then pass the squares of meat either on a silver, plated, or other metal skewer, and roast or broil over a slow charcoal fire, basting the whole time with ghee, to allow the kawab to become of a rich brown colour, without burning or being singed in the basting. Remove from the skewer, and serve hot.
For the modern redaction see the Seikh Kebab page.
Mix the whole well together, add salt to your taste, and the yolk and white of an egg well beaten up; form into balls of equal sizes; flatten them, pass them on iron or plated skewers about eighteen inches long, rub them well over with ghee, wrap them in plantain-leaf, and roast or broil them over a charcoal fire. Serve them up hot, removed from the skewers. These are usually eaten with chappatee.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Beef Tikka Kebab page.
The ingredients and condiments necessary for the curries on stick are as follow:—One chittack and a half of ghee, one teaspoonful and a half of salt, four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one teaspoonful of turmeric, half a teaspoonful of ginger, half a cupful of water, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground garlic, one teaspoonful of chilies, half a cupful of tyre or dhye, some finely-sliced ginger, and as many small curry onions cut into half as may be required. Six silver pins five inches long, or, in the absence of these, six bamboo pins, are required.
Warm the ghee and brown the ground condiments; then put in the sticks of meat, and brown, stirring the whole; after this add the tyre and a little water, and allow to simmer over a slow fire for nearly two hours, when the curry will be ready. Serve up on a curry-dish without removing the sticks.
For the modern redaction see the Basted Beef and Onion Kebabs page.
This, without exception, is one of the richest of Hindoostanee curries, but it is quite unsuited to European taste, if made, according to the original recipe, of which the following is a copy:—
The following is the recipe of the quorema curry usually put on a gentleman's table:—Two chittacks and a half or five ounces of ghee, one cup or eight ounces of good thick tyre, one teaspoonful of ground chilies, four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one teaspoonful of coriander-seed, six small sticks of ground cinnamon, two or three blades of lemon-grass, one teaspoonful and a half of salt, a half teaspoonful of ground ginger, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground garlic, eight or ten peppercorns, four or five ground cloves, five or six ground cardamoms, two or three bay-leaves, a quarter of a cup of water, the juice of one lemon, and twelve large onions cut lengthways into fine slices.
Take two pounds of good fat mutton, and cut it up into pieces nearly one inch and a half square. Warm the ghee, fry in it the sliced onions, and set aside; then fry all the ground condiments, including the ground hot spices. When quite brown, throw in the mutton and salt, and allow the whole to brown, after which add the tyre, the hot spices with peppercorns and bay-leaves, the lemon-grass, the water, and the fried onions finely chopped; close the pot, and allow it to simmer over a gentle coal fire for about an hour and a half or two hours, by which time the kurma will be quite ready. The blades of lemon-grass are never dished up.
For the modern redaction see the Kid Goat Korma page.
N.B.—Most Europeans give the preference to the fowl quorema.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Chicken Korma page.
The condiments and other ingredients necessary are as follow:—One chittack or two ounces of ghee, one teaspoonful and a half of salt, four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one teaspoonful of ground turmeric, one teaspoonful of ground chilies, half a teaspoonful of ground ginger, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground garlic, the milk of a large cocoanut, say two cups, two blades of lemon-grass, three or four cloves, ground, three or four cardamoms, and as many small sticks of cinnamon, ground.
The coriander and cumin seeds must on no account be put into malay curries, or the delicate flavour of the cocoanut will be destroyed.
It will be necessary to provide what the natives call a narial-ka-khoornee, which, interpreted, means “cocoanut scraper." It is a small circular flat piece of iron, about the size and thickness of a Spanish dollar, the edges being notched. It is of rude construction, and fixed on a conveniently shaped wooden frame, also of rude construction. The best of the kind may be procured for two annas.
Fry in the ghee all the ground condiments, including the ground hot spices; when brown, add the cut-up chicken and salt; fry to a fine bright light brown; then put in the pumpkin, having previously allowed all the water to drain away through a colander; pour in the two cups of cocoanut milk, the lemon-grass, and hot spices, and allow the whole to simmer over a slow fire for about half an hour, when the curry will be ready: the blade of lemon-grass is not dished up.
For the modern redaction see the Malay Chicken Curry with White Pumpkin page.
It is impossible to quote any price as a guide, the fluctuation being almost incredible. Fine large prawns, not lobsters— prawns which, without their heads, would be about the size of the ordinary dried Normandy pippins sent out to this country for tarts— may be obtained one day at two annas for twenty, and the next day they will not be procurable at less than eight annas for the same number. This remark applies generally to fish of every description brought for sale into the Calcutta market.
With one other remark of importance, we shall proceed to the instructions necessary for the preparation of prawn malay gravy curry.
The prawns should be parboiled after removing the heads, to rid them, as the natives call it, of besine, which means all disagreeable character of fishy smell and taste.
As a rule, the heads of prawns should always be rejected, which, in the process of frying, absorb largely the ghee, and in the cooking dispel a liquid from their spongy formation.
In all other respects, the prawn malay gravy curry is cooked like the chicken malay gravy curry, omitting the ginger; but an additional blade or two of the lemon-grass would not be amiss, which, on the curry being dished, are thrown away.
Cut up the chicken in the usual manner, warm the ghee, fry and set aside the sliced onions, then fry brown the ground condiments, after which add the chicken and salt. When fried brown, pour in the cocoanut milk and the fried onions finely chopped, and allow to simmer over a slow fire: the Malay doopiaja will be ready in an hour.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Chicken Malay Dopiaza page.
This well-known Portuguese curry can only be made properly of beef, pork, or duck. The following is a recipe of the vindaloo in general use:—
Six ounces or three chittacks of ghee or lard, one tablespoonful of bruised garlic, one tablespoonful of ground garlic, one tablespoonful of ground ginger, two 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.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Beef Vindaloo page.
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 air-tight.
When required for use, take out only as much as will suffice, and simply warm it in a little of its own gravy.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Pickled Vindaloo page.
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.
For the modern redaction see the Goan Curry Paste page.
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.
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.
The acid of tamarind is considered an improvement, or “amchoor," which is sliced green mangoe dried in salt.
For the modern redaction see the Hilsa Fish Gravy Curry page.
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.
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.
For the modern redaction see the Hilsa Fish Fried in Curry Condiments page.
For the modern redaction see the Egg Curry page.
For the modern redaction see the Egg Curry with Channa Dal page.
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.—
N.B.—A cauliflower may be added if required for a change.
For the modern redaction see the Seam, Potato and Peas Chakee page.
For the modern redaction see the Seam, Potato and Peas Chakee page.
Half an anna's worth of any saug will suffice for a party of four, for curries made of greens, such as spinach, &c. The following condiments, &c, are used:—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 ground salt, and one cupful of water.
For the modern redaction see the Red Saag and Omra page.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Green Saag with Prawns page.
The vegetables should be cut into large pieces, and boiled in water with the following condiments:—Four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one teaspoonful each of ground turmeric and chilies, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground garlic, and one teaspoonful of roasted and ground coriander-seed.
Prepare two large cups of tamarind water, slightly sweetened with jaggry, strain through a sieve, and add the strained water to the boiled vegetables with a few fresh chilies. Then melt in a separate pot one chittack or two ounces of mustard oil. While the oil is bubbling, fry in it a teaspoonful of the collinga, or onion-seeds, and when sufficiently fried pour it over the boiled vegetables including the tamarind water. Close up the pot, and allow it to simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes, when it will be ready. It is eaten cold.
By bhahjee is meant fried. The two most generally approved vegetable bhahjees are those made of bringals and pulwals. The following are the condiments, &c, used:—Mustard oil according to the quantity of vegetable to be fried, a little ground turmeric and chilies, and some salt.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Brinjal Bhaji page.
N.B.—The vegetable called ram's horns or lady's fingers, known by the natives as dharus, makes an excellent bhahjee; so does the kerrella, a small green and intensely bitter native vegetable, which comes into the market in March and April; it is not, however, well suited to the European taste.
For the modern redaction see the Pointed Gourd Bhaji page.
Half an anna's worth of any dal will suffice for a party of four. The condiments are as follow:— Three-quarters of a chittack of ghee, four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one teaspoonful of ground chilies, half a teaspoonful of ground turmeric, half a teaspoonful of ground ginger, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground garlic, one teaspoonful and a half of salt, and half a dozen onions cut into six or eight slices each.
N.B.—The standard price of the best roasted moong dal is two annas and a half per seer.
For the modern redaction see the Mung Dhal page.
The price of the best quality mussoor dal, free of husk, is two annas per seer.
Other dais are occasionally served up, but very rarely at European tables. The price of the best clean chunna ka dal rarely exceeds two annas per seer.
For the modern redaction see the Masoor Dal Chur Churi page.
For the recipe see No. 223.
Burtas are mashes of potatoes and other vegetables, cold meats, dry fish, &c.; they are palatable, and much liked by most Europeans as accompaniments to curry and rice. The ingredients to almost every burta are the fine large white Patna onions, fresh green chilies, and the juice of fresh lemons.
For the modern redaction see the Aloo Bharta/Indian Mashed Potatoes page.
For the modern redaction see the Brinjal Bharta page.
For the modern redaction see the Dried Fish Bharta page.
N.B.—This is an inimitable burta.
Take two ordinary large-size green mangoes; peel, divide, and throw them into clean water, remove the stones, then bruise them to a perfect pulp with the aid of the curry-stone and muller. Care must be taken that the stone is perfectly clean, and will not impart the flavour of garlic or turmeric to the burta. Mix the sugar well with the pulp; if the mango be very acid, add a little more sugar; then mix it with the salt and ground condiments; more salt or sugar may be added if required.
For the modern redaction see the Green Mango Bhurta page.
For the modern redaction see the Roast Tomato Bharta page.
A digester is best adapted for boiling soups in, as no steam can escape, and consequently less water is required than in a common pot.
To extract the substance or essence of meat, long and slow boiling over a charcoal fire is absolutely necessary. In the first instance, however, it is desirable to boil up the meat with pepper and salt on a quick, brisk fire, and take away all the black scum which rises to the surface; then pour a little cold water into the pot to raise up the white scum, which also remove, and reduce the fire, taking care that in the process of slow-boiling the pot is never off the boil.
For the modern redaction see the Mulligatawny Soup page.
Sprinkle a little water over these while frying; then add the cut-up chicken with two teaspoonfuls of salt. When nearly brown, add one chittack or two ounces of roasted and ground poppy-seeds; pour in the beef soup, add the fried onion and half a dozen of the kurreah fool leaves, close the pot, and allow the whole to simmer over a slow fire until the chicken be perfectly tender. Serve up hot, with limes cut in slices on a separate plate.
For the modern redaction see the Delicious Curry Soup page.
Take the best and most transparent parts of a calf s head and the tongue, and boil perfectly tender without reducing them to shreds, being careful to remove all the scum that rises to the surface; lay the boiled tongue and meat out on a clean dish; slice the tongue fine, and cut out all manner of devices, such as, diamonds, squares, circles, hearts, stars, &c; do the same with the best and cleanest parts of meat selected from the head; take care that no particles of scum or other impurities be adhering to them; where any does adhere, rinse it off in a little of the cleared soup; then place them carefully into the tureen in which it is purposed to serve up the soup. If fancy macaroni be procurable, a tablespoonful may be boiled tender, free of all particles of dust or powder, and added to the cut-up meat and tongue, over which pour the boiling-hot soup; add to it a wineglassful of the palest sherry, and serve up hot.
N.B.—The calf's tongue and meat of the head may be boiled with the veal, but they should be removed when tender, and not allowed to dissolve with the longer simmering of the veal.
This is an elegant soup, beautifully transparent, and of the colour of light champagne.
Cut the tongue into slices of an eighth of an inch thick, trim them into the shape of large diamonds, and set aside. Cut up the meat of the calf s head into one-inch squares and strips of an inch and a half long and half an inch wide; add to these a few ready-fried circular flat brain cakes, make also a few egg balls and forcemeat balls, and, after cooking, add them to the rest of the meat, tongue, &c, and set aside.
Take four red carrots, one pound of green peas, half a pound of boiled potatoes, one large turnip, one large Patna onion, a quarter of a pound of roasted and ground split peas or gram dal, some soup herbs, pepper, and salt, the pulp of one orange, and the peels of half an orange and half a lemon. Put these into a stewpan with water sufficient to cover the whole; boil them thoroughly, skimming all the while; when perfectly dissolved, turn them out into a colander and allow all the water to drain away; then turn the contents of the colander into a sieve, and pass the vegetables, &c, through it, rejecting all such as will not pass. Add the whole, or a part of the strained vegetables to the soup, which should not be thicker in consistency than a good thick potato soup.
Next stew one dozen good French prunes in a claret-glassful of port wine, which also strain through a sieve, rejecting stones, &c, and add the strained portion to the soup; then boil the whole, strain it once more, add to it all the forcemeat and egg balls, the brain cakes, tongue, &c, and serve up, adding to it more salt, wine, or sauce, if needed.
N.B.—This soup properly made is without its equal.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Fish Molee page.
Chop and mince fine the crabs; add some onion and ginger juice, a little lime-juice, pepper, and salt, and a little mushroom catsup. Melt some butter, and fry the mixture in it until the butter be absorbed; then add a little stock, and remove from the fire immediately the stock begins to dry. Butter the shells, and fill with the mixture. The meat of six crabs will refill five shells. Take some finely-sifted bread-crumbs; grind down the coral, and put it over the mixture on the shells, with the bread-crumbs, and bits of butter; bake for a few minutes.
N.B.—If the fish be really fresh, all the ingredients of good quality, and no water used in the operation of cleaning and pickling, the jars well filled, and mouths secured with sound bladder, the fish will keep good for months, and will be fit to send home.
For the modern redaction see the Prawn Powder page.
Cook it the next day, either in plain water, with half a pint of vinegar, and with bay-leaves and peppercorns, as is usual, or in a preparation of claret or champagne with vinegar, bay-leaves, &c. This is not necessary, but it tends to the improvement of the flavour at some considerable cost.
Kill and feather, with plunging into hot water, four young, full-grown pigeons, taking care not to break their skins; singe them, to destroy any remaining feathers; then wash them in three or four cold waters, cut them in halves, dredge them well with salt and finely-sifted pepper, and allow to remain for an hour. Then boil up two tablespoonfuls of ghee or lard, and fry the birds to a rich brown, turning them over. When sufficiently browned, put in a cupful of beef stock, and allow to simmer until the birds are quite tender; pour over them a tin of petit pois with their gravy, and serve up hot.
Fry in a large stewpan two tablespoonfuls of ghee or lard, and when on the boil fry to a nice brown all the meat only; afterwards pour in the liquor in which the meat has been steeped, and allow to simmer for fifteen or twenty minutes; thicken some stock with a teaspoonful of flour, and add it to the stew; allow to simmer until the meat is perfectly tender.
If vegetables be required (the addition of which, however, is not considered any improvement), the original gravy, before adding the stock, must be removed and set aside.
Let the vegetables, consisting of, say, potatoes, carrots, turnips, and cut-up and sliced cabbage, after being cleaned, remain for an hour or two in cold water; lay them over the meat, and pour in hot stock sufficient to cover the whole of the meat and vegetables, and allow to simmer over a brisk coal fire until quite tender; then pour into the pot the original gravy which had been removed, and serve up hot.
Or, instead of the vegetables named above, take only twenty-five or thirty tomatoes, in which case the stock should be lessened, as the tomatoes produce a large amount of liquid, and do not require as much boiling as the harder vegetables.
Prepare a stuffing as per recipe No. 323 or 325, and after cleaning the kid, stuff into it the stuffing; break the joints of the legs, and fold and truss them like a pig; then put it up to roast, basting it the whole time with beef suet melted down, to which add hot water and salt. Serve up in a sitting posture like a pig, and with a lime in the mouth.
Cut up the steak into pieces three inches long, and two inches or two and a half wide, by half an inch thick. Cut and divide each pigeon into four pieces; put up two pounds of beef with sufficient water to make a good strong gravy, throwing in all the scraggy parts and other rejections of the steak and pigeons. Warm the ghee, and fry in it the sliced onions; throw in, well dredged with the flour, the steaks and pigeons, and after frying a while add the pepper, salt, soup herbs, and some of the rind of the limes, and about half the beef gravy. Set the whole on a slow fire, and simmer until the meat is tender; allow to cool; then add the oysters and the remaining gravy, with the juice of two limes; put into a dish lined with pastry, cover over the whole with a pastry crust, and bake.
Bruise into fine powder two ounces of some good English cheese; take a dessertspoonful of very dry mustard, half a teaspoonful of very finely powdered white pepper, about two teaspoonfuls of salt, and two chittacks or four ounces of butter. Pound very fine a couple of crisp biscuits.
Pour over the boiled macaroni sufficient beef gravy or stock to entirely cover it; then put in all the pepper, salt, and mustard, but only half the ground cheese. Set it to simmer over a slow fire until the gravy begins to dry, and the macaroni acquires some consistency. Then with three ounces of butter (free of water) butter well the baking-dish; pour into it the macaroni; mix the remaining ground cheese with the powered biscuit, and strew it over the pie; cut into small pieces the remaining ounce of butter, and throw that also over the pie; then put the dish into an oven, and bake to a fine light but rich brown colour. Ten to fifteen minutes' baking will be sufficient.
Make an extra strong stock with eight calves' feet; season it highly with soup herbs, salt, and plenty of ground black pepper; simmer until the meat begins to drop away from the bones; strain through a coarse sieve, in order to get a very thick stock, passing as much of the dissolved meat through as possible.
Line a deep pie-dish with a thick and rich pie-pastry, and arrange in it the hash, egg and meat balls, and brain cakes, with some twenty or thirty green leaves of spinach, cut up to about the size and shape of the meat. Pour over the whole as much stock as will fill the dish, cover over with pastry, and bake.
Make a strong broth or stock of the other side of the mutton, and all the rejections of bones, &c; season it well with pepper, salt, and soup herbs; remove the scum and cut away all the fat; then strain through a sieve, rejecting all the fat, but passing through some of the lean; allow it to simmer until it thickens, then add to it two blades of mace, half a dozen allspice, and as many small sticks of cinnamon.
Line a deep metal pie-dish with the pastry pie-crust as per recipe No. 200, reserving sufficient for the upper crust. Prepare a sausage roll, say six inches long, and two inches and a quarter thick, of minced veal and udder, using the ordinary pie-crust pastry to inclose it in; then slice it into twelve equal slices of the thickness of half an inch.
Remove the twelve chops out of the onion, garlic, and ginger juice; dredge them well with finely- sifted flour mixed with pepper and salt; heat in a large deep frying-pan four tablespoonfuls of lard; fry the chops of a light brown colour, and remove them carefully; then dredge with flour and slightly brown the twelve slices of sausage, six of which lay at the bottom of the pie-dish; lay over them six of the mutton chops; over the mutton chops place another layer of the sliced sausage roll, and over that the remaining six chops; pour in as much of the stock or gravy as will fill the pie-dish, cover it over with a layer of the pastry as per recipe No. 200, and bake carefully.
Make a hole in the centre of the pie through the crusts, and pour in the sauce with the help of a lipped sauce-boat.
Clean and trim the leg, cutting away the end of the knuckle-bone, and any other projections likely to injure the dumpling. Sprinkle it well with ground pepper and some salt, and confine it securely in the pastry, closing all joinings with the aid of a little water. Place the dumpling into a strong napkin, previously buttered and dredged with flour; tie it securely, and allow it to boil from three to four hours. Care must be taken that during the whole process of boiling the dumpling remains suspended in the water, and not resting on the bottom of the pan. On removing it from the boiler, plunge it immediately into a large tureen of cold water for two or three minutes. This will strengthen the pastry and prevent its bursting or breaking while it is being served up.
Take all the bones and the giblet, the liver excepted, and make a good gravy seasoned with pepper, salt, soup herbs, and bay-leaves. Mince very fine three pounds of beef, a quarter of a pound of beef suet, a quarter of a pound of fat bacon, and the liver of the goose. Take of chopped garden herbs a tablespoonful, powdered black pepper a dessertspoonful, mixed hot spices finely powdered a dessertspoonful, finely-grated bread-crumbs two tablespoonfuls, salt a dessertspoonful, and essence of anchovies, if liked, one teaspoonful. Mix the above well together, and stuff the goose.
Melt two chittacks and a half or five ounces of ghee; put in the goose, and pour over it the soup made of the bones and giblet, and allow it to stew until quite tender; then glace the goose, as also some boiled turnips, carrots, onions, and potatoes, and serve up hot, surrounded with the vegetables and some English pickles.
For the modern redaction see the Dumpode Goose page.
Make a gravy of the bones and giblet, seasoning it with pepper, salt, soup herbs, and a few bay-leaves.
Mince together with the liver of the duck two pounds and a half of good beef, half a pound of beef suet, a dessertspoonful of chopped garden herbs, a tablespoonful of grated bread-crumbs, half a teaspoonful of mixed hot spices pounded, a teaspoonful each of black pepper and salt, and, for those who like it, half a teaspoonful of essence of anchovies. Mix these well together, and stuff the duck. Melt one chittack and a half or three ounces of ghee; put in the duck; pour over it the giblet gravy, and allow it to cook until tender; then glace the duck, as also some ready-boiled mixed vegetables, and serve up, surrounding the duck with the vegetables and some hot West-Indian pickle.
Make a good strong broth or gravy of the bone and giblet, reserving the liver.
Pour into the bird a mixture of sweet oil, mustard, and sauces in the proportion of one teaspoonful of each.
Mince the liver together with one pound and a half of good beef, one pound and a half of beef suet, a dessertspoonful each of finely-chopped garden herbs and finely-grated bread-crumbs, a teaspoonful each of powdered mixed hot spices, finely-powdered black pepper, and salt, if liked, and half a dozen oysters. Mix all well together, and stuff the bird; melt two chittacks or four ounces of ghee, add to it the giblet gravy, cook and glace the bird in it, as also some vegetables, and serve up hot, adding a little cayenne pepper to the gravy to make it piquant.
Place the meat in the mould, or if birds, arrange them with their breasts downwards; fill the mould quite full with the jelly, recipe No. 329; set it to cool till the next day; then turn it on a dish, breasts upwards. Garnish the dish with curled parsley, and some of the jelly cut fine, and sprinkled about.
If the jelly be clear, it will form a handsome side-dish for dinner or supper.
All vegetables should be boiled quickly, and, with the exception of spinach, in an open vessel, skimming them carefully.
Herbs of all sorts should be gathered when in flower, and on a dry day, and, being well cleaned from dust and dirt, tied up in small bunches and dried before the fire. They may then be kept in paper bags labelled; or rubbed to a powder, sifted, and put into bottles and labelled.
They may be stewed in a pint of milk thickened with a bit of butter rolled in flour, and seasoned with salt and pepper, and served with the sauce.
When the spinach is bitter, it is preferable to boil it in water.
In this way they will keep for some time, and when required to be dressed, pick out the spice, and to a dishful put two large tablespoonfuls of white wine; add part of their own liquor, and let them just boil; then stir in a bit of butter dredged with flour, and two tablespoonfuls of cream.
Make a dough of two pounds and a half of flour and half a pound of soojee; add a little salt, and knead it well; then form two cakes of the dough; place the veal and udder cake between, and roll out the three very carefully; double up the whole and roll it out again, when it will be ready.
The pie-dish should be lined thickly with the pastry, and, although a single layer should cover the top of the pie, the sides and edges of the dish should be built up high with it; a double layer of the crust is not interdicted to cover the top of the pie if it will not interfere with raising it up.
N.B.—If it be desired to tint it in streaks like marble, drop into the mould every here and there, at the time of pouring the blanc mange, some of the cochineal, recipe No. 268.
Take of cleaned and picked raisins one pound and a half, currants half a pound, finely-grated bread- crumbs three-quarters of a pound, finely-sliced mixed peel half a pound, finely-minced suet three- quarters of a pound, and sugar three-quarters of a pound. Mix all these well together with half a teaspoonful of finely-powdered mixed spices, say cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace; then moisten the mixture with half a pound of butter free of water, twelve eggs well beaten, and a wineglassful of brandy, stirring it well the whole time, that the ingredients may be thoroughly mixed.
Butter a large piece of cloth or napkin; dredge it well with flour; put the mixture into it, and tie it down tightly; after boiling it steadily for seven hours take it out of the boiler and hang it up immediately, until the day it is intended to be eaten, when it should be boiled again for fully two hours, care being taken that the water is boiling before the pudding is put into it. Then turn it out of the towel, and serve up with brandy sauce.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Bombay Fried Semolina Pudding page.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Coconut Rice Pudding page.
N.B.—If pipe macaroni be required, cut the macaroni in ribbons of the required width, dredge some flour over it, and put it lengthways over glass pipes, joining the two cut ends with the aid of a little raw egg, and draw the pipes out as the pastry hardens round them. For pipe macaroni, the pastry should be rolled finer.
For the modern redaction see the Semolina Suet Pastry page.
For the modern redaction see the Traditional Chapati page.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Dal Puri page.
For the modern redaction see the Anglo-Indian Dal Pitha page.
Take half a seer of the best mustard oil; put it into a deep frying-pan with some fine slices of lemon-peel, and fry it or cook it thoroughly; remove three-fourths of the cooked oil from the frying-pan, and into the remainder, while boiling and bubbling, with a tablespoon pour in the preparation in the shape of rocks, and allow to brown, turning them over so that top and bottom may be of the same colour. As the oil is being expended clear the pan of all particles which may accumulate, pour in some more of the ready-cooked oil, and continue to fry until all the mixture is fried. They should be eaten hot.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Fuluri/Falooree page.
For the modern redaction see the Coconut Pitha page.
For the modern redaction see the Fried Plantains page.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Gulgula page.
Have some ghee melted; take the dough of the size of walnuts, shape them like shells and fry them in the melted ghee until they acquire a rich brown colour.
An experienced man ought to be engaged to mix the ingredients, which, if properly done, will take
fully one hour.
Have two large glazed earthen preserving-pans; put the sugar into one, and bruise it well down, breaking all the lumps; add to it three pounds and three-quarters of butter; then throw in one by one all the yolks of the forty eggs, and throw the whites into the other preserving-pan, mixing the sugar, butter, and the yolks the whole while briskly and without ceasing. While one man is mixing these ingredients another ought to be actively employed in beating up the whites of the eggs unceasingly for nearly an hour.
After the butter has been well mixed with the sugar and eggs, dredge in all the finely-pounded spices and the caraway-seeds; after a while dredge in the flour and soojee in small quantities at a time (this must be well mixed); the currants, raisins, and preserves, with the almonds, are next to be added. By this time the man will have been engaged in mixing the ingredients fully three-quarters of an hour.
After the raisins, &c., have been thoroughly mixed, pour in the brandy very gradually, and in small quantities at a time, and last of all add the well-beaten whites of the forty eggs: the stirring now must be very brisk to effect a perfect mixture of the whites of the eggs right through; fill quickly into the moulds, and bake without a moment's delay in a brisk baker's oven.
N.B.—The moulds ought to be lined with paper and well buttered.
Lemon biscuits may be made the same way, substituting essence of lemon instead of ginger.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Indian Pancakes page.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Mango Fool page.
Grate the rinds of the lemons, squeeze out the juice, strain it, and boil the remainder of the lemons until tender enough to pulp or chop very finely; then add to this pulp the apples, which should be baked, and their skins and cores removed; put in the remaining ingredients one by one, and as they are added mix everything thoroughly together. Put the mincemeat into a stone jar with a closely- fitting lid, and in a fortnight it will be ready for use. This should be made the first or second week in December.
For yellow, use an infusion of saffron.
For green, wash well, and pull into small bits, a handful of spinach-leaves; put them into a closely- covered saucepan, let them boil for a few minutes, and then press the juice.
Red.—This is produced by infusing during a fortnight two ounces of red sandal- wood in a pint of spirits of wine. It at the expiration of that time the colour should not be dark enough, a pinch of subcarbonate of soda will give it the required tint.
Pink.—Dissolve half an ounce of cochineal in a sufficient quantity of spirits of wine.
Green.—Put a handful of well-cleansed vine-leaves or spinach into a decanter, fill with spirits of wine, and let it stand in the sun for ten or twelve days; strain when the wine has become of a bright green.
N.B.—The above colouring matters are only adapted for tinting liqueurs, wines, lemonades, and essences.
For the modern redaction see the Bael Sherbet page.
N.B.—The best Indian sweetmeats are made of mallie.
For the modern redaction see the Bael Sherbet page.
For the modern redaction see the Home-made Yoghurt page.
N.B.—If worked up or kneaded once daily during the three days, the fermentation will be more perfect.
The above quantity will be sufficient for twenty-five pounds weight of bread.
They may be served with roast turkey or fowl.
If the sauce be required thicker than usual, take either a larger number of eggs or a teaspoonful or a dessertspoonful of corn or other flour; put it into a cup, pour over it the quantity of vinegar prescribed above, place the cup in a saucepan of boiling water over the fire, and stir until the vinegar thickens to the desired consistency; then mix it gradually into the preparation of eggs, oil, &c.
For the modern redaction see the Fresh Tomato Gravy Sauce page.
For the modern redaction see the Tapp Sauce Gravy page.
N.B.—The liver may be cut up or minced, and added to the stuffing.
Steep the tamarinds for twelve hours in a quart of the vinegar; strain them through a sieve, rejecting the stones, and add the other two quarts of vinegar, all the ground condiments, and salt; break the tomatoes into the mixture, and boil the whole, stirring it all the time until it thickens; remove it from the fire, and when cold strain it carefully and bottle the liquid, which is the sauce.
Parboil the tomatoes in a quart of vinegar, add the other ingredients, and allow the whole to stand for ten to twelve hours; then boil it for twenty to thirty minutes over a slow fire; when cold, bottle it.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Tomato Chutney page.
Mix all the above well together, put it into stone jars, and expose it to the sun for twenty days or a month, after which drain away the liquid, which is the sauce; boil it for ten to fifteen minutes, and when cold bottle and cork it.
For the modern redaction see the Tapp's Sauce page.
Make all the sugar into a syrup with two quarts of the vinegar, in which the sliced mangoes must be boiled; when half done, throw in the other ingredients, and mix up well; last of all, add the remaining two quarts of vinegar, and when the chutnee begins to thicken remove it from the fire; let it cool, and then bottle it.
Peel the mangoes, cut them into fine slices, and steep them in salt for thirty-six hours; drain away the salt water, and boil them in the three quarts of vinegar; when cool, remove them into a preserving-pan, mix in all the condiments and other ingredients, and allow the whole to simmer for half an hour, pouring in the syrup gradually, and mixing all the time, until the vinegar and syrup have been absorbed, and the chutnee has acquired the desired consistency; bottle and cork when perfectly cold.
Peel and cut the mangoes into fine slices, and steep them in salt for twenty-four to thirty-six hours; remove the mangoes from the salt water, and boil them in three quarts of vinegar; when quite cool, lay them in a preserving-pan, sprinkle over them the remaining salt, add all the condiments, tamarinds, raisins, &c, and allow the whole to simmer for half an hour, stirring all the time, with the syrup. It should not be bottled until quite cold.
For the modern redaction see the Hot Sweet Mango Chutney page.
Put the whole into a glazed earthen preserving-pan, pour over it a quart of vinegar or syrup, or as much as will entirely cover the mixture, and mix all well together; then allow it to simmer over a quick fire until the vinegar or syrup is absorbed and the chutnee thickened to the required consistency; it must be stirred during the whole time it is on the fire.
N.B.—The two pounds of sugar and the quart of vinegar may be made into syrup or used separately.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Tamarind Chutney page.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Cussoondee Kasundi page.
For the modern redaction see the Patna or Bombay Pickled Onions page.
To prevent the pickle spoiling, it is not unusual to pour a tablespoonful or two of mustard oil over it when in the bottle.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Jujube Long Plum Pickle page.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Essence of Chillies page.
It is scarcely necessary to give any further instructions, excepting that hot water should not be used. Some like mustard prepared simply with water; others prefer weak vinegar and water. It is also prepared with plain vinegar, with tarragon vinegar, with vinegar taken from pickles and capers, and with onion and garlic juice. The best mustard for roast beef is that prepared with horseradish; the most delicate flavoured is that made with tarragon vinegar, or vinegar taken from capers.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Capillaire Syrup page.
For the modern redaction see the page.
N.B.—This marmalade is will adapted for rolly-polly puddings, tarts, mango fool, and the preparation of sauces for boiled goose, ducks, &c.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Green Mango Marmalade page.
The difference between this and the foregoing preserve is only in appearance: the former will be of a greenish tint, and the latter of a rich light brown.
N.B.—Care must be taken to have plenty of syrup at the starting, so that at the end of the two or three reboilings there may be enough left to cover the fruit.
N.B.—If the peaches are boiled in two waters, the first may be thrown away, but the second, in which the peaches should be boiled a longer time, may be taken for making the syrup.
For the modern redaction see the Candied Pointed Grouds page.
N.B.—Other bottled fruits sent out to this country for tarts, not preserved in sugar, are admirably adapted for converting into marmalades, or for making into “fools."
This is a most difficult liqueur to filter of a clear bright colour; indeed, all liqueurs in which essential oils extracted from peals of the lemon tribe are used become so opaque on being mixed with syrup that the filtering is rendered a most tedious undertaking.
The proportions given in the above recipes are for the production of really good strong liqueurs, which will keep good for years, and improve by age. Liqueurs for immediate consumption need not be made quite so strong, two parts of syrup and one of spirits of wine will usually be sufficient; but consumers will be the best judges of their own tastes. A caution is very necessary against the free use of the essential oils: they are all harmless in moderation, but poison if used in excess, and some more powerful than others.
Steep for two days in a bottle of the rum the peels of the forty limes; boil in the three quarts of water the two seers of soft sugar, and grate in the nutmeg; pour all the rum and syrup into a large vessel, and add gradually the quart of lime-juice and two seers of milk, boiling hot, stirring the whole time; let it stand for an hour or two, then strain through flannel several times until it drips clear, and bottle.
The addition of a bottle of curacao to milk punch is a great improvement; it may be added after the milk and lime-juice.
At least three hundred “infallible cures" for tic-doloreux have been discovered, but the disease arises from such various causes that no remedy can be relied upon. Carbonate of iron cures one; quinine, another; upon a third neither has any effect. The remedy above suggested, although safe and simple, takes time to afford relief. Ten to twenty drops of Collis Browne's chlorodyne have been found from repeated experience to afford nearly instantaneous relief, and in some cases subject to periodical return to have effected almost perfect cures.
N.B.—The dried plant is useless.
HOME-MADE LIQUEURS.
JOINTS, MADE DISHES, etc.
MEDICINAL AND OTHER RECIPES.
JOINTS, MADE DISHES, etc.
MEDICINAL AND OTHER RECIPES.
MISCELLANEOUS USEFUL RECIPES.
PASTRY, PUDDINGS, SWEETMEATS, etc.
PELLOW OR POOLOO.
PERFUMERY, COSMETICS, AND DENTIFRICE.
Notes:
These are not part of the original book, but are intended to inform the modern reader.
Bael
(also spelled 'bail')
Beal fruit, showing the ripe fruit (left) and split open fruit, right
Bael (also spelled bili or bhel) refers to the tree, Aegle marmelos and its fruit. Also know as Bengal quince, golden apple, Japanese bitter orange, stone apple or wood apple, it is native to to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is present in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka as a native and Nepal as a naturalized species. The tree is considered to be sacred by Hindus and Buddhists.
The fruit typically has a diameter of between 5 and 10 cm (2 and 4 in). It is globose or slightly pear-shaped with a thick, hard rind and does not split upon ripening. The woody shell is smooth and green, grey until it is fully ripe when it turns yellow. Inside are 8 to 15 or 20 sections filled with aromatic orange pulp, each section with 6 (8) to 10 (15) flattened-oblong seeds each about 1 cm long, bearing woolly hairs and each enclosed in a sac of adhesive, transparent mucilage that solidifies on drying.
The fruit takes about 11 months to ripen on the tree, reaching maturity in December. It can reach the size of a large grapefruit or pomelo, and some are even larger. The shell is so hard it must be cracked with a hammer or machete. The fibrous yellow pulp is very aromatic. It has been described as tasting of marmalade and smelling of roses (thus accounting for the marmelos in the species' binomial name).
Rich in vitamin C, the fruits can be eaten either fresh from trees or after being dried[20] and produced into candy, toffee, pulp powder or nectar. If fresh, the juice is strained and sweetened to make a drink similar to lemonade
Bæl pana, a drink made of the pulp with water, sugar, and citron juice, is mixed, left to stand a few hours, strained, and put on ice. One large bael fruit may yield five or six litres of sharbat. If the fruit is to be dried, it is usually sliced and sun-dried. The hard leathery slices are then immersed in water. The leaves and small shoots are eaten as salad greens. Bael fruits are of dietary use and the fruit pulp is used to prepare delicacies like murabba, puddings and juices.
Ceylon Moss
Gracilaria spp. a red alga from which agar-agar is exctracted
Ceylon moss refers to the red alga Gracilaria lichenoides (syn. Gracilaria edulis) a member of the large Gracilaria family from which agar-agar is extracted. The recipe given in this book is for making agar-agar from the raw algae.
Agar (/ˈeɪɡɑːr/ or /ˈɑːɡər/), or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of the Gracilaria algae (amongst other plants). It is a vegetable equivalent of animal-based gelatine. As found in nature, agar is a mixture of two components, the linear polysaccharide agarose and a heterogeneous mixture of smaller molecules called agaropectin. t forms the supporting structure in the cell walls of certain species of algae and is released on boiling. These algae are known as agarophytes, belonging to the Rhodophyta (red algae) phylum.
Agar has been used as an ingredient in desserts throughout Asia and also as a solid substrate to contain culture media for microbiological work. The name 'agar' is ultimately derived from agar-agar, the Malay name for red algae (Gigartina, Eucheuma and Gracilaria) from which the jelly is produced.
Other names for Celyon moss include: Kanten (Japanese), Japanese isinglass, China grass or Jaffna moss. Ceylon moss is also specifically referred to as agal-agal or Ceylon agar.
Hilsa Fish
The Bengali hisla fish, Tenualosa ilisha
The ilish (Tenualosa ilisha) (Bengali: ইলিশ, romanized: iliś; also known as the ilishi, hilsa, hilsa herring or hilsa shad, is a species of freshwater fish related to the herring, in the family Clupeidae. It is a very popular and sought-after food fish in the Indian subcontinent, and is the national fish of Bangladesh.
The fish is found in 11 countries: Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Bangladesh is the top hilsa-producing country in the world, followed by Myanmar and then India.
It has no dorsal spines but 18–21 dorsal soft rays and anal soft rays. The belly has 30 to 33 scutes. There is a distinct median notch in the upper jaw. Gill rakers fine and numerous, about 100 to 250 on the lower part of the arch and the fins are hyaline. The fish shows a dark blotch behind gill opening, followed by a series of small spots along the flank in juveniles. Colour in life: silver shot with gold and purple. The species filter feeds on plankton and by grubbing muddy bottoms. The fish schools in coastal waters and ascends up the rivers (anadromous) for around 50–100km to spawn during the southwest monsoons (June to September) and also in January to April.
86 percent of the total hilsa catch is taken in Bangladesh. The fish is popular food amongst the people of South Asia and in the Middle East, but especially with Bengalis, Odias and Andhras.[citation needed]Bengali fish curry is a popular dish made with mustard oil or seed. The Bengalis popularly call this dish Shorshe Ilish. It is very popular in Bengal (Bangladesh and India's West Bengal), as well as in Odisha, Tripura, Assam, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. It is also exported globally.
Tipparee
Fruit of the cape gooseberry, Physalis peruviana known as tipparee in India
Tipparee is an Anglicisation of the Indian name for the Cape Gooseberry, Physalis peruviana a species of plant in the nightshade family (Solanaceae) native to Chile and Peru. In English, its common names include physalis, Cape gooseberry, goldenberry and Peruvian groundcherry along with husk tomatoes, husk cherries, poha berries, and golden berries. The book also gives the alternate name of 'Brazil currants' for these fruit.
The plant was first domesticated by the Inca, It has been cultivated in England since the late 18th century (since 1774 to be precise), and in South Africa in the Cape of Good Hope since at least the start of the 19th century (at least prior to 1807) and was introduced into the bay of Bengal in the early 19th Century. Cultivated and weedy species have been introduced worldwide. A defining feature of Physalis is a large, papery husk derived from the calyx, which partly or fully encloses the fruit.[4] Many species bear edible fruit, and some species are cultivated.
The typical Physalis fruit is similar to a firm tomato in texture, and like a sweet, tangy grape in flavor.[5] Some species, such as the Cape gooseberry and tomatillo, have been bred into many cultivars with varying flavors, from tart to sweet to savory. Nations including Colombia, India, and Mexico have a significant economic trade in Physalis fruit.
Knok-khole
This is the Bengali name for the Kholrabi.
Kochoo
Alocasia fornicata, the edible spadix, top and the whole uprooted plant, bottom
According to Flora Indica, this is cognate with Arum fornicatum Roxb.!, with the binomial now having been superseded by Alocasia fornicata.
Alocasia fornicata is a plant species of many-nerved, broad-leaved, rhizomatous or tuberous perennials from the family Araceae, native to Indochina and to the Indian Subcontinent. It characteristically grows 5-7.5cm (2'-3') in height with slightly pink petiole, triangular wide shaped leaves and a horizontally growing stolon.
The plant's spadix (in botany, a spadix is a type of inflorescence having small flowers borne on a fleshy stem. Spadices are typical of the family Araceae, the arums or aroids.) is collected and cooked in North East Indian states of Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura where the plant is known locally as Baibing in Mizo. The sister species, Alocasia affinis is also consumed. Both are a much favoured seasonal vegetable.
Note that all parts of the Alocasia plant contain needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals which need to be removed before the plant is safely edible.
White Beet
This is the white cultivar of the beetroot which is typically red/purple but also comes in golden and variegated forms.
Beckty
Bhekti, the native Bengali barramundi Lates calcarifer
Bhekti (ভেটকী) in modern transcription is the native Barramundi (also known as Asian sea bass, or giant sea perch), Lates calcarifer. It is a species of catadromous fish in the family Latidae of the order Perciformes. The species is widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific, spanning the waters of the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia, and Oceania.
This species has an elongated body form with a large, slightly oblique mouth and an upper jaw extending behind the eye. The lower edge of the preoperculum is serrated with a strong spine at its angle; the operculum has a small spine and a serrated flap above the origin of the lateral line. Its scales are ctenoid. In cross section, the fish is compressed and the dorsal head profile clearly concave. The single dorsal and ventral fins have spines and soft rays; the paired pectoral and pelvic fins have soft rays only; and the caudal fin has soft rays and is truncated and rounded. Barramundi are salt and freshwater sportfish, targeted by many. They have large, silver scales, which may become darker or lighter, depending on their environments. Their bodies can reach up to 1.8 m (5.9 ft) long, though evidence of them being caught at this size is scarce. The maximum weight is about 60 kg (130 lb). The average length is about 0.6–1.2 m (2.0–3.9 ft).
Barramundi are demersal, inhabiting coastal waters, estuaries, lagoons, and rivers; they are found in clear to turbid water, usually within a temperature range of 26−30 °C.
Barramundi have a mild flavour and a white, flaky flesh, with varying amount of body fat. In Bengali cuisine it is a popular fish, mainly served in festivities such as marriages and other important social events. It is cooked as bhetki machher paturi, bhetki machher kalia, or coated in suji (semolina) and pan fried. It is very popular among people who are usually skeptical about eating fish with a lot of bones. Bhetki fillets have no bones in them. In Bengali cuisine, therefore, fried bhetki fillets are popular and considered to be of good quality. The dish is commonly called “fish fry".
Rowe
Rohu, the native Bengali cyprinid (carp) Labeo rohita
The rohu (রুই), rui, ruhi or roho labeo (Labeo rohita) is a species of fish of the cyprinid (carp) family, found in rivers in South Asia. It is a large omnivore and extensively used in aquaculture.
The rohu is a large, silver-colored fish of typical cyprinid shape, with a conspicuously arched head. Adults can reach a maximum weight of 45 kg (99 lb) and maximum length of 2m, but average around 50cm.
The rohu occurs in rivers throughout much of northern and central and eastern India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar, and has been introduced into some of the rivers of Peninsular India and Sri Lanka.
Rohu is very commonly eaten in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and the Indian states of Tripura, Nagaland, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Uttar Pradesh. A recipe for fried Rohu fish is mentioned in Manasollasa, a 12th-century Sanskrit encyclopedia compiled by Someshvara III, who ruled from present-day Karnataka. In this recipe, the fish is marinated in asafoetida and salt after being skinned. It is then dipped in turmeric mixed in water before being fried.
Moonjee
Species not identified yet.
Cutlah
Blotched Croaker, the native Bengali Sciaenidae (Drums or croakers) Nibea maculata
cutlah-nibea-maculata.png
The Blotched Croaker, Nibea maculata is a member of the Sciaenidae (Drums or croakers) that is native to the Indian Ocean: coasts of India and Sri Lanka, probably extending to Thailand and Malaysia. Other names include: Blackbanded Jewfish, Blotched Croaker, Blotched-croaker, Brotched Croaker, Cooroowa, Corvina Manchada, Courbine Tachetée, Cutlah, Cá Đù Chấm, Kaththalaya, Moshkoo Lakkehdar, Sari-kullah, Vari-katchelee.
At maturity it reaches 22cm in length. This is a marine fish that typically found in coastal waters. An important foodfish, it is typically sold fresh and dried salted in markets.
Like other croakers, this species has its first pair of pores on the chin set closely together, immediately to the rear of the symphysis of the lower jaw, and connected by a crescent-shaped groove. The teeth in the lower jaw are not uniform in size. The swim bladder has a shape like a carrot and has branched appendages along the whole of both its sides and the most forward of these goes through the transverse septum.
Quoye
Quoi, the Short-nosed Halfbeak, the native Bengali Hemiramphidae
(Halfbeaks) Hyporhamphus quoyi.
quoi-garfish-hyporhamphus-quoi.png
Quoi, the Short-nosed Halfbeak or Quoi's garfish (Hyporhamphus quoyi) is a member of the Hemiramphidae (Halfbeaks). It is native to the Indo-West Pacific: in western Pacific, known from Thailand, the East Indies, Borneo, and the Philippines north to China and Nagasaki, Japan, south to New Guinea and northern half of Australia. The species reaches a length of 31cm at maturity.
Description: Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 14-17; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 13 - 17; Vertebrae: 51 - 56. Prolonged, beak-like lower jaw, shorter than head length, its length contained in 4.7-8.6 times in SL and 1.2-2.0 times in head length; upper jaw short, scaly, blunt and rounded, its width contained in 0.5-0.6 times in its length; preorbital bone 1.75-2.15 times in diameter of orbit and 0.9-1.15 times in length of upper jaw; preorbital ridge present; posterior branch to preorbital lateral line canal present. Total number of gill rakers on first arch 26-39; dorsal fin rays 14-17, usually 16; anal fin rays 13-17, usually 15 or 16. Caudal fin forked, with lower lobe longer than upper.
This species prefers more estuarine and turbid water habitats. It is mainly fished from the shores and is sold mostly fresh and dried salted. Today it is of only minor commercial importance.
Sowle
Shol, the Snakehead murrel, the native Bengali Channidae (Snakeheads) Channa striata.
The shol (শৌল / শোল), known in English as the Snakehead murrel (Channa striata) also known as the common snakehead, chevron snakehead, striped snakehead is a species of snakehead fish that is generally referred to simply as mudfish and is a member of the Channidae (Snakeheads).
It is a bony fish with endoskeleton ribcage, grows up to a meter in length, though because of fishing, this size is rarely found in the wild. It has a widespread range covering southern China, Pakistan, most of India, southern Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and most of Southeast Asia. It is an important food fish in its entire native range, and is of considerable economic importance. Adults are dark brown in colour with faint black bands visible across its entire body.
A curry made with this fish and tapioca is a delicacy in Kerala. In Indonesia, common snakeheads are a popular type of salted fishes in Indonesian cuisine. In the Philippines, they are commonly served either fried, grilled, paksiw (poached in a water-vinegar mix), or with soup (commonly cooked with rice washing). Dishes using this fish eaten with rice are very popular among Bengalis of West Bengal and Bangladesh. The fish is also an esteemed delicacy in other parts of India, including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Selliah
Species not identified yet.
Bhola
Bhola Bhetki, the Soldier Croaker, the native Bengali Sciaenidae
(Drums or Croakers) Nibea soldado.
Bhola Bhetki (ভোলা ভেটকি) Nibea soldado the Jewfish or Soldier Croaker is a member of the Sciaenidae (Drums or Croakers) native to the Indo-West Pacific: coasts of India and Sri Lanka eastwards extending to Queensland, Australia and New Guinea and north to Viet Nam.
Dorsal spines (total): 10-11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 27-33; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 7. Snout rounded, but not swollen or projecting; upper jaw length 38-44% of head length, lower jaw length 44-53% of head length. First pair of mental pores close together, united by a crescent-shaped groove just behind symphysis. Teeth differentiated into large and small in both jaws. Second anal spine long, stiff, 39-59% of head length. From 8 to 13 scale rows above lateral line to origin of dorsal fin, 12-17 scale rows below lateral line to origin of anal fin (total 21-29 scale rows).
This is an important commercial fish in the Bay of bengal.
Banspattah
Bansh-pata, the Bengal danio, the native Bengali Danionidae (Danios)
Devario devario..
The Bansh-pata (or Debari) বাঁশপাতা/দেবারি is a native fish, Devario devario know in English as the Bengal danio or Sind danio. It belongs to to the minnow family (Cyprinidae), more specifically the Danionidae (Danios). Originating in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan, this fish is sometimes kept in community tanks by fish-keeping hobbyists. It grows to a maximum length of 10cm.
The name 'Devario' derives from Bangla/Bengali:‘debari’, which is the local name for these fish; it also has the meaning ‘brother in law’.
It inhabits rivers, canals, ponds, beels and inundated fields. Feeds on annelid worms, small crustaceans and insects. In the wild, the Bengal danio is found in rivers, ponds, and fields in a subtropical climate; it prefers water with a pH of 6.0–8.0, a water hardness of 5.0–19.0 dGH, and an ideal temperature range of 15–26°C.
D. devario lacks maxillary barbels and possesses 16-17 branched dorsal-fin rays, 16-17 branched anal-fin rays, 44-46 scales in the lateral series and 16 circumpeduncular scale rows.
Because of its importance in the aquarium trade, its is now mainly caught for live sale rather than as an edible fish.
Bengal Eel
Bamush-Bengal, the Bengal eel, the native Bengali Synbranchidae
(swamp eels) Ophisternon bengalense.
The Bengal Eel, Bamush-Bengal (পাঁকাল বামুশ) also known as Baan or Pakal, Ophisternon bengalense (Bengal mudeel or onegill eel) is a species of fish in the family Synbranchidae (swamp eels). It is endemic to freshwater and brackish water rivers and swamps in Oceania and South Asia and reaches a maximum length of 1m.
Ophisternon bengalense has an eel-like body with a flattened head with a single slit-like gill opening at the bottom of the back of its head and small eyes which can be seen through its skin. The dorsal and anal fins are reduced and form folds of skin on the rear half of the body, the pectoral and pelvic fins are absent. It can grow to 55cm but is more usually 20cm. The colour is blackish-green to rufous with a purplish tinge and dark spots.
Ophisternon bengalense is recorded from South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to south-eastern Asia, Indonesia, Philippines and New Guinea. The fish may also found in Australia and Palau islands.
Today, Ophisternon bengalense has only a minor interest in terms of fisheries and is typically locally caught and is sold and eaten fresh.
Goonteah
Goonteah, the dwarf goonch catfish, the native Bengali Sisoridae
(Asian catfish) Bagarius bagarius
The dwarf goonch catfish or devil catfish Bagarius bagarius is a species in the family Sisoridae (Asian catfish); though maintained as a species in the past, it is probable that this actually represents immature forms of the giant devil catfish, Bagarius yarrelli.
The species is known by many names throughout its range in the Indian subcontinent. It is known as the goonch in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi, baghar or baghair in Bengali and Bihari (these names being the origin of the genus name Bagarius), gauns in Rajasthani, gorua (গৰুৱা) and baghmas (বাঘমাছ) in Assamese and bodh in Chhattisgarhi
The species is frequently taxonomically confused with B. bagarius. B. bagarius has – perhaps in error – been reported as reaching the same size as B. yarrelli,[6] while others consider B. bagarius to be a dwarf species that only reaches about 20 cm (7.9 in).[1] A study published in 2021 found B. yarrelli to be a junior synonym of B. bagarius, likely necessitating a merge of B. yarrelli into B. bagarius.
Bagarius species are marketed fresh, and are important as a food fish, but the meat spoils rapidly and can cause illness.
Loquat
Loquat, the fruit of Eriobotrya japonica shown on the tree and
split open.
The loquat (Eriobotrya japonica) is a large evergreen shrub or tree grown commercially for its orange fruit and for its leaves, which are used to make herbal tea. It is also cultivated as an ornamental plant. It is a member of the Rosaceae family and is native to the cooler hill regions of south-central China.
E. japonica is a large, evergreen shrub or small tree, with a rounded crown, short trunk, and woolly new twigs. The tree can grow to 5–10 m (16–33 ft) tall but is often smaller, about 3–4 m (10–13 ft). The fruit begins to ripen during spring to summer, depending on the temperature in the area. The leaves are alternate, simple, 10–25 cm (4–10 in) long, dark green, tough and leathery in texture, with a serrated margin, and densely velvety-hairy below with thick yellow-brown pubescence; the young leaves are also densely pubescent above, but this soon rubs off
Loquats are unusual among fruit trees in that the flowers appear in the autumn or early winter, and the fruits are ripe at any time from early spring to early summer. The flowers are 2 cm (3⁄4 in) in diameter, white, with five petals, and produced in stiff panicles of three to ten flowers. The flowers have a sweet, heady aroma that can be smelled from a distance. Loquat fruit, growing in clusters, are oval, rounded or pear-shaped, 3–5 cm (1+1⁄8–2 in) long, with a smooth or downy, yellow or orange, sometimes red-blushed skin. The succulent, tangy flesh is white, yellow, or orange and sweet to subacid or acid, depending on the cultivar.
The loquat has high sugar, acid, and pectin contents. It is eaten as a fresh fruit and mixes well with other fruits in fresh fruit salads or fruit cups. The fruit is also commonly used to make jam, jelly, and chutney, and is often served poached in light syrup. Firm, slightly immature fruits are best for making pies or tarts,[citation needed] while the fruits are the sweetest when soft and orange.
Country Almonds
Country almonds, the fruit of Terminalia catappa shown at various
stages of development with the edible seeds.
Terminalia catappa is a large tropical tree in the leadwood tree family, Combretaceae, native to Asia, Australia, the Pacific, Madagascar and Seychelles. Common names in English include country almond, Indian almond, Malabar almond, sea almond, tropical almond, beach almond and false kamani.
he tree grows to 35 metres (115 feet) tall, with an upright, symmetrical crown and horizontal branches. The fruit is corky and light and dispersed by water. As the tree gets older, its crown becomes more flattened to form a spreading, vase shape. Its branches are distinctively arranged in tiers. The leaves are large, 15–25 cm (6–9+3⁄4 in) long and 10–14 cm (4–5+1⁄2 in) broad, ovoid, glossy dark green, and leathery. They are dry-season deciduous; before falling, they turn pinkish-reddish or yellow-brown, due to pigments such as violaxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
The tree has been spread widely by humans, so the native range is uncertain. It has long been naturalised in a broad belt extending from Africa to northern Australia and New Guinea through southeast Asia and Micronesia into the Indian subcontinent. More recently, the plant has been introduced to parts of the Americas. Until the mid-20th century, the tree had been used extensively in Brazilian urban landscaping, since being a rare case tropical deciduous, their fallen leaves would give a “European" flair to the street.
The fruit is edible, tasting slightly acidic. The seeds are edible raw or cooked when ripe and the source of its 'almond' common names, but are small and difficult to extract.
Custard apple
Custard apple, the fruit of Annona squamosa showing a whole fruit
and a fruit split open.
Annona squamosa is a small, well-branched tree or shrub from the family Annonaceae that bears edible fruits called sugar-apples or sweetsops. It tolerates a tropical lowland climate better than its relatives Annona reticulata and Annona cherimola (whose fruits often share the same name) helping make it the most widely cultivated of these species. The fruit of A. squamosa (sugar-apple) has sweet whitish pulp, and is popular in tropical markets
Annona squamosa is native to the tropical Americas and West Indies, but the exact origin is unknown. It is now the most widely cultivated of all the species of Annona, being grown for its fruit throughout the tropics and warmer subtropics, such as Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, and China as far north as Suzhou; it was introduced to southern Asia (including Bengal) before 1590.
It is quite a prolific bearer, and it will produce fruit in as little as two to three years. A five-year-old tree can produce as many as 50 sugar apples.
Amrah
??Spondias dulcis
Amra, the fruit of Spondias mombin showing
a cluster of green uripe and yellow ripe fruit
on the tree.
Amra, represents the fruit of Spondias mombin, also known as yellow mombin, jobo, golden apple, Java plum or hog plum; a species of tree and flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae. It is originally native to the tropical Americas, including the West Indies.
However, the tree was introduced by the Portuguese in South Asia in the beginning of the 17th century. It has been naturalized in parts of Africa, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, The Bahamas, Indonesia, and other Caribbean islands. It is rarely cultivated except in parts of the Brazilian Northeast.
Spondias mombin is a small deciduous tree up to 20 m (66 ft) high and 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in girth, and is moderately buttressed. Its bark is thick, corky, and deeply fissured. When slashed, it is pale pink, darkening rapidly. Branches are low and branchlets are glabrous. The leaves are pinnate, with 5-8 leaflets opposite pairs with a terminal leaflet, 10 cm × 5 cm (4 in × 2 in), oblong or oblong lanceolate, broadly acuminate, glabrous. The flowers bloom January to May and are sweet-scented, in large, lax terminal panicles of small white flowers. Fruits appear July to September and are nearly 4 cm (1.5 in) long, ovoid yellow, acid, wrinkled when dry. The fruits have a sharp, somewhat acid taste and are edible. Their flesh surrounds a single spiny kernel.
Note that as a member of the sumac family (Anacardiaceae), exposure to the sap of this species may result in an identical allergic reaction to that of the poison ivy plant. Those with a known sensitivity to urushiol should exercise caution in consuming or handling this species.
The mature fruit has a leathery skin and a thin layer of pulp. The seed has an oil content of 31.5%. The fruit pulp is either eaten fresh or made into juice, concentrate, jellies, and sherbets.
Saag
Saag, the leaves of amaranth plants Amaranthus spp. with a whole plants shown (left)
and a bunch of leaves from a red cultivar (right).
Though typically referred to as 'spinach' today, this more accurately refers to various spices of Amaranth whose leaves were (and still are) used as a vegetable.
Amaranth is a herbaceous plant or shrub that is either annual or perennial across the genus. Flowers vary interspecifically from the presence of 3 or 5 tepals and stamens, whereas a 7-porate pollen grain structure remains consistent across the family. Species across the genus contain concentric rings of vascular bundles, and fix carbon efficiently with a C4 photosynthetic pathway. Leaves are approximately 6.5–15cm and of oval or elliptical shape that are either opposite or alternate across species, although most leaves are whole and simple with entire margins.
Different species and/or cultivars are grown as leafy greens, pseudocereals and as ornamental plants.
Originally native to the New World, Amaranth's cosmopolitan distribution makes it one of many plants providing evidence of pre-Columbian oceanic contact, with the earliest archeological evidence for amaranth in the Old World was found in an excavation in Narhan, India, dated to 1000–800 BCE.
Amaranthus parganensis is a species endemic to West Bengal, and Amaranthus bengalense is specific to India and the Bay of Bengal. The red cultivar of amaranth is also popular as a leaf vegetable in Bengal.
Kerella
Karela, the fruit of the bitter melon plant Momordica charantia with the immature
(green) and mature (yellow) fruit shown.
This is the karela or bitter gourd (also known as the bitter melon), Momordica charantia. It is a tropical and subtropical vine of the family Cucurbitaceae, widely grown in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean for its edible fruit. Its many varieties differ substantially in the shape and bitterness of the fruit.
Bitter melon originated in Africa where it was a dry-season staple food of ǃKung hunter-gatherers. Wild or semi-domesticated variants spread across Asia in prehistory, and it was likely fully domesticated in Southeast Asia. It is widely used in the cuisines of East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
This herbaceous, tendril-bearing vine grows up to 5 m (16 ft) in length. It bears simple, alternate leaves 4–12 cm (1.6–4.7 in) across, with three to seven deeply separated lobes. Each plant bears separate yellow male and female flowers. In the Northern Hemisphere, flowering occurs during June to July and fruiting during September to November. The fruit has a distinct warty exterior and an oblong shape. It is hollow in cross-section, with a relatively thin layer of flesh surrounding a central seed cavity filled with large, flat seeds and pith. The fruit is most often eaten green, or as it is beginning to turn yellow. At this stage, the fruit's flesh is crunchy and watery in texture, similar to cucumber, chayote, or green bell pepper, but bitter. The skin is tender and edible. Seeds and pith appear white in unripe fruits; they are not intensely bitter and can be removed before cooking.
Bitter melon is generally consumed cooked in the green or early yellowing stage. The young shoots and leaves of the bitter melon may also be eaten as greens. The fruit is bitter raw and can be soaked in cold water and drained to remove some of those strong flavours. Bitter gourd is commonly eaten throughout India. In North Indian cuisine, it is often served with yogurt on the side to offset the bitterness, used in curry such as sabzi, or stuffed with spices and then cooked in oil.
Mahagoor
Magur, the Walking Catfish, the introduced Bengali Clariidae
(Air-breathing catfish) Clarias batrachus.
magur-clarias-batrachus.png
Magur (মাগুর), the Walking Catfish (Clarias batrachus) is an introduced species in Bengal, a freshwater airbreathing catfish native to Southeast Asia that's a member of the Clariidae (Air-breathing catfish) family. It is named for its ability to "walk" and wiggle across dry land, to find food or suitable environments using its pectoral fins.
The walking catfish has an elongated body shape and reaches almost 0.5 m (1.6 ft) in length and 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) in weight. Often covered laterally in small white spots, the body is mainly coloured a grey or greyish brown; though colour can vary all the way from white to black. This catfish has long-based dorsal and anal fins, as well as several pairs of sensory barbels. The skin is scaleless, but covered with mucus, which protects the fish when it is out of water.
This fish needs to be handled carefully when fishing it due to its embedded sting or thorn-like defensive mechanism hidden behind its fins (including the middle ones before the tail fin, similar to the majority of all catfishes) It is a good eating fish and this book indicates that it was much more commonly consumed in the past in Bengal than it is today.
Mango-fish
Topshe, the Mango-fish, the native Bengali oreochromine cichlids
Sarotherodon melanotheron heudelotii.
Topshe (তপসে/ তপস্বী), the mango-fish (Sarotherodon melanotheron heudelotii), also known as blackchin tilapia is a member of the oreochromine cichlids. It is native to Africa, its original range being lagoons and estuaries from Mauritania to Cameroon. However, it has been introduced to several countries in Asia. It is so common (and its behaviour is localized and seasonal) in the bay of Bengal that it is often mistaken as a native.
A brief description follows: Dorsal spines (total): 15-17; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10-12; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8-10; Vertebrae: 26-28. Diagnosis: length of caudal peduncle 0.6-0.9 times in its depth (Ref. 53405). Melanic areas in adult usually present on lower parts of head, on cleithrum and on apices of caudal and soft dorsal fins; occasional irregular and asymmetrical spots on flanks probably representing vertical bars; median spot or transverse bar on nape rather constant.
Its native habitat is brackish water, but it can tolerate high salinity. It is fished both in the wild and is grown in aquaculture systems.
Caraunda
Caraunda, the fruit of Carissa congesta, shown as a fruit spray
with leaves.
Caraunda, Carissa carandas or Carissa congesta represent species of flowering shrub in the dogbane family, Apocynaceae. It is commonly known as kerenda in Malaya, karaunda in India, Bengal currant or Christ’s thorn in South India, namdaeng in Thailand, caramba, caranda, caraunda and perunkila in the Philippines. The plant is native and common throughout much of India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, java, Pakistan and Myanmar.
Carissa carandas is the most common in the Bengal region and its berry-sized fruits that are commonly used as a condiment in Indian pickles and spices. It is a hardy, drought-tolerant plant that thrives well in a wide range of soils. Common names in English include Bengal currant, Christ's thorn, Carandas plum, Karonda, Karanda and Kanna.
In India, the mature fruit is harvested for Indian pickles. It contains pectin and accordingly is a useful ingredient in chutney. Ripe fruits exude a white latex when severed from the branch. As indicated in this book, the Colonial British in India also made jelly, jams and syrups from it.
Musk Melon
The musk melon (খরবুজ; খরমুজ) is a form of canteloupe, also known as nutmeg melon and can represent any of several varieties of netted-rind melons in the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), noted for their musky-scented sweet juicy orange flesh.
Rose apples
Rose Apple, the fruit of Syzygium spp., shown red (left) and yellow
(right) forms with one fruit split open.
The rose apple, also known as Malabar plum, water apple, and plum apple represents the fruit of various members of Syzygium spp.. These are typically a large shrub or small-to-medium-sized tree, typically 3 to 15 metres (10 to 49 feet) high, with a tendency to low branching. Its leaves and twigs are glabrous and the bark, though dark brown, is fairly smooth too, with little relief or texture. The leaves are lanceolate, 2 to 4 centimetres (3⁄4 to 1+5⁄8 inches) broad, 10 to 20 cm (4 to 8 in) long, pointed, base cuneate with hardly any petiole, lively red when growing, but dark, glossy green on attaining full size. The flowers are in small terminal clusters, white or greenish white, the long, numerous stamens giving them a diameter of 5–8 cm (2–3+1⁄4 in). In temperate regions the tree is summer-flowering.
The rose apple is an egg-shaped tropical fruit that's pale yellow with a touch of pink when ripe. The rose apple has different varieties with different colours, like dark red, purple, and white. Before the fruits grow, sweetly scented tree flowers grow in clusters. Fruit shape can vary from pear-like to guava-like in form
Rich in vitamin C, the fruit can be eaten raw or cooked in various regional recipes. In South-East Asian countries, rose apple fruit is frequently served with spiced sugar.
Maldah Mangoes
Malda Mangoes, the fruit of the Langra mango Mangifera
indica, shown as ripe fruit with one sliced open.
Malda Mangoes refers to The ‘Langra' mango, also known as Benarasi Langra, is a mango cultivar that was first cultivated in Banaras in present day Uttar Pradesh, India some 250 to 300 years ago.
It was grown in the Malda region of Bengal, hence its historic Bengali name, It remains one of India's more flavoursome mango cultivars.
Like all mangoes, they represent the fruit of Mangifera indica, the mango tree; a species that is believed to have originated in southern Asia, particularly in eastern India, Bangladesh, and the Andaman Islands. M. indica has been cultivated in South and Southeast Asia since ancient times resulting in two types of modern mango cultivars: the ‘Indian type' and the ‘Southeast Asian type' and malda mangoes are clearly of the ‘Indian type'.
Mangoes are generally sweet, although the taste and texture of the flesh vary across cultivars. It is eaten as a fruit when ripe, but the unripe fruit is also used as a pickle, a condiment and as an ingredient in curries. Over-ripe mangoes are often pulped into juices and unripe mangoes are dried to make the acidic spice, amchoor. The skin of unripe, pickled, or cooked mango can be eaten, but it has the potential to cause contact dermatitis of the lips, gingiva, or tongue in susceptible people.
Chingree
Chingri, the Bengali hairy river prawn, the native Bengali freshwater
prawn Macrobrachium rude.
Chingree, spelled chingri in Modern transliteration represents the Bengali prawns, and probably represents Macrobrachium rude, a freshwater species, at about 130mm in length which is and was prevalent around Bengal. It is a crustacean in the Palaemonidae family. Members of the Macrobrachium species, as the name suggests, are characterised by the extreme enlargement of the second pair of pereiopods, at least in the male.
It remains of seasonal importance as a target fished species and remains commercially important.
Macrobrachium rude is also known as the hairy river prawn.
Changra/Bhengri
Bhangra, the Indian mackerel, the native Bengali Scombridae
(Mackerel/Tuna) Rastrelliger kanagurta.
bhangra-indian-mackerel-rastrelliger-kanagurta.png
Both names are probably mistransliterations and refer to Bhangra/Bangdi, the Indian Mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta), a species of mackerel in the scombrid family (family Scombridae) of order Perciformes. It is commonly found in the Indian and West Pacific oceans, and their surrounding seas. It is an important food fish and is commonly used in South and South-East Asian cuisine.
The Indian mackerel is found in warm shallow waters along the coasts of the Indian and Western Pacific oceans. Its range extends from the Red Sea and East Africa in the west to Indonesia in the east, and from China and the Ryukyu Islands in the north to Australia, Melanesia and Samoa in the south.
These fish have thin dark longitudinal bands on the upper part of the body, which may be golden on fresh specimens. There is also a black spot on the body near the lower margin of the pectoral fin. Dorsal fins are yellowish with black tips, while the caudal and pectoral fins are yellowish. The remaining fins are dusky
The Indian mackerel is generally found in shallow, coastal waters, where the surface water temperature is at least 17°C (63°F).
Chunah
Chuna, the Honey Gourami, the native Bengali Osphronemidae
(Gourami) Trichogaster chuna.
This seems to refer to the Honey Gourami, Trichogaster chuna, known locally as 'chuno' that is native to Eastern Indian and Bangladesh. It is a member of the Osphronemidae (Gourami) family. In its natural state it is typically found in rivers and lakes in its native range of India and Bangladesh. It inhabits areas of thick vegetation in soft and poorly mineralised waters. This fish prefers the top and middle levels of the water.
They have orange-colored bodies. This species can reach a length of 5.5cm (2.2 in). Male specimens of this fish, typical of many gouramis, are generally more colourful than their female counterparts. They exhibit bright orange colouring around the throat region, which at breeding time becomes much brighter and is used to court the female. The undersides of the males become black when breeding. Males also exhibit somewhat of an orange tinge in their fins, with the exception of the caudal fin. The male also has longer fins, with a pointed dorsal fin and extended anal fin rays.
These have become prized aquarium fish and comercial fishing is now aimed more at the aquarium trade rather than for the table.
Dessy Tangra
Dessi Tengara, the Tyangra, refers to native Bengali catfish Batasio
batasio (top) and Mystus vittatus (bottom).
The desi tangara (টেংরা) refers to three species of fish, Batasio batasio, Mystus tengara and Mystus vittatus (formerly Macrones vittalus). These are all catfish, of fairly small size and species within the two genera are still in some doubt.
Batasio is a genus of catfish of the family Bagridae. These small fish are found in fast-flowing hillstreams throughout South and mainland Southeast Asia.
Batasio batasio is a member of the Bagridae (Bagrid catfishes) family that is native to India, Bangladesh and Nepal. It grows maximally to 10cm in length and is typically found in streams. It is of minor, local, commercial importance.
Mystus is a genus of fish in the family Bagridae native to Asia. Phylogenetic relationships within this genus are poorly understood, though it has been suggested that there are two major lineages.
Mystus vittatus, the striped dwarf catfish, is a species of catfish of the Bagridae (Bagrid catfishes) family. It is found in brackish water systems with marginal vegetation in lakes and swamps with a mud substrate of Asian countries Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and probably Myanmar. It grows, maximally, to a length of 21cm.
This species has been exploited for commercial fishing and the aquarium fish trade and the population is known to be decreasing.
Mystus tengara, the Tengara catfish is a member of the Bagridae (Bagrid catfishes) family. It is native to Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. At maturity it reaches a maximal length of 18cm. Adults inhabit rivers and ponds in plains and submontane regions in flowing and standing waters. It is fished locally for food.
Gonteah
Gong Tengra,the Gagata, refers to three native Bengali catfish Gagata
cenia (top), Gogangra viridescens (centre) and Nangra nangra
(bottom), all members of the catfish (Sisoridae) family.
gong-tengra-3-sisoridae-fish.png
A mis-mapping of gong tengra (গাঙ টেংরা) into English. The Bengali name actually refers to three separate species of fish:
Gagata cenia; Gogangra viridescens and Nangra nangra.
Gagata cenia, known as the Indian Gagata is a species of sisorid catfish (Sisoridae) found in the Ganges Delta and the Indus River. It has also been reported as occurring in Thailand and Burma. This species grows to a length of 15cm. This is a freshwater fish widely distributed in the Ganges basin, the Indus River system, and the Mahanadi River. This is a species of commercial importance.
Descrition: Dorsal soft rays (total): 6; Anal soft rays: 9-12; Vertebrae: 35-36. Matures at less than 7cm SL. Dorsal with dark saddles extending ventrally only to lateral line. Caudal fin with transverse black bar across peduncle and round or square black spot on middle of each lobe. Dorsal fin with black spot on distal part of anterior rays. Anal fin with 4-5 simple rays, 9-11 branched rays. Upper jaw and 4th ceratobranchial toothless; lower jaw with few conical teeth in pocket or depression near symphysis. Snout tip acutely pointed in lateral view, with tip separated from the rest of the snout by distinct notch.
Gogangra viridescens is a species of sisorid catfish (Sisoridae) family found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan. This species grows to a length of 8.5cm. This is a freshwater fish native to Indus drainage in Pakistan and Ganges-Brahmaputra drainage in India and Bangladesh. It grows to a maximal length of 11cm. This is a commercially fished species.
Description: Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6; Vertebrae: 33-34. Body pale greenish or grayish overall, with vivid, almost iridescent, horizontal silvery mark in the membrane connecting the opercle to the side of the cranium. Mesethmoid not greatly expanded, its dorsal profile slightly convex, Y-shaped anteriorly. Barbels short, slender; nasal barbel very short, extending posteriorly only to end of posterior naris; maxillary and mental barbels not reaching posteriorly beyond head; maxillary-barbel membrane absent or greatly reduced; maxillary bone inside maxillary barbel very short; outer and inner mental barbels evenly and widely separated. Paired lateral cranial fontanel absent. Branchiostegal membranes free from isthmus. Anal fin with 4-6 simple rays, 7-9 branched rays (typically 5 + 8)
Nangra nangra is a member of the Sisoridae (Sisorid catfishes) that is found in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal and grows to a maximum length of 6.5cm. It typically inhibits the upper reaches of rivers. Today it is typically not commercially fished.
Description: Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7-9; Vertebrae: 35-37. Dorsal fin typically with 8 branched rays. Anal fin with 3-4 simple rays, 9-11 branched rays. Snout moderately projecting; anterior naris origin close to snout tip (distance between anterior naris and snout tip less than eye diameter). Nasal barbel reaching at least to end of head, sometimes reaching dorsal-fin origin; maxillary barbel reaching past to adipose-fin origin; maxillary barbel membrane small, with narrow attachment to cheek only; maxillary bone long, reaching posteriorly to end of head. Vent and genital papillae near middle of pelvic fins
Gontorah
Species not identified yet.
Kwetoonte
Species not identified yet.
Pyrah Chanda
Loma chanda, the Elongate glass-perchlet, a member of the
Ambassidae (Asiatic glassfish) family Chanda nama.
Pyrah Chanda is the name of a fried fish dish in Bengali cuisine, not strictly the name of a fish per se. However, the description in the book indicates that the fish referred to is the Loma chanda is the Elongate glass-perchlet (Chanda nama), a species of freshwater fish in the Ambassidae (Asiatic glassfish) family Ambassidae of order Perciformes, the only species in the genus Chanda. It is native to an area of south Asia including: Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. At maturity it reaches 11cm in length.
The species inhabits canals, ponds, streams, and flooded rice paddies, in both fresh and brackish water, and is found in particular abundance during the rainy season. The species feeds on mosquito larvae and worms and also eats the scales of other fishes (lepidophagy), the species may have potential use in controlling malaria and guinea worm parasites. The fish are harvested and sold for food in local markets.
Description: Body is strongly compressed and laterally almost flat. Dorsal and ventral profile of this fish is almost equally convex. Lateral line is partly distinct, partly absent. Second dorsal spine is longest. Spines of first dorsal and rays of second dorsal gradually decrease in height. Scales are minute and rounded. Caudal fin forked. Body is transparent yellowish white with numerous tiny black dots. First dorsal and tip of second dorsal is deep black. Caudal fin is black and orange. A small black spot is found at the origin of the base of anal fin. Lower jaw is longer than upper jaw.
As well as being caught for food, this is also an important fish in the aquarium trade.
Bagda Chingree
Bagda Chingree, the Bangladeshi tiger prawn, a member of the
Penaeidae (panaeid prawn) family Penaeus monodon.
bagda-chingree-penaeus-monodron.png
Though described as 'shellfish' bagda chingree actually refers to Bangladeshi tiger prawns, one of the commonest commercially fished species being Penaeus monodon, the giant tiger prawn. which maximally grows to 336mm in length and can weigh up to 250g. It is a member of the Penaeidae (panaeid prawn) family.
It is native to the Indo-Pacific: From Pakistan to Japan, the Malay Archipelago and Australia.
Description: Uniformly glabrous body; carapace with well-developed antennal and hepatic spines. Horizontal and straight hepatic carina. Rostrum armed with 7 or 8 dorsal and 3 ventral teeth. Colour: body is reddish with darker bands. Brown to blue pleopods and reddish fringing setae.
This is a species of great commercial value and is both wild caught and farmed in aquaculture.
Kisutbail (fruit)
Species not identified yet.
Jacks
Jackfruit, the edible fruit of the jack tree, Artocarpus heterophyllus,
shown as hanging from the tree and as one fruit sliced open.
The jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), also known as the jack tree or langka is a species of tree in the fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). It bears the largest fruit of all trees, reaching as much as 55 kg (120 pounds) in weight, 90 cm (35 inches) in length, and 50 cm (20 inches) in diameter. A mature jackfruit tree produces some 200 fruits per year, with older trees bearing up to 500 fruit in a year. The jackfruit is a multiple fruit composed of hundreds to thousands of individual flowers, and the fleshy petals of the unripe fruit are eaten. The ripe fruit is sweet (depending on variety) and is commonly used in desserts.
The word jackfruit comes from Portuguese jaca, which in turn is derived from the Malayalam language term chakka (ചക്ക), when the Portuguese arrived in India at Kozhikode (Calicut) on the Malabar Coast (Kerala) in 1499.
Artocarpus heterophyllus grows as an evergreen tree that has a relatively short trunk and dense treetop. It easily reaches heights of 10 to 20 m (33 to 66 feet) and trunk diameters of 30 to 80 cm (12 to 31 inches). It sometimes forms buttress roots. The bark of the jackfruit tree is reddish-brown and smooth. In the event of injury to the bark, a milky sap is released. The leaves are alternate and spirally arranged. They are gummy and thick and are divided into a petiole and a leaf blade. The petiole is 2.5 to 7.5 cm (1 to 3 inches) long. The leathery leaf blade is 20 to 40 cm (7 to 15 inches) long and 7.5 to 18 cm (3 to 7 inches) wide and is oblong to ovate in shape.
The flavour of the ripe fruit is comparable to a combination of apple, pineapple, mango, and banana. Varieties are distinguished according to characteristics of the fruit flesh. In Indochina, the two varieties are the “hard" version (crunchier, drier, and less sweet, but fleshier), and the “soft" version (softer, moister, and much sweeter, with a darker gold-coloured flesh than the hard variety). Unripe jackfruit has a mild flavour and meat-like texture and is used in curry dishes with spices in many cuisines. The skin of unripe jackfruit must be peeled first, then the remaining jackfruit flesh is chopped into edible portions and cooked before serving. The final chunks resemble prepared artichoke hearts in their mild taste, colour, and flowery qualities. It is commonly cooked with potato to make green jackfruit and potato curry in West Bengal.
Cumrunga
Cumrunga is an archaic name for the carambola or star fruit Averrhoa carambola the fruit of a tree species native to tropical Southeast Asia.
Pumplenose
Pomelo, the edible fruit of the Pomelo tree, Citrus maxima, shown
as a whole fruit and one fruit sliced open.
pumplenose-shaddock-pomelo.png
This is the Shaddock fruit/Pomelo (/ˈpɒmɪloʊ, ˈpʌm-/ POM-il-oh, PUM-;) the fruit of Citrus maxima, from the family Rutaceae. This is the largest of all citrus fruit, and the principal ancestor of the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid, citrus fruit, native to Southeast Asia. Similar in taste to a sweet grapefruit, the pomelo is commonly consumed and used for festive occasions throughout Southeast Asia.
The pomelo tree may be 5–15 meters (16–50 feet) tall, possibly with a crooked trunk 10–30 centimeters (4–12 inches) thick, and low-hanging, irregular branches. Their leaf petioles are distinctly winged, with alternate, ovate or elliptic shapes 5–20 cm (2–8 in) long, with a leathery, dull green upper layer, and hairy under-leaf. The flowers — single or in clusters — are fragrant and yellow-white in colour.
The fruit is large, 15–25 cm (6–10 in) in diameter, usually weighing 1–2 kilograms (2–4 pounds). It has a thicker rind than a grapefruit, and is divided into 11 to 18 segments. The flesh tastes like mild grapefruit, with a little of its common bitterness (the grapefruit is a hybrid of the pomelo and the orange). The enveloping membranes around the segments are chewy and bitter, considered inedible, and usually discarded.[4] There are at least sixty varieties. The fruit generally contains a few, relatively large seeds, but some varieties have numerous seeds.
Its botanical name, Citrus maxima, means “the biggest citrus". The English term used in this book, pumplenose originates from the Dutch pompelmoes. And the English or Dutch form is probably the origin of the modern word 'pomelo' (also spelt pummelo, pumelo, pomello, pommelo) has become the more common name, although "pomelo" has historically been used for grapefruit. After introduction into Barbados by 'Captain Shaddock' of the East India Company (apparently Philip Chaddock, who visited the island in the late 1640s), the fruit was called shaddock in English.
The pomelo is one of the original citrus species from which cultivated citrus fruits have been hybridized, others being citron, mandarin, and to a lesser extent, papedas and kumquat. In particular, the common orange is presumed to be a naturally occurring hybrid between the pomelo and the mandarin, with the pomelo as larger and firmer of the two. Modern genetic analysis has now revealed that the grapefruit is actually a backcrossed hybrid between a pomelo and a sweet orange which is why 63% of the grapefruit's genome comes from the pomelo.
Danta
Moringa drumsticks, the edible fruit pods of the maringa tree,
Moringa oleifera, shown bundled for sale at market.
This term refers to the unripe seed pots of Moringa oleifera whose common names include moringa, drumstick tree (from the long, slender, triangular seed-pods), horseradish tree and malunggay. Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing, drought-resistant tree of the family Moringaceae, native to the Indian subcontinent and used extensively in South and Southeast Asia. It is widely cultivated for its young seed pods and leaves, used as vegetables and for traditional herbal medicine.
M. oleifera is a fast-growing, deciduous tree that can reach a height of 10–12 m (33–39 ft) and trunk diameter of 45 cm (18 in).[8] The bark has a whitish-grey colour and is surrounded by thick cork. Young shoots have purplish or greenish-white, hairy bark. The tree has an open crown of drooping, fragile branches, and the leaves build up a feathery foliage of tripinnate leaves.
The fruit is a hanging, three-sided, brown, 20–45cm (8–17+1⁄2 in) capsule, which holds dark brown, globular seeds with a diameter around 1 cm. The seeds have three whitish, papery wings and are dispersed by wind and water. In cultivation, it is often cut back annually to 1–2 m (3–6 ft) and allowed to regrow so the pods and leaves remain within arm's reach. The genus name Moringa derives from the Tamil word, murungai, meaning “twisted pod", alluding to the young fruit.
The young, slender fruit, commonly known as “drumsticks", are often prepared as a culinary vegetable in South Asia. They are prepared by parboiling, commonly cut into shorter lengths, and cooked in a curry or soup until soft. Their taste is described as reminiscent of asparagus, with a hint of green beans, though sweeter due to the immature seeds contained inside. In India and Bangladesh, drumstick curries are commonly prepared by boiling immature pods to the desired level of tenderness in a mixture of coconut milk and spices (such as poppy or mustard seeds).
As well as the immature seed pods, the leaves, mature seeds, seed oil, flowers and roots are also edible.
Avigato pear
This is a corruption of alligator pear, an alternate name for the Avocado.
Muckun-seam
Seam/Sheem, the edible fruit pods of the Bengali flat bean vine,
Lablab purpureus, shown growing on the vine.
Bengali Flat Beans, seam/sheem Lablab purpureus subsp. bengalensis the Bengali hyacinth bean. Lablab purpureus is a species of bean in the family Fabaceae. It is native to Africa and it is cultivated throughout the tropics for food. English language common names include hyacinth bean, lablab-bean bonavist bean/pea, dolichos bean, seim or sem bean, lablab bean, Egyptian kidney bean, Indian bean, bataw and Australian pea.
The plant is variable due to extensive breeding in cultivation, but in general, they are annual or short-lived perennial vines. The wild species is perennial. The thick stems can reach 6 m (20 ft) in length. The leaves are made up of three pointed leaflets, each up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long. They may be hairy on the undersides. The inflorescence is made up of racemes of many flowers. Some cultivars have white flowers, and others may have purplish or blue. The fruit is a legume pod variable in shape, size, and color. It is usually several centimetres long and bright purple to pale green.
The hyacinth bean is an old domesticated pulse and multi-purpose crop. L. purpureus has been cultivated in India as early as 2500 BC. The fruit and beans are edible if boiled well with several changes of the water. Otherwise, they are toxic due to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides, glycosides that are converted to hydrogen cyanide when consumed.
In Bangladesh and West Bengal, the green pods along with the beans, known as sheem (শিম), are cooked as vegetables or cooked with fish as a curry.
Kurreah Fool
Curry leaves, the edible leaves of the curry tree,
Murraya koenigii, shown as a sprig of leaves.
Curry leaf or sweet neem leaf, the leaves of the curry tree, Murraya koenigii or Bergera koenigii, a tropical and sub-tropical tree in the family Rutaceae (the rue family, which includes rue, citrus, and satinwood), native to Asia.
It is a small tree, growing 4–6 metres (13–20 ft)) tall, with a trunk up to 40 cm (16 in) in diameter. The aromatic leaves are pinnate, with 11–21 leaflets, each leaflet 2–4 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) long and 1–2 cm (1⁄2–3⁄4 in) broad. The plant produces small white flowers which can self-pollinate to produce small shiny-black drupes containing a single, large viable seed. The berry pulp is edible, with a sweet flavour.
The word curry derives from Tamil word kari, the name of the plant associated with the perceived blackness of the tree leaves.[8] The records of the leaves being utilized are found in Tamil literature dating back to the 1st and 4th centuries CE. British had spice trades with the ancient Tamil region. It was introduced to English in the late 16th century.
The fresh leaves are an indispensable part of Indian cuisine and Indian traditional medicines. They are most widely used in southern and west coast Indian cooking, usually fried along with vegetable oil, mustard seeds and chopped onions in the first stage of the preparation.
Though the leaves are sold dried, the curry leaves actually get their special fragrance from a complex mixture of at least 22 odouriferous chemicals. However, the key compound is 1-phenylethanethiol. In the case of dried curry leaves and the leaf powder, their flavour isn’t as strong because the concentration of 1-phenylethanethiol decreases rapidly. If you can't get fresh curry leaves, try to get frozen as the flavour is much better than dried.
Torrie
Ridge Gourd (Jhinga or Titorai), the edible fruit of the luffa vine,
Luffa acutangula, shown growing on the vine
This is Titorai/Jhinga, Luffa acutangula the Ridge Gourd or Angled Gourd (it is also known as: Chinese okra, Chinese squash, dishcloth gourd, ribbed loofah, ridged gourd, silk gourd and silk squash), a member of the Cucurbitaceae (gourd) family.
Luffa acutangula is a cucurbitaceous vine that is commercially grown for its unripe fruits as a vegetable. Mature fruits are used as natural cleaning sponges. Its fruit slightly resembles a cucumber or zucchini with ridges. It ranges from central and eastern Asia to southeastern Asia. It is also grown as a houseplant in places with colder climates. English common names include angled luffa, Chinese okra, dish cloth gourd, ridged gourd, sponge gourd, vegetable gourd, strainer vine, ribbed loofah, silky gourd, silk gourd, and sinkwa towelsponge.
L. acutangula is found wild in India where it is probably indigenous, but it has been taken by man throughout the world and is found widely in the West African region.
The young fruit of some Luffa cultivars are used as cooked vegetables or pickled or eaten raw, and the shoots and flowers are sometimes also used. However, the fruit must be harvested at a young stage of development to be edible. Ridge gourd is a popular vegetable used in Indian cooking. It comes in two variants — one with a smooth surface and other with a ridged surface.
In Bengali-speaking Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, it is known as dhudhul (ধুঁধুল) and a popular vegetable. It is eaten fried or cooked with prawns (shrimp), fish, or meat.
Pulwal
Pulwal or pointed gourd, the edible fruit of the vine, Trichosanthes
dioica, shown growing on the vine
Palwal, Trichosanthes dioica Roxb., also known as the pointed gourd, is a tropical perennial cucurbit plant with its origin in the Indian subcontinent. It is also known as parwal, palwal, potol, or parmalin in different parts of India and Bangladesh. The plant propagated vegetatively and grows with training on a support system (e.g., trellis) as pencil-thick vines (creepers) with dark-green cordate (heart-shaped) simple leaves. It is a well-developed dioecious plants having distinct male and female flowers on staminate and pistillate plants, respectively. The fruits are green with white or no stripes' and have unpalatable seeds. Size can vary from small and round to thick and long — 2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 cm).
Colloquially, in India, it is called parval or green potato. It is widely cultivated in the eastern and some northern parts of India, particularly in Northeastern Andhra, Odisha, Bengal, Assam, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. It is used as an ingredient for soup, stew, curry, sweet, or eaten fried and as potoler dorma or dolma with fish, roe or meat stuffing. Parval is also used to make kalonji, a deep fried cuisine filled with spices.
In Bangladesh and West Bengal, pointed gourd is provincially known as potol in both of these Bengali-speaking regions. It is a vital summer vegetable in Bangladesh and in West Bengal. It is cultivated and consumed in every part of Bangladesh and West Bengal. It is a perennial crop and sold at the end of October when there is a shortage of other alternative vegetables.
Mallie (Malai)
Malai is a type of clotted cream, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, especially, in regards to sweets from the Indian subcontinent. It is made by heating non-homogenized whole milk to about 80°C for about one hour and then cooling it.
Long Plum (nar kollee bhyar)
Ber or Indian Jujube, the edible fruit of the Indian Jujube tree,
Ziziphus mauritiana, various cultivars shown, including the long plum type, top
This seems to be the ber fruit, the fruit of the Indian Jujube Ziziphus mauritiana (also known as Indian jujube, Indian plum, Chinese date, Chinee apple, ber and dunks). This is a tropical fruit tree species belonging to the family Rhamnaceae. The cultivar/variant referred to in the book is the Giant Thai of which there are two forms; one of which is apple-like and the other is plum-like.
Ziziphus mauritiana is a spiny, evergreen shrub or small tree up to 15 m high, with trunk 40 cm or more in diameter; spreading crown; stipular spines and many drooping branches. The fruit is of variable shape and size. It can be oval, obovate, oblong or round, and can be 1-2.5 in (2.5-6.25 cm) long, depending on the variety. The flesh is white and crisp. When slightly underipe, this fruit is a bit juicy and has a pleasant aroma. The fruit's skin is smooth, glossy, thin but tight.
The species is believed to have originated in Indo-Malaysian region of South and South-East Asia. It is now widely naturalised throughout the Old World tropics from Southern Africa through the Middle East to the Indian Subcontinent and China, Indomalaya, and into Australasia and the Pacific Islands. While the Rhamnaceae family are considered nitrogen fixing trees, Ziziphus mauritiana can form dense stands and become invasive in some areas, including Fiji and Australia, and has become a serious environmental weed in Northern Australia. It is a fast-growing tree with a medium lifespan, that can quickly reach up to 10–40 ft (3 to 12 m) tall.
Ziziphus mauritiana is one of the two Ziziphus species that have considerable horticulture importance, the other being Chinese jujube (Z. jujuba). Indian jujube (Z. mauritiana) is more tropical, whereas Chinese jujube is a more cold hardy species.
In India, there are 90 or more cultivars, varying in the habit of the tree; leaf shape; fruit form, size, color, flavor and keeping quality; and fruiting season. The skin of most is smooth and greenish-yellow to yellow.
The major production regions for Indian jujube are the arid and semi arid regions of India. From 1984 to 1995 with improved cultivars the production was 0.9 million tonnes on a land of 88,000 ha. The crop is also grown in Pakistan, Bangladesh and parts of Africa.
Cullungee
These are onion seeds, also known as nigella or kalonji. They are not the seeds of onions, but actually the seeds of Nigella sativa (black caraway, also known as black cumin, nigella, kalonji, charnushka) a member of the Ranunculaceae family.
Tyre or Dhye
These are the same thing home-made thick yoghurt or curd. Tyre being 'curd' in Malayayam and dahi is the same in Hindi. The recipe for making tyre or dhye is the method for making home-made yoghurt. Rather than 'stale butter' you need a starter culture ie active yoghurt or curd.
This is from the first edition of the book, author unknown. It was published in Clacutta by Wyman & Co. c. 1869. The book mentions the cyclones of 1864 and 1867, so must have been published after this date. It is bound with one recipe page followed by a blank ruled page so the purchaser can make their own notes. One of these pages has a recipe dated 1873, which puts the publication date at between 1868 and 1873. However, the copy I saw was catalogued by the British Library in September 1932, but the catalogue puts its publication date at 1869, which I am currently accepting. Later editions were published c. 1889 and an imprint by a different publisher of c. 1899.
THE
INDIAN COOKERY BOOK:
A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK
TO
THE KITCHEN IN INDIA,
Adapted to the Three Presidencies;
CONTAINING
ORIGINAL AND APPROVED RECIPES IN EVERY DEPARTMENT
OF INDIAN COOKERY;
RECIPES FOR SUMMER BEVERAGES AND HOME-MADE LIQUEURS;
MEDICINAL & OTHER RECIPES;
TOGETHER WITH A VARIETY OF THINGS WORTH KNOWING.
BY A THIRTY-FIVE YEARS' RESIDENT.
CALCUTTA:
WYMAN & CO., HARE STREET.
- Observations on the Kitchen and its Requirements1
- Utensils2
- Coinage and Weights and Measures3
- Coinage3
- Weights and Measures4
- Kitchen Calendar4
- Rice or Chowl9
- Kitcheerees11
- Pellow or Pooloo12
- Curries14
- Gravy Curries15
- Doopiajas16
- Kofta-ka-carree18
- Country Captain20
- Hindoostanee Curries20
- Hussanee Curries21
- Kurma Curries22
- Malay Curries23
- Vindaloo Curries25
- Madras Mulligatawny Curry27
- Chahkees29
- Saug Curries30
- Bhahjees31
- Dal Curries32
- Burtas or Mashes33
- Soups35
- Fish38
- Joints, Made Dishes, etc.40
- Vegetables52
- Pastry, Puddings, Sweetmeats, etc.57
- Garnishes, Sauces, Stuffings, etc.74
- Indian Pickles, Chutneys, Sauces, etc.82
- Indian Preserves, Jams, Jellies, and Marmalades89
- Home-made Liqueurs97
- Medicinal and Other Recipes102
- Perfumery, Cosmetics, and Dentifirice109
- Miscellaneous Useful Recipes113
- Things Worth Knowing115
- Index117
INTRODUCTION.
THE kitchen should be roomy, light, and airy, with contrivances, in the shape of shelves and other conveniences, for laying out in order all utensils and other necessaries inseparable from the kitchen.
The oven and all the fireplaces should be constructed of fire-bricks, and not of the ordinary clay-bricks so generally used in Indian kitchens, requiring constant repairs, to the great annoyance of the cook and hindrance to his work.
A good supply of reservoirs and large earthen jars (jallahs) for fresh water is essential. Of these there should be two at least, both to contain equally good clean water, but yet to be applied to two widely different purposes.—the one for washing, and the other exclusively for cooking the victuals. Those who can afford the expense ought to have a reservoir on the terrace of the kitchen, and the water brought down by means of a pipe, with cock attached; which would effectually prevent dirty and greasy hands being put into the reservoirs.
The drainage should be well constructed, with a sufficient incline to carry away easily all washings and offal; and the doors and windows provided with finely-made bamboo chicks, to keep out the flies, which at some seasons are more troublesome than at others.
Great cleanliness is necessary throughout the kitchen: the flooring as well as the ceiling, the walls, and every nook and corner, ought to be kept constantly in the familiar acquaintance with the whisk, and the knight of the broom called in occasionally to aid the cook in the work of the thorough turn-over. There are very many kitchens in India the ceilings of which are cleaned only once in three years, when the triennial repairs to the premises oblige it to be done.
The very best recipes, however, for ensuring a perfectly clean kitchen, well-tinned utensils, and fresh water, are the frequent visits of the lord and lady of the mansion to the cook. On these occasions expressions of satisfaction should never be withheld, if deserved, at the mode of cooking or serving up; where not merited, the one or more instances should be particularized, and such modifications as may appear necessary be gradually suggested. Attention should next be directed to the order of cleanliness of the kitchen &c.: let there be no sparing of praise, if well deserved,—such treatment is encouraging; and then, if need be, anything disorderly or unclean can be pointed out more as a passing remark than as one of complaint or censure.
The following implements are necessary in every kitchen; and in describing them, care has been taken to use terms generally understood by the native cooks, servants, and bazaar shopkeepers, in order that young housekeepers may the more easily comprehend the requirements of the cook, and provide them accordingly:—
An iron fish-kettle or ham-boiler, without the aid of which large joints, such as briskets and rounds, cannot be boiled.
An iron enamelled digester, with patent top, for soups and boiling small joints, &c.
A set of four copper stewpans, with covers.
Two large iron kettles for boiling water in, with cocks to draw off.
Two small cones for ditto, without cocks.
A copper one for serving up hot water at the table.
A set of three copper fryingpans of sizes.
One pancake ditto.
A good gridioron, with wells and drains.
One coconut scraper, or narial-ka-khournee.
Two iron splits, or seiks, for roasting meats, &c.
An iron pestle and mortar.
A brass ditto.
A marble ditto.
An iron stove, or ungattee.
Half a dozen iron wire dish-covers.
A good English chopper.
A khoralee, or an axe for cutting wood.
A butcher's knife
Two cook-room knives.
Half a dozen common steel forks.
Half a dozen metal spoons.
Half a dozen small plated skewers for curry.
A dozen wooden spoons
Two dal churns, or ghootness.
Half a dozen palm-leaf fans.
Two common baskets and two brooms.
Four phooknees, or blow-pipes
A couple of common reed mats.
A fire-poker, pincers and shovel.
Three copper degchees, for boiling milk, rice, custard, &c.
One iron preserving-pan.
One copper ditto.
Half a dozen perforated bowls or colanders of sizes.
Half a dozen copper-plated pie and pudding dishes of sizes.
Half a dozen jelly-moulds of sizes.
Pepper, salt, cayenne, and flour dredging castors.
Once dozen patty-pans.
Larding pins of sizes.
Nutmeg, bread, and flour dredging castors.
Perforated ladles of sorts.
A salting-tub, of which there are two kinds—one made of staves and iron hooped, and the other scooped out of one block of wood.
A large square board of fine or close grained wood, for rolling pastry, and two rolling-pins.
A kitchen table, and a couple of wooden stools for sitting at the table.
A set of scales and weights.
A meat-safe.
An aimirah, or cupboard to lock up small articles.
The cook should be kept well supplied with dusters, of the commonest kind, for cleaning and wiping pots and pans, and two dozens of a better, yet coarse description, for straining soups, gravy, &c.
There ought always to be a supply of twine for tying up roast meats, &c.
A quarterly reckoning should be taken of all the kitchen property in charge of the cook; this is more particularly necessary in houses where there are frequent changes of cooks and servants.
Finally, one other suggestion is of no little importance, viz., cats, dogs, and sweepers, as a rule, have no business in the kitchen. The sweeper, or as he is elsewhere called, the "knight of the broom," should only be admitted either before the operations of the day have commenced, or after their final termination. Ninety-nine sweepers out of a hundred know that intrusions in the kitchen are against all established rule throughout the length and breadth of India; and yet, if the master or mistress be indifferent, not only the knight, but his lady also will indulge their fingers in many a savoury pie. It is no uncommon thing to find them constantly in kitchens of houses of gentlemen ignorant of the rule, peeling potatoes, shelling peas, and performing other offices of the cook, in expectation of some return for such assistance or service rendered.
Tinning of Copper Utensils.—Copper utensils are at all times preferable, but the greatest possible care must be observed in seeing that they be perfectly and throughly tinned every fortnight or three weeks, or at least once every month.
Fuel.—Coal should be used for all purposes of cooking, excepting only for boiling large and heavy joints of meat, requiring many hours of a steady flaming fire.
Cooks.—Never quarrel with a good cook if his only fault be that of eating from your kitchen; all cooks will do so, and a good one will eat no more than a bad one.
For all practical purposes of this work it is not necessary to enter into any lengthened tables of the Indian weights and measures in general daily use in sale and delivery of commodities. Nor is it necessary to do more than to state in a few words the different coins current in the Indian markets.
Although the introduction of the half-piece, a small copper coins, has partially superseded the use of shells called cowries, yet they are in daily use, for the payment of fractional parts of a pice, not only by poor natives, but also by servants on behalf of their masters, dwelling in princely mansions in the city and town of Calcutta. It is not unusual to see on tables groaning with viands the most costly a few unpretending green chilies in a small glass urn with water, particularly on breakfast tables, the actual cost of which never exceeded one gunda or four cowries.
The Indian money table is computed thus:—
4 cowries make 1 gunda.
5 gundas make 1 pice.
4 pice make 1 anna.
2 annas are the eighth of a rupee.
4 annas are the quarter of a rupee
8 annas are the half of a rupee
16 annas make one rupee
There are four degrees of silver coin, the two-anna piece, the four-anna piece, the eight-anna piece, and the rupee.
It is not necessary to remark on the gold coin, but some valuable suggestions may be offered in dealing with the Government of India nots in the Calcutta bazaars. The shopkeepers and peddlars, as a rule, require a signature endorsed on the note before accepting it in payment of an account, or exchanging it for silver. This should be resisted in every instance; but if from any cause you are obliged to comply with the only condition on which the note will be accepted, never omit to insert, under the name, distinctly in ink, the date of endorsement: by the observance of this simple precaution, you prevent the possibility of the annoyance of being unnecessarily subjected to examination and inquiry in the event of the note being stolen subsequently to your having parted with it.
Bazaar Weights, Dry Measure.
Bazaar Weights, Liquid Measure.
The following are the different weights made use of in Bengal, with their value in sicca weights:—
Grain Measure.
8 chittacks = 1 coonkee.
4 coonkees or 20 chittacks = 1 raik or 1 1/4 seer.
4 raiks or 5 seers = 1 pally or pusseree.
8 pallies = 1 maund.
20 pallies = 1 soally or 2 1/2 maunds.
16 soallies = 1 khahoon or 40 maunds.
| British Indian Weights. | English Troy Weights. | |||
| lb. | oz. | dwt. | grs. | |
| One maund makes ........... | 100 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| One seer „ ........... | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| One chittack „ ........... | — | 1 | 17 | 12 |
| One tola „ ........... | — | — | 7 | 12 |
| One masha „ ........... | — | — | — | 15 |
| One ruttee „ ........... | — | — | — | 1,875 |
The articles of rice, sugar, ghee, curry condiments, poultry, salt, and other non-perishable articles are procurable all the year round and may be purchased at all times of the day or night; but it is not so with meat, fish, and game, or with fruit and vegetables; there are seasons for these, and when in season, if not procured betimes in the morning, the chances are ten to one that all the arrangements for that day's meals will be sadly disorganized. Another inconvenience is experienced by some families ordering a particular description of fish or vegetable which is really not in season. The order is frequently misunderstood by the servant, who procures an article widely different from that ordered, or he returns empty-handed, with the declaration of the truth, “Piah neigh," or “Millah neigh," which means “Could not get," or “Could not find." In order, therefore, to obviate these disappointments and inconveniences, it is deemed desirable to give a list of such articles of consumption as are procurable monthly in the Calcutta daily markets before proceeding further with other matters.
The following is a list of such articles of consumption as are procurable monthly in the Calcutta daily bazaar:—
JANUARY.
Green peas, cauliflowers, cabbages, turnips, yams, potatoes, carrots, spinach, greens, cucumbers, radishes, cellery, lettuces, young onions, kuol-khole, kochoo, French beans, seam, brinjals, red and white beet, &c., are in perfection and plentiful.Beef, mutton, veal, lamb, kid, poultry &c., are also plentiful and of the first quality.
Game in gread abundance—snipe, duck, teal &c.
The fish market is well found with beckty, moonjee, rowe, cutlah, quoye, sowle, selliah, bhola, eels, banspattah, &c.
The fruits in season are Sylhet oranges, loquats, plantains, pine-apples, sugar-canes, country almonds, limes, and tipparee.
FEBRUARY.
The fish market this month has the addition of the small hilsa. Meat and vegetables continue good and abundant.The additional vegetables are asparagus, pumpkins, and young cucumbers; and custard-apples, mulberries, bail, and small water-melons are added to the fruit.
MARCH.
The meat market continues good to about the end of this month.Fish in abundance, with the addition of the goonteah, a small and well-flavoured fish.
Green peas and turnips disappear; salad, cabbage, carrots and celery are on the decline; but asparagus and potatoes continue excellent; green mangoes and unripe footee are to be had, also amrah, greens, watercresses, and the kerrella.
Fruit is also plentiful; large water-melons appear during the month, and continue in perfection for two or three months.
APRIL.
This is an unfavourable month for meat, which begins to be flabby and poor, fat, spongy, and yellow; indeed, very little good of any description is not to be found in the market.The fish market has the addition of carp, the mhagoor, and the mangoe-fish, so called from its annual visit to all the Bengal rivers at this season to spawn. This latter fish appears as soon as the mangoe is formed on the tree, and disappears at the close of the season—that is, about the middle of July. It has, perhaps, the most agreeable flavour of any in the known world, and is so sought after (by natives as well as Europeans) that, although not so large as a middle-sized whiting, it is sold at the beginning of the month at from four to eight per rupee. Before the end of May, as it becomes plentiful, the price is one rupee the score; and in June from two to three scores are sold for one rupee.
Potatoes, asparagus, onions, cucumbers, and a few cabbage-sprouts are the only vegetables procurable.
Water-melons and musk-melons are in perfection; green mangoes for pickling, and caraunda for tarts, are in great abundance.
MAY.
Grapes of the largest size, peaches, pine-apples, limes, rose-apples, lichees, jumrules, and wampees, together with water-melons, musk-melons, pomegranates, and custard-apples, come in during this month.The meat market is very inferior to that of last month.
Asparagus, potatoes, and cabbage-sprouts, with indifferent turnips, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, and inions are nearly all the vegetables now in the market; pumpkins and other cucurbitaceous roots are, however, procurable.
JUNE.
Meat, as must be expected, is very indifferent this month.The fish market is much the same as that of last month.
Mangoes and mangoe-fish are in great abundance. The Maldah mangoes arrive in Calcutta, and are considered the best that can be procured in Bengal. Grapes, peaches, lichees, &c., disappear. Custard-apples, pine-apples, jack-fruits, and guavas are in perfection.
Asparagus, potatoes, onions, and Indian corn are the principal vegetables that remain.
JULY.
Meat continues lean and poor.The fish market continues good. The moonjee, the rowe, the cutla, the quoye, the sowle, the mhagoor, the chingree, the tangra, and the chunah are procurable all the year round. The hilsa or sable-fish makes its appearance this month: this fish is delicious, boiled, baked, or roasted, but very unwholesome. On being cured with tamarind it forms a good substitute for the herring: it is then known by the appellation of the tamarind fish.
Mangoes and mangoe-fish disappear this month.
Pine-apples, custard-apples, jacks, and guavas continue in season.
The vegetable market is very indifferent: asparagus is in season, but potatoes become poor and watery. Young lettuces, cucumbers, and sweet potatoes are now procurable; also cumrunga and caraunda.
AUGUST.
The meat and fish markets look much the same as those of last month.Pumplenose (shaddock) appears this month; pine-apples, custard-apples, and guavas continue in perfection.
The vegetables procurable are salad, asparagus, cucumbers, brinjalls, muchun-seam (a kind of French beans), radishes, turnips, cabbage-sprouts, and some indifferent potatoes; Indian corn, cucumbers, and spinach are to be had all the year round, but are tasteless, except at this season, when the become firm, good, and palatable.
The avigato pear is sometimes procurable at this period.
SEPTEMBER.
The meat market does not improve.The fish market experiences but slight improvement; for although there is abundance, yet it is not always firm and good, except the beckty, which becomes larger and better flavoured. The following are also in the market:—The bholia, dessy tangra, gonteah, bhengris, gontorah, kwetoonte, pyrah chanda, and the shell-fish (bagda chingree).
Vegetables are very indifferent; yams come into season about this time.
In the fruit market small oranges make their appearance; custart-apples, pine-apples, guavas, and pumplenose continue in season.
OCTOBER.
The meat market begins to revive, and the fish market to improve; the beckty becomes firm, and the others proportionably good. snipes make their appearance.Vegetables and fruit continue much the same as last month; but if the season be favourable, both experience a considerable improvement about the end of the month.
Oranges become large and better flavoured, and custard-apples are in great perfection.
Young potatoes sometimes make their appearance this month; pomegranates are procurable, also kutbail.
November.
The meat market looks wholesome; beef, mutton, veal, pork, and poultry become firm and good.Game comes in also in considerable quantities—wild duck, snipes, teal, &c.
Abundance of fish is procurable, such as beckty, banspattah, gontorah, mirgal, carp, and mangoe-fish without roes.
The vegetable market begins with the introduction of green peas, new potatoes, lettuces, greens of various kinds, spinach, radishes, and turnips.
In the fruit market may be had oranges, lemons, pumplenose, custard-apples, papias, plantains, cocoanuts, country almonds, pomegranates, kutbail, &c.
DECEMBER.
The meat and fish markets are in great perfection, both as to quantity and quality; game of all kinds in abundance. The vegetable market is excellent, yielding green peas, young potatoes, lettuces, young onions, radishes, small salad, sweet potatoes, French beans, seams, brinjals, yams, carrots, turnips, greens, young cabbages and cauliflowers. The fruit market continues much the same as last month; tipparee or Brazil currants make their appearance this month, together with wood-apples and other fruits.THE
INDIAN COOKERY BOOK.
Rice is consumed by most European families at breakfast, tiffin, and dinner. It is eaten at breakfast with fried meat, fish, omelet, country captain, or some other curried dish, and, being invariably followed by toast and eggs, jams, fruit, &c., one coonkee, which contains about as much as an ordinary breakfast-cup, or say half a pound, will always be
ample for four tolerably hearty consumers. There are two sizes of coonkees, large and small: reference is here made to the small coonkee, well filled. The quantity, however, of raw rice for a party of four should not exceed half a pound.
The rice at dinner is usually preceded by soup, fish, roast, and made dishes.
The best or generally approved qualities of rice for table use are known as the bhaktoolsee, the banafool, the bassmuttee, and cheeneesuckur. In purchasing these, or indeed any other approved quality, care must be taken to avoid new rice and what is called urruah, which latter has been put through some process of boiling, or damped, and then dried. Both are considered unwholesome for general daily consumption, and few Indians will use them.
Good rice when rubbed in the palm of the hand, and cleared of dust, will appear of a bright and nearly transparent yellowish colour; whereas the urruah will be found of a dull whitish hue, and the grain streaked and speckled with white powder, which crumbles on the application of a needle's point.
The price of rice, like other commodities, varies according to its plenty or scarcity in the market. After the cyclone of October, 1864, and again of November, 1867, the price of the bhaktoolsee and the banafool, which are fine, large, stout-grain rice, without being coarse, ruled at from eight to nine seers per rupee, and the bassmuttee and the cheeneesuckur at from seven to eight seers per rupee. The rice used by the poorest classes of the native population is of a very coarse description and incredibly cheap: within six weeks after the cyclone of November, 1867, it was readily procurable at twenty-five to thirty seers per rupee.
Rice is used in a variety of forms: it is boiled, made into kitcheeree, pellow, puddings, blanc mange, cakes, bread, &c.
The bhaktoolsee, the banafool, and other stout-grain rice are the best adapted for boiling. Boiled rice is called bhath.
The bassmuttee, cheeneesuckur, and all small and fine-grain rice are selected for kitcheeree, pellow, and puddings for children's food, and for invalids.
The urruah is used in some houses in ignorance, but for the most part it is made into flour, and used for blanc mange, cakes, &c. The flour is abundantly procurable in the Calcutta markets, and is largely used by all native bakers in the making of bread.
Twenty-two to twenty-five seers of rice monthly, consuming it three times a day, entertainments included, will be ample for a party of four, allowing occasionally for a rice pudding.
It is necessary to wash rice thoroughly in several waters before using it, and a colander is very useful for draining away the water after washing the rice.
The rice at dinner is usually preceded by soup, fish, roast, and made dishes.
The best or generally approved qualities of rice for table use are known as the bhaktoolsee, the banafool, the bassmuttee, and cheeneesuckur. In purchasing these, or indeed any other approved quality, care must be taken to avoid new rice and what is called urruah, which latter has been put through some process of boiling, or damped, and then dried. Both are considered unwholesome for general daily consumption, and few Indians will use them.
Good rice when rubbed in the palm of the hand, and cleared of dust, will appear of a bright and nearly transparent yellowish colour; whereas the urruah will be found of a dull whitish hue, and the grain streaked and speckled with white powder, which crumbles on the application of a needle's point.
The price of rice, like other commodities, varies according to its plenty or scarcity in the market. After the cyclone of October, 1864, and again of November, 1867, the price of the bhaktoolsee and the banafool, which are fine, large, stout-grain rice, without being coarse, ruled at from eight to nine seers per rupee, and the bassmuttee and the cheeneesuckur at from seven to eight seers per rupee. The rice used by the poorest classes of the native population is of a very coarse description and incredibly cheap: within six weeks after the cyclone of November, 1867, it was readily procurable at twenty-five to thirty seers per rupee.
Rice is used in a variety of forms: it is boiled, made into kitcheeree, pellow, puddings, blanc mange, cakes, bread, &c.
The bhaktoolsee, the banafool, and other stout-grain rice are the best adapted for boiling. Boiled rice is called bhath.
The bassmuttee, cheeneesuckur, and all small and fine-grain rice are selected for kitcheeree, pellow, and puddings for children's food, and for invalids.
The urruah is used in some houses in ignorance, but for the most part it is made into flour, and used for blanc mange, cakes, &c. The flour is abundantly procurable in the Calcutta markets, and is largely used by all native bakers in the making of bread.
Twenty-two to twenty-five seers of rice monthly, consuming it three times a day, entertainments included, will be ample for a party of four, allowing occasionally for a rice pudding.
It is necessary to wash rice thoroughly in several waters before using it, and a colander is very useful for draining away the water after washing the rice.
1.—Boiled Rice.
Wash half a pound or a coonkeeful of rice, and put it to boil in a large quantity of water, over a brisk
fire. Immediately the rice begins to boil, the water will bubble up to the surface of the pot and
overflow, carrying away quantities of scum and impurities. The cover of the pot should now be kept
partially open, and the rice stirred to prevent an entire overflow of the water. On the subsiding of the
water or the bubbling, the fire should be reduced, until it is satisfactorily ascertained that the grains
of rice, without being pappy, are quite soft, when the pot should be removed from the fire and a
quart of cold water be added. All the liquid, which is “conjee," should then be drained, and the pot
replaced over a gentle charcoal heat, to allow all moisture to evaporate, assisting the process by
occasionally shaking the pot, or stirring its contents gently with a wooden spoon. Time to boil: half
an hour.The coonkee of rice when properly boiled will fill a good-sized curry or vegetable dish. The rice will be found quite soft, and yet every grain perfectly separate. Rice should never be cooked into a pap, excepting it is required for very young children; and leaving the grains hard or uncooked should be equally avoided.
A small pinch of pounded alum or fitkerree is used by some cooks with advantage to improve the whiteness of boiled rice.
For the modern redaction see the Plain Boiled Rice page.
2.—Rice Conjee
The water in which rice is boiled should never be thrown away: it is nutritious and fattening for all
cattle, horses included, and may be given daily to milch cows and goats with great advantage.For the modern redaction see the Rice Congee page.
3.—Rice Kheer
This is occasionally served upon the breakfast-table as a treat, but few Europeans care for it. It is
made as follows:—Thoroughly boil one coonkee or half a pound of the bassmuttee or the
cheeneesuckur rice, then drain the water away, add two cups of pure cow's milk, and put over a
slow fire. As the rice begins to absorb the milk, two or three small sticks of cinnamon are put in,
with one tablespoonful and a half to two tablespoonfuls of fine-quality white sugar. On the milk
being entirely absorbed, the kheer is either turned out upon a dish and eaten hot, or put into a
buttered mould, served up in shape, and eaten cold.
Kheer is sometimes cooked or boiled in milk only, but the foregoing recipe is supposed to be that
more generally approved.4.—Pish-Pash
Pick and wash in several waters a coonkee or half a pound of the bassmuttee or other fine-grain
rice; add to it, cleaned and cut up, a chicken, some sliced ginger, sliced onions, a few bay-leaves,
some peppercorns, a few hotspice, a dessertspoonful of salt, one chittack or two ounces of butter,
and water sufficient to cover the whole. Simmer over a slow fire until the chicken becomes perfectly
tender and the rice quite pappy. Serve up hot. This is considered a most excellent and nutritious
meal for invalids.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Pish-pash page.
These are occasionally substituted for boiled rice at breakfast, and are eaten with fried fish, omelets, croquets, jhal frezee, &c. They are prepared as follows:—
5.—Bhoonee Kitcheeree
Take rather more than three-quarters of a coonkee of bassmuttee or cheeneesuckur and half a
coonkee of dal; or, if preferred, take the rice and dal in equal parts.Take twelve large curry onions and cut them up lengthways into fine slices. Warm up two chittacks or four ounces of ghee (but before doing so be careful to warm the pot), and, while bubbling, throw in the sliced onions, removing them immediately they become of a bright brown colour. Set the fried onions aside, and throw in the dal and rice (having previously allowed all the water in which they were washed to drain through a colander). Fry until the dal and rice have absorbed all the ghee; then add a few slices of green ginger, some peppercorns, salt to taste (say one dessertspoonful), a few cloves, three or four cardamoms, half a dozen bay-leaves, and as many small sticks of cinnamon. Mix well together; add as much water only as will entirely cover over the whole of the rice and dal, put a good-fitting cover on, and set over a slow fire, reducing the same from time to time as the water is being absorbed. Care must be taken not to allow the kitcheeree to burn, which may be prevented by occasionally shaking the pot, or stirring its contents with a wooden spoon.
Serve up quite hot, strewing over it the fried onions, which serve both as a relish and garnish of the dish.
For the modern redaction see the Bhuna Kedgeree page.
6.—Bhoonee Kitcheeree of the Mussoor or Red Dal
is made according to recipe No. 5.For the modern redaction see the Red Lentil Bhuna Kedgeree page.
7.—Bhoonee Kitcheeree of the Moong or Small-grain Yellow Dal
is made according to recipe No. 5.For the modern redaction see the Yellow Split Pea Bhuna Kedgeree page.
8.—Bhoonee Kitcheeree of the Gram or Chunna Dal
The chunna or gram dal makes a very nice kitcheeree; but, as it is rather hard, it should be boiled or
soaked in cold water for an hour or so before frying it with the raw rice.9.—Bhoonee Kitcheeree of Green Peas
Kitcheeree made of green peas grown of English seeds is a rarity. Large peas should be picked out
and shelled; they should not be fried with the rice, but added to it when nearly cooked. The
instructions given in recipe No. 5 are to be observed in all other respects.10.—Jurrud or Yellow-tinted Kitcheeree
Jurrud or yellow-tinted kitcheeree is nothing more than one of the above kitcheerees, to which is
added, at the time of frying the rice and dal, either a small quantity of saffron or turmeric, according
to the colour desired to be imparted. Such introduction in no way affects the flavour, nor does it
render the appearance of the dish more attractive, but serves admirably as a variety for a large
breakfast-table.11.—Geela Kitcheeree
This is usually made of moong dal with less than one-fourth the quantity of ghee allowed for the
bhoonee, or with no ghee at all, and little or no condiments are used, excepting a small quantity of
finely-sliced green ginger, a few peppercorns, one or two bay-leaves, and salt to taste. It is supposed
to be better adapted than bhoonee kitcheeree for children and invalids.By bhoonee is meant crisp, and geela signifies soft.
Pellows are purely Hindoostanee dishes. There are several kinds of pellow, but some of them are so entirely of an Asiatic character and taste that no European will ever be persuaded to partake of them. It is therefore considered useless to offer instructions how to prepare such as the ukhnee pellow, in which are introduced cream, milk, butter-milk, garlic, and lime-juice; or the sweet pellow, in which almonds and raisins are introduced, in addition to sugar, &c.
The following are the pellows in general use:—
12.—Chicken Pellow
Take a good-sized chicken; clean, truss, and boil it with one pound of beef in two cupfuls of clean
water, seasoning it with onions, ginger, and salt. When sufficiently cooked, but yet quite firm,
remove the chicken, and set it and the gravy aside. Cut up twelve onions lengthways into fine slices.
Warm your pot; then melt in it two chittacks or four ounces of ghee, and, as it bubbles, throw in the
sliced onions and fry to a light brown; remove and set aside. Then put in half a pound, or a coonkee,
or the best bassmuttee or cheeneesuckur, having drained away all the water in which it was washed,
and fry. On the rice absorbing the ghee, throw in a few cloves, four or five cardamoms, half a dozen
small sticks of cinnamon, some peppercorns, a blade or two of mace, and one dessertspoonful of
salt. Mix up the whole, and pour over it the gravy in which the chicken and beef were boiled, or as
much of it only as will entirely cover the rice; close the pot immediately with a close-fitting cover,
and set on a slow fire. As the gravy continues to decrease or to be absorbed, so keep reducing the
fire, shaking up the pot occasionally, or stirring its contents, to prevent the pellow from burning.
Brown the boiled chicken in a pan with ghee or butter, and serve up as follows:—Place the chicken, either whole or cut up, on the centre of a dish, covering it with the pellow; strew over it the fried onions, garnishing it besides with two hard-boiled eggs, cut into halves, or in some device, and with half a dozen bits of finely-sliced and fried bacon, to suit the taste of those who like the latter.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Chicken Pilau page.
13.—Beef, Mutton, or Kid Pellow
Take two pounds of beef, and cut up as for a curry, or take a small but good leg of mutton, or two
legs of a kid, rejecting the loin.Make a good, strong gravy with seasoning of sliced onions, ginger, and salt, with water, which when cooked down will be reduced to about sufficient only to cover the rice. Then proceed to make the pellow in all respects as directed in the foregoing recipe. The beef is not further used for the table, but treat the legs of the kid, or the mutton, the same as the chicken, and serve up with fried onions, hard-boiled eggs, and fried bacon, like the chicken pellow.
14.—Prawn Pellow
Instead of a chicken, provide yourself with eight or ten good-sized “bagda prawns, and a good hard
cocoanut. After frying and setting aside the sliced onions, as directed above, the rice is to be fried,
but, instead of using chicken or any other meat broth, cook it in the milk of the cocoanut (vide
recipe No. 54), observing in all particulars the instructions given for the chicken pellow, recipe No.
12, and serve up as follows:–Dish up the pellow, strew over it the fried onions, and garnish with the
prawns finely boiled, and two hard-boiled eggs cut in halves or in some other device.The cocoanut milk will impart a sweetish flavour to the pellow, but it is not disagreeable; and its sweetness may be subdued, if required, by reducing the strength of the cocoanut milk.
15.—Lobster or Fish Pellow
Take out the centre bones or one or two hilsa or beckty fishes, which are procurable fresh and good
in the market, and eight or ten large long-legged lobsters with the roe or coral; thoroughly wash in
several waters with salt, and boil with plenty of seasoning of onions, sliced ginger, peppercorns, a
dozen bay-leaves, a tablespoonful of unroasted dhuniah or coriander seed, and salt, with water
sufficient to give the required quantity of gravy. When ready, remove and shell the lobsters,
reserving the roe or red coral in the heads, which bruise down with a little unroasted coriander seed,
and mix with the fish gravy. Make the pellow in all other respects the same as prawn pellow, using
the gravy of the fish instead of cocoanut or other gravy, and garnish with the lobsters, &c.A curry-stone and muller, or what the natives call seal our lurriah, are necessary for the preparation of condiments for daily use. The condiments should be carefully, and each kind separately, ground down to a nice paste with a little water.
Condiments prepared with water will not keep good any number of days; if required for a journey, therefore, or as presents for friends at home, good sweet oil and the best English vinegar should be substituted for the water. For the preparation of condiments for this purpose see recipe No. 65.
The first cost of a curry-stone and muller of large size will not exceed one rupee, but they will require re-cutting every three or four months, at a cost not exceeding one anna each re-setting.
The following is a list of curry condiments and hotspice in almost daily use:—
However high prices may range, one rupee-worth of mixed condiments, including hotspice, will suffice for a month's consumption for a party of from four to six adults, allowing for three curries per day, cutlets and made dishes included.
The following directions for an every-day gravy chicken curry will apply equally to all ordinary meat gravy curries:—
16.—Chicken Curry.
Take one chittack or two ounces of ghee, two breakfast-cupfuls of water, one teaspoonful and a half
of salt, four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one teaspoonful each of ground turmeric and chilies, half
a teaspoonful of ground ginger, and a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground garlic.To suit the taste of those who like it, half a teaspoonful of ground coriander-seed may be added, which should be roasted before being ground. Observe the following directions for cookings- Take the usual full-sized curry chicken, the price of which has latterly ranged from three to four annas, and divide it into sixteen or eighteen pieces. Warm the pot, melt in it the ghee, and immediately it begins to bubble throw in all the ground condiments, stirring until quite brown; then put in the cut-up chicken and the salt, and stir up to a good light-brown colour; then add the water, and allow the whole to simmer over a slow fire until the chicken is quite tender, and the liquid reduced to about half its original quantity. The operation of cooking or simmering will take from a half to three-quarters of an hour.
For the modern redaction see the Chicken Curry page.
17.—Kid Curry.
Take a hind-quarter or a fore-quarter of kid, which may be obtained at from three to four annas the
quarter; cut it up into sixteen or eighteen pieces; take condiments in the proportion given in recipe
No. 16, and cook it in every particular the same as the chicken curry, allowing it to simmer three-
quarters of an hour.18.—Veal Curry.
A small shoulder of veal, the price of which ranges from three to four annas, may be selected; cut
off from it sixteen or eighteen one-inch square pieces of the best part of the meat, and curry it in
every particular the same as a chicken, only allowing it to simmer half to three-quarters of an hour.19.—Mutton Curry.
Obtain a small shoulder at from five to six annas; cut it up into sixteen or eighteen one-inch square
pieces, rejecting all the bones; curry it the same as a chicken, allowing it to simmer for half an hour
longer, or until the meat is tender.N.B.—The bones of the veal and mutton, referred to in this and the foregoing recipe, may be turned to account for stock or gravy for some made dish.
20.—Beef Curry.
Two pounds of well-selected meat will cost from three to four annas; cut it up into one-inch square
pieces, rejecting all the scraggy parts; cook it in every respect according to the instructions given in
recipe No. 16 for cooking a gravy chicken curry, only allowing it to simmer for a much longer time
than any other curry, or until the beef becomes tender.21.—Green Duck Curry.
The price of a young tender duck may be quoted at from four to five annas. Cut it up exactly as you
would a chicken, and curry it in the same manner, allowing it to simmer for an hour and a half. It is
desirable to introduce half a teaspoonful each of coriander and cumin seeds in this curry.For the modern redaction see the Duckling/Green Duck Curry page.
22.—Young Pigeon Curry.
Take four young pigeons; cut each into four pieces, making in all sixteen pieces. The price of young
pigeons ranges from five to six annas the pair. The instructions given for the cooking of a gravy
chicken curry apply equally to a pigeon curry.The literal translation of doopiaja is "two onions," and the term probably is correctly applicable, as it will be noticed, in the recipes for preparing the doopiaja curries, that besides the full quantity of ground onions, it is necessary to put in about an equal quantity of fried onions, thereby doubling the quantity of onions.
Doopiajas are more piquant curries; they are cooked with more ghee and less water. The following condiments, &c, are considered ample for a really good doopiaja of chicken or of any meat:—
One chittack and a half or three ounces of ghee, one breakfast-cupful of water, one teaspoonful and a half of salt, four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one teaspoonful each of ground turmeric and chilies, half a teaspoonful of ground ginger, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground garlic, twelve onions cut lengthways, each into six or eight slices, and half a teaspoonful of ground coriander-seed if it be liked.
23.—Chicken Doopiaja
Take a full-sized curry chicken and divide it into sixteen or eighteen pieces. Melt the ghee in a warm
or heated pot, fry brown the sliced onions and set aside; then fry the ground condiments, stirring the
whole; when brown, add the cut-up chicken with the salt, and fry to a rich brown. Chop the fried
onions and put into the pot with one cup of water, and allow to simmer over a slow fire for about
one hour, when the chicken will be perfectly tender, and the liquid reduced to a thick consistency,
and to half its original quantity.For the modern redaction see the Chicken Dupiaza page.
24.—Kid Doopiaja
Is made in all respects as a chicken doopiaja, the kid to be cut up in the usual manner. The hind
quarter is preferable to the fore quarter.25.—Veal Doopiaja
Take only the meat from a shoulder, cut it up into squares, and allow it to simmer for half an hour
longer than the chicken doopiaja.26.—Mutton Doopiaja
The flesh part of a shoulder is cut up into squares and doopiajed exactly as a chicken, allowing it to
simmer over a slow fire for half an hour longer.27.—Beef Doopiaja
Cut two pounds of beef into one-inch square pieces, and follow all the instructions given in recipe
No. 23, only allowing it to simmer for a much longer time over a slow fire, until the beef is perfectly
tender.28.—Duck Doopiaja
Divide as you would a chicken, and cook the duck in the same manner, allowing it to simmer a little
longer than the chicken doopiaja. Half a teaspoonful each of ground coriander and cumin seed
should be mixed with the condiments.29.—Doopiaja of Pigeons
Take four pigeons, cut each into four pieces, and proceed in every particular the same as for a
chicken doopiaja.30.—Cold Boiled Pork Doopiaja
Cut from the remains of cold boiled pork sixteen one-inch square pieces, and doopiaje it in the way
directed for a chicken. The time required to simmer will not exceed that allowed for the chicken
doopiaja.31.—Udder Doopiaja
Take two pounds of udder; before cutting it into squares, it should be parboiled, and then made into
doopiaja, allowing it to simmer over a slow fire for about two hours.32.—Udder and Beef Doopiaja
Take one pound each of udder and beef; parboil the udder, and then cut it up with the beef into
one-inch square pieces, and doopiaje it, allowing it to simmer for about two hours.It is necessary to impress on the amateur artist the importance of paying particular attention to the firing: a brisk fire will dry up the ghee and the water before the curry is half cooked, and necessitate the addition of more water, which will in every instance spoil the doopiaja, although the addition of a little water, if such be necessary when the curry is nearly cooked, will do it no harm. In every instance where ghee butter, &c, is to be melted, it is desirable first to warm the pot.
Beef, mutton, chicken, fish, crabs, and prawns are usually taken for making these curries. The ingredients for two pounds of meat or fish are as follow:—Lard, ghee, or mustard oil, three to four ounces; water or stock, five to six ounces; ground onions, one tablespoonful or one ounce; ground chilies, a quarter of a tablespoonful, ground turmeric, a quarter of a tablespoonful; ground green ginger, half a teaspoonful; ground peppercorns, half a teaspoonful; ground garlic, a quarter of a teaspoonful; garden herbs, finely chopped, one dessertspoonful; salt, one dessertspoonful; finely- grated bread-crumbs, three table spoonfuls; one egg.
N.B.—In the fish, crab, and prawn coftas the ginger must be omitted.
33.—Beef Forcemeat Ball Curry
Get rather more than two pounds of good fat beef; wash it thoroughly, and cut it into pieces,
rejecting all veins and scraggy portions; put about two pounds of it into a mortar and pound it fine,
removing all fibres, veins, &c, and if it be desired put up a broth of all the rejections. Mix with the
pounded beef a teaspoonful of salt, pepper, and garden herbs, and two tablespoonfuls of bread-
crumbs; add a little of the broth, or in its absence some milk; mix the whole well together; beat up
the yolk and white of the egg, add it to the mixture, and make into balls about the size of large
walnuts; roll them in bread-crumbs. After heating the pot, melt the lard or ghee, and fry brown the
ground ingredients, sprinkling a tablespoonful of cold water over them; then add the coftas or balls
with salt to taste, and fry or brown them; after which pour into the pot either a cup of broth or of
water, and allow to simmer for about two hours.N.B.—Some cooks add to the beef cofta curries ground hot spices, which are fried with the curry condiments, and are suited to most tastes.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Beef Kofta Curry page.
34.—Chicken Forcemeat Ball Curry
Procure a good fat chicken and a quarter of a pound of beef suet; put the suet into a mortar with all
the fleshy parts of the chicken, and pound to a pulp; make a stock of gravy of the bones; mix with
the pounded meat all the several ingredients named in the foregoing recipe, with the addition of an
egg well beaten up; make into balls, roll in bread-crumbs, and curry as directed above.N.B.—The chicken cofta curry may also be made without any suet; the general practice is to get chickens rather larger than those usually selected for ordinary curries.
35.—Mutton Forcemeat Ball Curry
Take the best parts of a leg or shoulder of mutton; cut them up, wash, and pound well down; make a
gravy of the bones and rejections; mix with the pounded mutton all the ingredients mentioned in the
recipe for making beef balls, and cook exactly as the beef cofta curry.36.—Ball Curry of Liver and Udder
Get one pound each of liver and udder; thoroughly wash and parboil them, then cut them into
pieces, put into a mortar, and pound them to a pulp; mix with pepper, salt, herbs, bread-crumbs, and
an egg; make into balls, and curry them in the same manner as any of the foregoing forcemeat ball
curries.37.—Prawn Cofta Curry
Get thirty to forty of the best prawns, and remove the heads and shells; wash the prawns well with
salt and water, then pound them to a pulp; mix with it all the ingredients as directed for the beef
cofta; make into balls, roll them in bread-crumbs, and set aside. After washing the heads, remove
the shells, and bruise the contents with a dessertspoonful of unroasted coriander-seed; take all the
juice, and fry it with the ground condiments; then put in the balls, brown them, add salt to taste, a
cup of water, and simmer until they are cooked.N.B.—Good mustard oil is preferable to using lard or ghee, and the ginger must be omitted; but the addition of a few bay-leaves and blades of lemon-grass would be an improvement. It is not usual to dish up the lemon-grass.
For the modern redaction see the Prawn Kofta Curry page.
38.—Lobster Cofta Curry
According to their size, take eight or ten lobsters; clean them thoroughly; remove the heads and
shells; pull the flesh to pieces and pound to a pulp; add to it some of the red coral from the head,
then mix into it the bread-crumbs, salt, pepper, herbs, and an egg well beaten up, and make into
balls. The remains of the heads and the contents of the long legs bruise down with unroasted
coriander-seed; omitting the ginger, and cook the balls in the same way as the prawn balls, with the
addition of bay-leaves and a few blades of lemon-grass. Lemon-grass is not served up.39.—Crab Cofta Curry
Select ten or twelve gheewalla kakakahs, or crabs full of the red coral, wash them thoroughly, then
boil them; remove all the meat and coral out of the shells, pound to a pulp, and, after mixing all the
ingredients and fixing them with an egg well beaten up, make into balls, and cook them in all
respects according to the directions for lobster cofta curry. Time to simmer: say half an hour.40.—Fish Cofta Curry
Cold boiled or fried fish is the best adapted for making coftas; it is not necessary to give other
instructions than those already given at length in the foregoing recipes, excepting that mustard oil is
the best adapted for fresh fish curries.N.B.—The remains of hermetically-sealed fish, such as salmon and mackerel, removed from dinner, are well adapted for making cofta curries.
For the modern redaction see the Fish Kofta Curry page.
Under-done roast meats, such as beef, mutton, veal, and fowl, will make excellent cofta curries.
The country captain is usually made of chicken, and occasionally of kid and veal. Cold meats and curries are also sometimes converted into this dish, the condiments for which are as follow:—Two chittacks or four ounces of ghee, half a teaspoonful of ground chilies, one teaspoonful of salt, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground turmeric, and twenty onions, cut up lengthways into fine slices.
41.—Chicken Country Captain
Cut up in the usual way an ordinary curry chicken. Warm the ghee and fry the sliced onions, which
when brown set aside; fry the ground turmeric and chilies, then throw in the chicken and salt, and
continue to fry, stirring the whole, until the chicken is tender. Serve it up, strewing over it the fried
onions.For the modern redaction see the Victorian Chicken Country Captain page.
42.—Kid Country Captain
Before cutting up the kid, a fore-quarter, let it be partially broiled or roasted, and then make it into
country captain in accordance with the above directions; or, instead of partially roasting the kid, add
half a cup of water to assist the meat to dissolve.43.—Veal Country Captain
Partially broil or roast a shoulder of veal before cutting it up; or make the country captain as
directed in recipe No. 42, by adding half a cup of water instead of partially broiling the meat.44.—Jhal Frezee
Cut up into small squares, of less than an inch, either cold mutton, beef, or veal, rejecting the bones;
add a large quantity of sliced onions, some chilies cut up, and a teaspoonful of salt. Warm a chittack,
or two ounces of ghee, and throw it into the meat, onions, chilies, and salt, and allow to simmer, or
fry, stirring the whole while, until the onions are quite tender.For the modern redaction see the Leftover Roast Beef Jalfrezi page.
45.—Seik Kawab
Is usually eaten with chappatee or hand-bread, and only occasionally with rice, and contains the
following condiments:—Two tablespoonfuls of mustard oil, four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one
teaspoonful of ground chilies, half a teaspoonful of ground ginger, a quarter of a teaspoonful of
ground garlic, one teaspoonful of ground turmeric, one teaspoonful and a half of salt, a cup of thick
tyre or dhye, half a teaspoonful of ground coriander-seed, the juice of one large lemon, and a little
ghee.Take two pounds of beef, mutton, or veal; remove the bones, and chop the meat slightly, without mincing or cutting through it; mix well together all the ground condiments, including the oil, tyre, and lemon-juice, in which steep the chopped meat, turning it over occasionally to absorb the mixture. After a while cut up the meat into squares of equal size, say two inches, and continue to keep them in the mixture for fully one hour; then pass the squares of meat either on a silver, plated, or other metal skewer, and roast or broil over a slow charcoal fire, basting the whole time with ghee, to allow the kawab to become of a rich brown colour, without burning or being singed in the basting. Remove from the skewer, and serve hot.
For the modern redaction see the Seikh Kebab page.
46.—Tick-keeah Kawab
Take two pounds of fat beef, wash it, cut it into small pieces, and pound it to a pulp, remove all
fibres, &c, and then add to it one teaspoonful of ground onion, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground
turmeric, one-eighth of a teaspoonful of ground garlic, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground chilies,
half a teaspoonful of ground peppercorns, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground ginger, half a
teaspoonful of ground hot spices, and one tablespoonful of tyre or dhye.Mix the whole well together, add salt to your taste, and the yolk and white of an egg well beaten up; form into balls of equal sizes; flatten them, pass them on iron or plated skewers about eighteen inches long, rub them well over with ghee, wrap them in plantain-leaf, and roast or broil them over a charcoal fire. Serve them up hot, removed from the skewers. These are usually eaten with chappatee.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Beef Tikka Kebab page.
The ingredients and condiments necessary for the curries on stick are as follow:—One chittack and a half of ghee, one teaspoonful and a half of salt, four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one teaspoonful of turmeric, half a teaspoonful of ginger, half a cupful of water, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground garlic, one teaspoonful of chilies, half a cupful of tyre or dhye, some finely-sliced ginger, and as many small curry onions cut into half as may be required. Six silver pins five inches long, or, in the absence of these, six bamboo pins, are required.
47.—Hussanee Beef Curry
Cut up two pounds of beef into small squares not exceeding one inch, and pass them on the silver or
bamboo pins alternately with half an onion and a slice of ginger. Half a dozen sticks with be ample
for four hearty consumers.Warm the ghee and brown the ground condiments; then put in the sticks of meat, and brown, stirring the whole; after this add the tyre and a little water, and allow to simmer over a slow fire for nearly two hours, when the curry will be ready. Serve up on a curry-dish without removing the sticks.
For the modern redaction see the Basted Beef and Onion Kebabs page.
48.—Hussanee Mutton Curry
Remove the meat from a shoulder of mutton, and cut it into small squares; the same instructions will
apply to the preparation of mutton curry on stick as those given for beef curry on stick. Time to
simmer: half an hour.49.—Hussanee Veal Curry
Cut squares enough from a shoulder of veal, and observe the instructions given in the foregoing
recipe. Time to simmer: one hour.50.—Hussanee Curry of Udder and Liver
The udder and liver should be parboiled before being cut up for passing on the sticks; but in all other
respects the instructions given for the beaf and mutton curries on stick will apply to the udder and
liver curry on stick. Time to simmer: fully one hour and a half.This, without exception, is one of the richest of Hindoostanee curries, but it is quite unsuited to European taste, if made, according to the original recipe, of which the following is a copy:—
51.—Quorema Curry, Plain
Take two pounds of mutton, one pound of tyre or dhye, two chittacks of garlic, one dam of
cardamoms, four chittacks of bruised almonds, four mashas of saffron, the juice of five lemons, one
pound of ghee, four chittacks of sliced onions, one dam of cloves, one chittack of pepper, four
chittacks of cream, and a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground garlic.The following is the recipe of the quorema curry usually put on a gentleman's table:—Two chittacks and a half or five ounces of ghee, one cup or eight ounces of good thick tyre, one teaspoonful of ground chilies, four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one teaspoonful of coriander-seed, six small sticks of ground cinnamon, two or three blades of lemon-grass, one teaspoonful and a half of salt, a half teaspoonful of ground ginger, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground garlic, eight or ten peppercorns, four or five ground cloves, five or six ground cardamoms, two or three bay-leaves, a quarter of a cup of water, the juice of one lemon, and twelve large onions cut lengthways into fine slices.
Take two pounds of good fat mutton, and cut it up into pieces nearly one inch and a half square. Warm the ghee, fry in it the sliced onions, and set aside; then fry all the ground condiments, including the ground hot spices. When quite brown, throw in the mutton and salt, and allow the whole to brown, after which add the tyre, the hot spices with peppercorns and bay-leaves, the lemon-grass, the water, and the fried onions finely chopped; close the pot, and allow it to simmer over a gentle coal fire for about an hour and a half or two hours, by which time the kurma will be quite ready. The blades of lemon-grass are never dished up.
52.—Kid Quorema
Cut up a fore-quarter or a hind-quarter of a kid into eight or ten pieces, and cook it exactly as
directed in the foregoing recipe. This is rather preferred to mutton quorema.For the modern redaction see the Kid Goat Korma page.
53.—Fowl Quorema
Take a young full-ground tender fowl; cut it up as for an ordinary curry, cook it with all the
condiments in the proportions given, and observe all the directions laid down in recipe No. 51.N.B.—Most Europeans give the preference to the fowl quorema.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Chicken Korma page.
The condiments and other ingredients necessary are as follow:—One chittack or two ounces of ghee, one teaspoonful and a half of salt, four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one teaspoonful of ground turmeric, one teaspoonful of ground chilies, half a teaspoonful of ground ginger, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground garlic, the milk of a large cocoanut, say two cups, two blades of lemon-grass, three or four cloves, ground, three or four cardamoms, and as many small sticks of cinnamon, ground.
The coriander and cumin seeds must on no account be put into malay curries, or the delicate flavour of the cocoanut will be destroyed.
It will be necessary to provide what the natives call a narial-ka-khoornee, which, interpreted, means “cocoanut scraper." It is a small circular flat piece of iron, about the size and thickness of a Spanish dollar, the edges being notched. It is of rude construction, and fixed on a conveniently shaped wooden frame, also of rude construction. The best of the kind may be procured for two annas.
54.—Cocoanut Milk
The nut is scraped or rasped with the aid of the “khoornee" into very fine particles; it is then put into
a deep vessel, and boiling water poured over it until the whole of the scraped cocoanut is covered.
After allowing it to steep for ten or fifteen minutes, it is carefully strained through a clean napkin
into another vessel or cup, the pulp is returned into the original vessel, and more boiling water is
poured over it. This operation of steeping in boiling water and straining is continued until you have
obtained the required quantity of the extracted milk of the cocoanut. The pulp is thrown away. If the
cocoanut be a small one, or its nut not hard and deep, it will be necessary to provide a second
cocoanut. Good cocoanuts are sold at an anna to an anna and a half a piece.55.—Chicken Malay Gravy Curry with White Pumpkin or Cucumber
Take the usual full-sized curry chicken, and divide it as before directed; get either six cucumbers or
a quarter of a white pumpkin; remove the green skin and the part containing the seeds, then cut it up
into sixteen pieces of about two inches square, and steep in water.Fry in the ghee all the ground condiments, including the ground hot spices; when brown, add the cut-up chicken and salt; fry to a fine bright light brown; then put in the pumpkin, having previously allowed all the water to drain away through a colander; pour in the two cups of cocoanut milk, the lemon-grass, and hot spices, and allow the whole to simmer over a slow fire for about half an hour, when the curry will be ready: the blade of lemon-grass is not dished up.
For the modern redaction see the Malay Chicken Curry with White Pumpkin page.
56.—Prawn Malay Gravy Curry with White Pumpkin or Cucumber
Select the bagda prawns (bagda chingree), whenever they are procurable, in preference to any other
description. The shell and head are of a dark colour in comparison with what are called jeel ka
chingree, the shell and head of which are very perceptibly several shades lighter than the bagdas.It is impossible to quote any price as a guide, the fluctuation being almost incredible. Fine large prawns, not lobsters— prawns which, without their heads, would be about the size of the ordinary dried Normandy pippins sent out to this country for tarts— may be obtained one day at two annas for twenty, and the next day they will not be procurable at less than eight annas for the same number. This remark applies generally to fish of every description brought for sale into the Calcutta market.
With one other remark of importance, we shall proceed to the instructions necessary for the preparation of prawn malay gravy curry.
The prawns should be parboiled after removing the heads, to rid them, as the natives call it, of besine, which means all disagreeable character of fishy smell and taste.
As a rule, the heads of prawns should always be rejected, which, in the process of frying, absorb largely the ghee, and in the cooking dispel a liquid from their spongy formation.
In all other respects, the prawn malay gravy curry is cooked like the chicken malay gravy curry, omitting the ginger; but an additional blade or two of the lemon-grass would not be amiss, which, on the curry being dished, are thrown away.
57.—Chicken Malay Gravy Curry with Pulwal
Take a fat chicken, clean it, remove all the flesh and pound it to a pulp, and prepare it in every
respect as directed in recipe No. 34 for a cofta curry, omitting the suet. Take a dozen large-sized
pulwals, scrape or pare away the outer skin, split them down one side, extract all the seeds, &c, and
throw the pulwals into cold water; wash and drain away all the water, then stuff them with the
prepared forcemeat, tie them with fine sewing cotton, and cook them in the milk of the cocoanut,
exactly as directed in recipe No. 55.58.—Prawn Malay Gravy Curry with Pulwal
Take bagda prawns; shell and clean them, pound to a pulp, and prepare as directed in recipe No. 37
for prawn cofta curry. Take a dozen pulwals, peel them finely, cut them open lengthways, clear them
of all seeds, &c, wash and dry them, then stuff them with the prepared prawn mince; tie the pulwals
with sewing cotton, and cook in cocoanut milk as directed in recipe No. 56.59.—Chicken Malay Doopiaja
The condiments and ingredients are as follow:-One chittack and a half or three ounces of ghee, one
teaspoonful and a half of salt, four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one teaspoonful of ground
turmeric, one teaspoonful of ground chilies, half a teaspoonful of ground ginger, a quarter of a
teaspoonful of ground garlic, one cup of strong cocoanut milk, and one dozen onions cut lengthways
into fine slices.Cut up the chicken in the usual manner, warm the ghee, fry and set aside the sliced onions, then fry brown the ground condiments, after which add the chicken and salt. When fried brown, pour in the cocoanut milk and the fried onions finely chopped, and allow to simmer over a slow fire: the Malay doopiaja will be ready in an hour.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Chicken Malay Dopiaza page.
60.—Prawn Malay Doopiaja
Take sixteen or twenty large bagda prawns, throw away the heads, parboil the prawns, and then
doopiaje in all respects as for a chicken Malay doopiaja, omitting the ginger.This well-known Portuguese curry can only be made properly of beef, pork, or duck. The following is a recipe of the vindaloo in general use:—
Six ounces or three chittacks of ghee or lard, one tablespoonful of bruised garlic, one tablespoonful of ground garlic, one tablespoonful of ground ginger, two 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.For the modern redaction see the Victorian Beef Vindaloo page.
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 air-tight.
When required for use, take out only as much as will suffice, and simply warm it in a little of its own gravy.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Pickled Vindaloo page.
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.
For the modern redaction see the Goan Curry Paste page.
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.
For the modern redaction see the Hilsa Fish Gravy Curry page.
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.
For the modern redaction see the Hilsa Fish Fried in Curry Condiments page.
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.For the modern redaction see the Egg Curry page.
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.For the modern redaction see the Egg Curry with Channa Dal page.
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.
For the modern redaction see the Seam, Potato and Peas Chakee page.
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.For the modern redaction see the Seam, Potato and Peas Chakee page.
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 curries. Some Europeans like the flavour, and have it daily when procurable. Inquiry and trial
are recommended.Half an anna's worth of any saug will suffice for a party of four, for curries made of greens, such as spinach, &c. The following condiments, &c, are used:—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 ground salt, and one cupful of water.
82.—Red Saug and Omra
The omra should be peeled, and half fried if large. Great care must be taken to thoroughly clean and
wash the greens. Put them into a colander and allow all the water to drain away. Then warm the oil,
and fry the ground condiments; then the saug and omra, and when crisp add the water and cook
over a slow fire until the greens and omra are tender.For the modern redaction see the Red Saag and Omra page.
83.—Red Saug, Omra, and Shrimps
Observe in all respects the same process as that required in cooking without the shrimps, omitting
the ginger.84.—Red Saug and Prawns
The prawns should be parboiled, and then follow all the instructions in recipe No. 82.85.—Green Saug with Prawns
Proceed in every particular as with the last.For the modern redaction see the Victorian Green Saag with Prawns page.
86.—Danta Curry with Shrimps
The danta is a fine delicate long green pod which the horseradish-tree yields, and contains small
peas; these pods are cut into lengths of three or four inches and cooked with shrimps. Beyond this
explanation it is not necessary to enlarge upon the instructions already given.87.—Khuttah Carree, or Acid Vegetable Curry
Take small quantities of all kinds of vegetables in season, but the best curry is that made of potatoes,
kutchoo or artichoke, sweet potatoes or suckercund, carrots, red and white pumpkins, and tomatoes.The vegetables should be cut into large pieces, and boiled in water with the following condiments:—Four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one teaspoonful each of ground turmeric and chilies, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground garlic, and one teaspoonful of roasted and ground coriander-seed.
Prepare two large cups of tamarind water, slightly sweetened with jaggry, strain through a sieve, and add the strained water to the boiled vegetables with a few fresh chilies. Then melt in a separate pot one chittack or two ounces of mustard oil. While the oil is bubbling, fry in it a teaspoonful of the collinga, or onion-seeds, and when sufficiently fried pour it over the boiled vegetables including the tamarind water. Close up the pot, and allow it to simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes, when it will be ready. It is eaten cold.
By bhahjee is meant fried. The two most generally approved vegetable bhahjees are those made of bringals and pulwals. The following are the condiments, &c, used:—Mustard oil according to the quantity of vegetable to be fried, a little ground turmeric and chilies, and some salt.
88.—Bringal Bhahjee
Take young full-sized bringals; wash them thoroughly, and slice them about an eighth of an inch
thick; dry them, steep them for half an hour in the ground condiments and salt, fry in oil, and serve
up hot.For the modern redaction see the Victorian Brinjal Bhaji page.
89.—Pulwal Bhahjee
Take a dozen or more pulwals—a most excellent and wholesome native vegetable,—scrape or pare
away very finely the upper green coating, divide them lengthways into two pieces, clear away all the
seeds, &c, wash, drain away all the water, and steep them in ground turmeric, chilies, and salt for
half an hour or longer; then fry them quite crisp in melted mustard oil. They are much liked by some
Europeans.N.B.—The vegetable called ram's horns or lady's fingers, known by the natives as dharus, makes an excellent bhahjee; so does the kerrella, a small green and intensely bitter native vegetable, which comes into the market in March and April; it is not, however, well suited to the European taste.
For the modern redaction see the Pointed Gourd Bhaji page.
Half an anna's worth of any dal will suffice for a party of four. The condiments are as follow:— Three-quarters of a chittack of ghee, four teaspoonfuls of ground onions, one teaspoonful of ground chilies, half a teaspoonful of ground turmeric, half a teaspoonful of ground ginger, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground garlic, one teaspoonful and a half of salt, and half a dozen onions cut into six or eight slices each.
90.—Moong Dal
Take half a pound of the raw dal, or say half a cupful; clean, pick, and roast it; mix it up with all the
ground condiments and salt, put into a pot, pour water over the whole, some two inches above the
dal, and boil it well, until the dal has quite dissolved. Be careful not to disturb it while in the process
of boiling, but allow it to cake as it were en masse. When thoroughly boiled, churn the dal by
twirling it in a wooden instrument called a ghootnee; then warm the ghee in a separate pot, fry the
onions, chop them, and throw into the churned dal, after which pour the dal into the pot of melted
ghee, and keep stirring until the dal and ghee have well mixed; then put the cover on, and allow to
simmer over a slow fire for about a quarter of an hour.N.B.—The standard price of the best roasted moong dal is two annas and a half per seer.
For the modern redaction see the Mung Dhal page.
91.—Mussoor or Red Dal
The process in all respects for preparing and cooking the red dal is the same as for the moong dal,
excepting that, instead of fried sliced onions, a large clove of garlic is cut up small, fried, and takes
the place of the onions.The price of the best quality mussoor dal, free of husk, is two annas per seer.
92.—Mussoor Dal with Amchoor or with Tamarind
Put the amchoor, or, if preferred, tamarind, into the pot with the dal; allow it to dissolve, and when
the dal is going through the process of bring churned remove the hard stones of the amchoor or
seeds of the tamarind.93.—Mussoor Dal Chur Churree
Instead of only half a dozen onions, take a dozen, and cut them into fine slices lengthways. Warm
the three-quarters of a chittack of ghee, fry and set aside the sliced onions, then fry all the ground
condiments; next put in and fry the dal, having previously washed it well, soaked it in water for
about a quarter of an hour, and drained it through a colander. When thoroughly fried and browned,
add only a little water, barely sufficient to cover the fried dal, and allow to simmer from ten to
fifteen minutes, or until the dal has dissolved. Serve up, strewing over it the fried onions. If chunna
ka dal be used, soak it for an hour.Other dais are occasionally served up, but very rarely at European tables. The price of the best clean chunna ka dal rarely exceeds two annas per seer.
For the modern redaction see the Masoor Dal Chur Churi page.
94.—Dal Foolaree
Is much liked by Europeans, but is rarely served up well, owing to the trouble and time required in
making it properly.For the recipe see No. 223.
Burtas are mashes of potatoes and other vegetables, cold meats, dry fish, &c.; they are palatable, and much liked by most Europeans as accompaniments to curry and rice. The ingredients to almost every burta are the fine large white Patna onions, fresh green chilies, and the juice of fresh lemons.
95.—Potato Burta
Take a moderate or middling sized white Panta onion; remove the outer coats, and slice very fine;
then slice or cut up two hot green chilies, and squeeze over the onion and chilies the juice of a fresh
lime: allow to soak. Take eight or ten well-boiled potatoes, half a teaspoonful of salt, and a
teaspoonful of good mustard oil; bruise the potatoes down with a large silver or plated fork, adding,
when they are half bruised, the onions and chilies, with as much only of the lime-juice as may be
agreeable: mix all well together with a light hand, so that the potatoes may not cake, and yet be well
and thoroughly mashed and mixed.For the modern redaction see the Aloo Bharta/Indian Mashed Potatoes page.
96.—Brinjal Burta
Prepare the sliced onions, chilies, and lime-juice in the manner directed for potato burta. Take two
fine young brinjals of large size; carefully and thoroughly roast them in a quick ash fire; remove the
ashes and burnt parts of the skin, if any; then open the brinjals, and with a clean spoon remove the
contents to as near the skin as possible, to which add a good teaspoonful of salt and teaspoonful of
mustard oil; work these with a spoon to a perfect pulp, throwing away the lumps or shreds if any;
then mix with it all the onions, chilies, and lime-juice. If not to your taste, add more salt or
lime-juice, according to fancy.For the modern redaction see the Brinjal Bharta page.
97.—Dry Fish Burta
Prepare onions, chilies, and lime-juice as before. Take a part of the Arabian dried beckty and well
broil it; remove all the bones, and pound the fish to nearly a powder; mix it thoroughly with a
teaspoonful of mustard oil, and add the onions, chilies, and lime-juice.For the modern redaction see the Dried Fish Bharta page.
98.—Red Herring Burta
Take onions, chilies, and lime-juice. Place the herring, with its original paper packing, on a gridiron,
or on a frying-pan, and warm it well; then clear it of all skin, very carefully pick out all the bones,
bruise the herring, and mix it thoroughly with the sliced onions, chilies, and lime-juice.N.B.—This is an inimitable burta.
99.—Cold Corned-Beef Burta
Steep sliced onions and chilies in lime-juice; have the red well-corned part of a cold round of beef
nicely pounded; add to it the onions, chilies, and as much of the lime-juice as may be desirable.100.—Cold Tongue Burta
The remains of a well-corned cold tongue make an excellent burta, as per recipe for cold beef burta.101.—Cold Ham Burta
Is made in the same way as the beef and tongue burtas.102.—Green Mango Burta
The condiments for this burta are a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground chilies, half a teaspoonful of
ground fresh mint-leaves, half a teaspoonful of ground ginger, half a teaspoonful of salt, and a
teaspoonful of sugar.Take two ordinary large-size green mangoes; peel, divide, and throw them into clean water, remove the stones, then bruise them to a perfect pulp with the aid of the curry-stone and muller. Care must be taken that the stone is perfectly clean, and will not impart the flavour of garlic or turmeric to the burta. Mix the sugar well with the pulp; if the mango be very acid, add a little more sugar; then mix it with the salt and ground condiments; more salt or sugar may be added if required.
For the modern redaction see the Green Mango Bhurta page.
103.—Tomato Burta
Bake in an oven a dozen good-sized tomatoes until the skin cracks; break them down, and mix with
them a little ground chilies, ginger, salt, and half a teaspoonful of good mustard oil. A small squeeze
of lemon-juice may be added if desired.For the modern redaction see the Roast Tomato Bharta page.
A digester is best adapted for boiling soups in, as no steam can escape, and consequently less water is required than in a common pot.
To extract the substance or essence of meat, long and slow boiling over a charcoal fire is absolutely necessary. In the first instance, however, it is desirable to boil up the meat with pepper and salt on a quick, brisk fire, and take away all the black scum which rises to the surface; then pour a little cold water into the pot to raise up the white scum, which also remove, and reduce the fire, taking care that in the process of slow-boiling the pot is never off the boil.
104.—Shin of Beef Soup
Take a shin of beef, cut it up small, wash it thoroughly, and boil with pepper and salt in sufficient
water to well cover the meat. Let it boil over a brisk fire, taking away the black scum; add a little
cold water, and skim off the white scum; then reduce the fire, and allow the soup to simmer until it
somewhat thickens; strain the soup, cut away all the fat, season with soup herbs, and add more
pepper and salt if necessary. Give it a good boil up, and then clear it with the white of an egg well
beaten up, after which add a tablespoonful of Lea & Perrin's Worcestershire sauce, and half a
wineglassful of sherry.105.—Shin of Beef Soup, with Forcemeat and Egg Balls
Prepare a shin of beef soup in all respects according to the above directions; clear with an egg well
beaten up, add to it sauce, sherry, forcemeat, and egg balls.106.—Vermicelli Soup
Prepare a shin of beef soup as directed above, omitting the sauce and sherry. Parboil some
vermicelli, and after clearing the soup with the white of an egg, add to it the parboiled vermicelli,
and give it all a good boil up before serving.107.—Macaroni Soup
Prepare a shin of beef soup as directed above, omitting the sauce and wine; boil some macaroni until
perfectly tender; clear the soup with the white of an egg, then add the boiled macaroni, and warm up
before serving.108.—Mulligatawny Soup
Prepare a shin of beef soup as above, omitting the sauce, wine, and white of egg; set the soup aside.
Take a full-sized curry chicken; cut it up into sixteen or eighteen pieces, and wash them thoroughly.
Warm a pot and melt it into two chittacks or four ounces of ghee; fry in it some finely-sliced onions,
and set aside. Then fry in the melted ghee the following condiments, &c.:—Four teaspoonfuls of
ground onions, one teaspoonful of ground turmeric, one teaspoonful of ground chilies, half a
teaspoonful of ground ginger, a quarter of a teaspoonful of ground garlic, half a teaspoonful of
roasted and ground coriander-seed, and a quarter of a teaspoonful of roasted and ground
cumin-seed.For the modern redaction see the Mulligatawny Soup page.
Sprinkle a little water over these while frying; then add the cut-up chicken with two teaspoonfuls of salt. When nearly brown, add one chittack or two ounces of roasted and ground poppy-seeds; pour in the beef soup, add the fried onion and half a dozen of the kurreah fool leaves, close the pot, and allow the whole to simmer over a slow fire until the chicken be perfectly tender. Serve up hot, with limes cut in slices on a separate plate.
109.—Another Way
Prepare a shin of beef as directed above. Cut up a chicken; wash it and set it aside. Heat a pot and
melt in it two chittacks or four ounces of ghee. After frying in it and setting aside some finely-sliced
onions, fry the condiments in the proportions given in the foregoing recipe; then add the cut-up
chicken with two teaspoonfuls of salt; brown it nicely; have ready two chittacks or four ounces of
roasted and ground chunna ka or gram dal, which mix thoroughly in a cup of strong cocoanut milk,
and pour over the chicken just as it has become brown; stir it well, and add the fried onions and the
soup, with half a dozen of the kurreahfool leaves; close the pot, and allow the whole to simmer for
three-quarters of an hour. Serve up hot, with limes, either whole or cut in slices, on a separate plate.110.—Delicious Curry Soup
Prepare a strong beef soup; slice some onions, and cut up a chicken; take curry condiments as
directed above, omitting the coriander and cumin seed; melt two chittacks or four ounces of ghee;
fry and set aside the sliced onions, then fry the condiments, add the cut-up chicken, and fry that
also. In a part of the beef soup boil a spoonful of tamarind, so as to separate the stocks and stones;
strain and stir it into the fried chicken. After a while add the remainder of the beef soup, with half a
dozen kurreah fool leaves, and the friend onions; close up the pot, and continue to simmer the
whole until the chicken is quite tender. Serve up hot.For the modern redaction see the Delicious Curry Soup page.
111.—Bright Onion Soup
Take a shoulder of veal; cut it up small, breaking all the bones; wash it thoroughly, put it into a pan
with pepper, salt, and water, boil it well, and remove all the scum as it rises; reduce the fire, and let
it simmer until the meat is perfectly dissolved; strain it, cut away all the fat, add soup herbs, and
more pepper and salt if required; give it a boil up, and clear it with the white of an egg well beaten
up; slice very fine some pure silvery white Patna onions, and steep them in boiling water, changing
the water three or four times, every ten minutes; drain away all the water and add the onions to the
soup; boil, and serve up hot.112.—Bridal Soup, or Soup Elegant
Take two large shoulders of veal; cut them up small, bones and all, and, after washing thoroughly,
boil over a brisk fire, with white pepper and the best white salt. Be careful that the scum that rises is
well skimmed; reduce the fire, and allow it to simmer until the meat falls off the bones; strain the
soup, let it cool, and then thoroughly free it of all fat; return it into a clean digester, add more salt
and white pepper if necessary, and some white stocks of celery; boil it, and clear it with the whites
of two eggs well beaten up; strain through flannel and set aside.Take the best and most transparent parts of a calf s head and the tongue, and boil perfectly tender without reducing them to shreds, being careful to remove all the scum that rises to the surface; lay the boiled tongue and meat out on a clean dish; slice the tongue fine, and cut out all manner of devices, such as, diamonds, squares, circles, hearts, stars, &c; do the same with the best and cleanest parts of meat selected from the head; take care that no particles of scum or other impurities be adhering to them; where any does adhere, rinse it off in a little of the cleared soup; then place them carefully into the tureen in which it is purposed to serve up the soup. If fancy macaroni be procurable, a tablespoonful may be boiled tender, free of all particles of dust or powder, and added to the cut-up meat and tongue, over which pour the boiling-hot soup; add to it a wineglassful of the palest sherry, and serve up hot.
N.B.—The calf's tongue and meat of the head may be boiled with the veal, but they should be removed when tender, and not allowed to dissolve with the longer simmering of the veal.
This is an elegant soup, beautifully transparent, and of the colour of light champagne.
113.—Soup Royal
Take a shin of beef, the best parts of meat cut off from a calfs head, and the tongue; cut the beef
into small particles, but leave the tongue and the meat from the calfs head whole; add pepper and
salt, and boil well, clearing the scum as it rises; remove the tongue and the meat of the calfs head
when sufficiently tender, but continue to boil the shin of beef until it is well dissolved; then strain it,
and cut away all the fat; put it up again with plenty of soup herbs, and more salt and pepper if
necessary; boil it well up; squeeze into the soup the juice of half a lemon, and skim it well; strain it
once more, and set it aside.Cut the tongue into slices of an eighth of an inch thick, trim them into the shape of large diamonds, and set aside. Cut up the meat of the calf s head into one-inch squares and strips of an inch and a half long and half an inch wide; add to these a few ready-fried circular flat brain cakes, make also a few egg balls and forcemeat balls, and, after cooking, add them to the rest of the meat, tongue, &c, and set aside.
Take four red carrots, one pound of green peas, half a pound of boiled potatoes, one large turnip, one large Patna onion, a quarter of a pound of roasted and ground split peas or gram dal, some soup herbs, pepper, and salt, the pulp of one orange, and the peels of half an orange and half a lemon. Put these into a stewpan with water sufficient to cover the whole; boil them thoroughly, skimming all the while; when perfectly dissolved, turn them out into a colander and allow all the water to drain away; then turn the contents of the colander into a sieve, and pass the vegetables, &c, through it, rejecting all such as will not pass. Add the whole, or a part of the strained vegetables to the soup, which should not be thicker in consistency than a good thick potato soup.
Next stew one dozen good French prunes in a claret-glassful of port wine, which also strain through a sieve, rejecting stones, &c, and add the strained portion to the soup; then boil the whole, strain it once more, add to it all the forcemeat and egg balls, the brain cakes, tongue, &c, and serve up, adding to it more salt, wine, or sauce, if needed.
N.B.—This soup properly made is without its equal.
114.—Fish Mooloo
Fry the fish and let it cool. Scrape a cocoanut, put a teacupful of hot water into it, rub it well, strain
it and put aside; then put two spoonfuls more of water; strain this also; cut up three or four green
chilies, and as many onions as you like, with half a garlic. Fry them with a little ghee, and whilst
frying put the last straining of the cocoanut water in with the ingredients till it is dry; then add the
first water of the nut, and pour the whole over the fish, with some vinegar, ginger, whole pepper, and
salt to your taste.For the modern redaction see the Victorian Fish Molee page.
115.—Another Way
Fry in a little ghee three or four chilies cut up, half a clove of garlic, and some sliced onions. When
half fried, add two tablespoonfuls of cocoanut milk, and continue to fry until dry; then stir into it a
teacupful of cocoanut milk, a little vinegar, some sliced ginger, peppercorns, and salt to taste, and
while hot pour it over a cold fried or boiled fish.116.—Another Way
Cut up a fish into small, two-inch squares, and fry in ghee, with egg, bread-crumbs, and turmeric, of
a nice brown colour. Boil in cocoanut milk some sliced green ginger and sliced green chilies; then
add the fish, with salt to taste, and let it stew until the sauce has thickened. Serve up hot.117.—Prawn Cutlet
Shell and wash the prawns; remove the heads, but leave the tails; slit them down in the centre, and
gently beat them flat with a rolling-pin; sprinkle them with pepper and salt, and some finely-minced
soup herbs; rub them over with yolk of eggs, and dredge with flour; fry over a very moderate fire to
a rich light brown colour. Garnish the dish with fried green parsley, or serve up with tomato sauce
gravy as per recipe No. 300.118.—Crabs in Shell
Clean and boil the crabs in salt; remove them out of the shells; pick and clean them well, and
reserve the coral for dressing.Chop and mince fine the crabs; add some onion and ginger juice, a little lime-juice, pepper, and salt, and a little mushroom catsup. Melt some butter, and fry the mixture in it until the butter be absorbed; then add a little stock, and remove from the fire immediately the stock begins to dry. Butter the shells, and fill with the mixture. The meat of six crabs will refill five shells. Take some finely-sifted bread-crumbs; grind down the coral, and put it over the mixture on the shells, with the bread-crumbs, and bits of butter; bake for a few minutes.
119.—Tamarind Fish
Make a thick pickle of ripe tamarinds, good English vinegar, and a little salt; pass through a sieve,
rejecting all stones and fibres. Select really good fresh hilsa fish, full size, with roes. Remove all the
scales and fins, cut away the heads and tails, remove the roes, clean out the fish inside, and then
slice up, an inch thick. Wipe away all blood, &c, with a clean dry towel. Care must be taken to use
no water in the cleaning of the fish or in the preparation of the pickle. The board on which the fish is
cut up, and also the knife, must be very clean. After all the blood, &c, has been thoroughly cleaned
and wiped away, lay out the slices of fish and roe on a clean dish, sprinkle thickly with salt, and
place over them a wire dish-cover to keep away the flies. Four or five hours afterwards put a layer
of the pickle into a wide-mouthed bottle or jar, and a thick coating of pickle over each slice of fish
and the roes, after washing away the salt with a little vinegar; lay them in order in the jar, until the
last of the fish is put in; then be careful to put in a very thick layer of the pickle. Cork the jar
securely, and tie it down with a good bladder to keep it air-tight, and in three weeks it will be fit for
use. It is desirable to fill each jar well up to the mouth, to effect which the jars or bottles to be
selected should be of the required size.N.B.—If the fish be really fresh, all the ingredients of good quality, and no water used in the operation of cleaning and pickling, the jars well filled, and mouths secured with sound bladder, the fish will keep good for months, and will be fit to send home.
120.—Smoked Fish
The mango fish, beckty, or hilsa should be cut down the back, spread open, and well washed and
salted. Have a bright charcoal fire, and sprinkle over it some bran, with brown sugar; cover the fire
with an open-work bamboo basket, having over it a coarse duster; arrange the fish over the duster,
and allow them to smoke. When one side has browned, turn and brown the other side. As the smoke
decreases, add more bran, and fan up the fire. A duster thrown over the fish while smoking will
facilitate the operation.121.—Dried Prawns
Strip the prawns of their shells; keep them for a day in salt mixed with turmeric; then string and put
them out in the sun daily for fifteen or twenty days.122.—Prawn Powder
Take a seer of dry prawns; wash them well, dry over the fire until crisp, pound fine, with some red
pepper and nutmeg, pass through a sieve, and bottle for use. A teaspoonful spread over bread and
butter is considered a relish.For the modern redaction see the Prawn Powder page.
123.—Corned Round of Beef.
Select a good round of beef four days previously to it being required for the table, together with two
seers of cooking salt, eight fresh juicy limes, one anna-worth of saltpetre, and a tablespoonful of
suckur, a description of moist brown sugar. Pound fine the saltpetre; put the rind of four limes, pared
fine, into a marble mortar, with a tablespoonful of brandy or other spirit; bruise and pound it well,
adding to it the suckur or brown sugar, and gradually half the powdered saltpetre; mix all well
together. Take one seer of the salt, and mix into it the contents of the marble mortar; divide the
mixture into four equal parts, and rub briskly one-fourth part of it into the round; puncture the beef
lightly during the operation with a clean bright steel sailmaker's needle, to allow the mixture to
penetrate more freely. An hour or two after take another fourth of the mixture; squeeze into it the
juice of the four limes from which the rind had been removed, and repeat the operation of rubbing it
into the round, puncturing it lightly with the needle; turn the beef over from side to side continually,
so that one side do not soak or steep more in the brine than another; repeat the operation of rubbing
it well several times during the day. Next morning place it on a dry dish, and rub into it another
fourth part of the prepared salt; let it stand for an hour or so, then pour over it the old brine; repeat
the rubbing two or three times during the day, turning the beef continually. On the third day rub half
of the remaining saltpetre into the beef dry, and allow it to stand for an hour or two; then add the
rest of the saltpetre and the juice of the four limes to the remaining fourth part of the mixture, in
which keep turning and rubbing the beef during the day as before; in the evening pour over it the
stale brine, cover it thickly with the one seer of remaining salt, and place a heavy weight upon it,
until required to be boiled the next day.124.—Beef a la Mode
Corn a round of beef in every particular as directed above, and twenty-four hours previously to its
being cooked lard it as follows with the undermentioned ingredients:—Four pounds of lard or fat
bacon, half a tablespoonful of cinnamon powdered, half a seer or one pound of finely-powdered
pepper, one tablespoonful of cloves powdered, and four tablespoonfuls of chutnee strained through
muslin. Mix the ground pepper, ground hot spices, and strained chutnee with a claret-glassful of
mixed sauces, such as Harvey, walnut, Worcestershire, tap, tomato, &c. Cut up into long narrow
slips the lard or bacon to correspond in thickness with the larding-pin, and lay the slips into the
mixture of spices, sauces, &c, for an hour or two before larding the beef, which should be larded
through and through, and as closely as possible.Cook it the next day, either in plain water, with half a pint of vinegar, and with bay-leaves and peppercorns, as is usual, or in a preparation of claret or champagne with vinegar, bay-leaves, &c. This is not necessary, but it tends to the improvement of the flavour at some considerable cost.
125.—Le Fricandeau de Veau.
Take a large leg of veal; remove the knuckle-bone; corn and lard it in all respects like a beef a la
mode, reducing the ingredients in proportion to the difference in size and weight between a round of
beef and the leg of veal. Boil, baste, and glaze it well in the liquor in which it is boiled. Serve up with
all sorts of boiled and glazed vegetables.126.—Hunter's Beef, or Spiced Beef
Corn a round of beef, as per recipe No. 123, with the addition of large quantities of finely-ground
pepper and hot spices. Some of the pepper and spice should be well rubbed in with the saltpetre, and
the beef should be punctured well the whole time with a needle to insure the saltpetre and spices
penetrating. After the dry saltpetre and spice have been well rubbed in, prepare a mixture of salt,
saltpetre, suckur, lemon-rind, pepper, and spice, and rub in one-fourth of the mixture, continuing to
puncture the beef. Add subsequently to the brine the juice of lemon, and observe closely all the
instructions given in recipe No. 123. On the seventh day remove the beef from the brine; rub it well
with two tablespoonfuls of finely-powdered spices and pepper; inclose it thoroughly in skins of fat,
and then in a strong coarse pie-crust, and bake it in a good oven. A baker's oven is the best.127.—Collared Brisket
Bone a brisket of beef; rub into it saltpetre, suckur or brown sugar, and one seer of salt, with some
lime-juice; keep it in the brine for thirty-six hours, rubbing it continually. Then remove it from the
brine, and clear away all the salt. Roll the beef tightly into a collar, secure it well, inclose it in a stout
duster, and boil it.128.—Spiced Collared Brisket
The process is the same as the above, but if the beef be required to keep for any lengthened time the
quantity of salt ought to be doubled, the beef kept in the brine for seventy-two hours, and hot spices,
pepper, chutnee, and sauces added. The beef after being rolled should be packed in the skin of fat,
then in a coarse pastry, instead of in plantain-leaf, and baked in a baker's oven.Kill and feather, with plunging into hot water, four young, full-grown pigeons, taking care not to break their skins; singe them, to destroy any remaining feathers; then wash them in three or four cold waters, cut them in halves, dredge them well with salt and finely-sifted pepper, and allow to remain for an hour. Then boil up two tablespoonfuls of ghee or lard, and fry the birds to a rich brown, turning them over. When sufficiently browned, put in a cupful of beef stock, and allow to simmer until the birds are quite tender; pour over them a tin of petit pois with their gravy, and serve up hot.
130.—Ducks with Green Olives
Choose young, full-grown, tender ducks; feather and singe them as directed in the foregoing recipe,
after which wash them in three or four cold waters; stuff the ducks according to recipe No. 325, and
bake in a deep dish in a moderate oven until brown; then add a good beef stock with sliced onions,
and bake until the stock is reduced; remove the ducks, and put into the pan the contents of a bottle
of olives stoned, and allow to bake for ten or fifteen minutes to soften the olives; place the ducks on
a clean dish, arrange the olives round the ducks, and pour the gravy over. Serve up hot.131.—Kidney Stew
Steep in lukewarm water for a few minutes a dozen mutton kidneys, and remove the white skin or
coat which will become perceptible; cut into halves or quarter them, wash in three or four waters,
and allow them to remain as long as possible in pepper, salt, and the juice of onions, ginger, and
garlic; boil up three dessertspoonfuls of ghee or lard in a deep frying-pan, throw in the kidneys with
the juice, put in half a clove of garlic, and cover over the whole with eight large Patna onions sliced
each into eight slices, and separated so as to cover over the whole surface of the pan; pour over it as
much hot stock as will keep all the onions under, and simmer over a slow fire until the onions
disappear, when serve up quite hot.132.—French Mutton Chops
Take half a dozen chops cut from a breast of mutton, throwing away the intermediate bones— that is
to say, allow the meat of two chops to remain on one bone. Wash, dry, and steep the chops for an
hour or two before dinner in the juice of onions, ginger, and garlic— say four teaspoonfuls of the first
to three of the second and two of the last. Mix on a large board pepper, salt, and flour, with which
dredge the chops thoroughly, and fry quickly in boiling ghee or lard, taking care in turning over and
removing the chops not to use a fork or anything likely to occasion any wound to the chops, which
should be held by the bones with a pair of pincers. Serve up hot immediately they have become of a
good rich brown colour.133.—Mutton Stew
Cut up a breast of mutton in the usual way for a stew; wash and dry the meat. Take of the juice of
onions one tablespoonful, of ginger half a tablespoonful, and of garlic a quarter of a tablespoonful;
mix with the meat, add pepper and salt, and allow to stand for any time from one to four hours.Fry in a large stewpan two tablespoonfuls of ghee or lard, and when on the boil fry to a nice brown all the meat only; afterwards pour in the liquor in which the meat has been steeped, and allow to simmer for fifteen or twenty minutes; thicken some stock with a teaspoonful of flour, and add it to the stew; allow to simmer until the meat is perfectly tender.
If vegetables be required (the addition of which, however, is not considered any improvement), the original gravy, before adding the stock, must be removed and set aside.
Let the vegetables, consisting of, say, potatoes, carrots, turnips, and cut-up and sliced cabbage, after being cleaned, remain for an hour or two in cold water; lay them over the meat, and pour in hot stock sufficient to cover the whole of the meat and vegetables, and allow to simmer over a brisk coal fire until quite tender; then pour into the pot the original gravy which had been removed, and serve up hot.
Or, instead of the vegetables named above, take only twenty-five or thirty tomatoes, in which case the stock should be lessened, as the tomatoes produce a large amount of liquid, and do not require as much boiling as the harder vegetables.
134.—Mutton Brains and Love Apples
Take six brains, sixteen to twenty large tomatoes, two chittacks or four ounces of butter, and eight
biscuits. Wash the brains well; clean, boil, and halve, or cut each into three pieces; thoroughly butter
the dish which will be put on the table; dredge it well with finely-powdered biscuit; lay in the brains;
cut the tomatoes, and lay them in the dish between the brains, the cut ends upwards; add a small
cupful of good stock, and, after sprinkling a sufficient quantity of pepper and salt as a seasoning,
dredge thickly over with the ground biscuit-powder, and bake of a rich brown. Serve up hot.135.—Kid Roasted Whole
Bespeak from a butcher a whole kid, with its head on.Prepare a stuffing as per recipe No. 323 or 325, and after cleaning the kid, stuff into it the stuffing; break the joints of the legs, and fold and truss them like a pig; then put it up to roast, basting it the whole time with beef suet melted down, to which add hot water and salt. Serve up in a sitting posture like a pig, and with a lime in the mouth.
136.—Potato Pie
Boil and mash down some potatoes, with pepper, salt, milk, and butter; line a pie-dish a quarter of
an inch thick with the mash; arrange in it a nicely-browned mutton, beef, or chicken stew, cover it
over with a thick coat of the mashed potatoes, and bake for a quarter of an hour.137.—Minced Veal Potato Pie
Make a good rich veal mince, mixed with a little ham, and some sippets of bread-crumb cut into
small squares, diamonds, &c, and fried in butter; line the pie-dish with mashed potatoes as above
directed; fill into it the veal mince, with plenty of gravy; arrange the sippets, cover over with a thick
crust of the mashed potatoes, and bake for a quarter of an hour.138.—Beef Steak and Pigeon Pie
This should consist of a slice of good steak, two pounds of beef, one chittack or two ounces of ghee,
a teaspoonful of salt, two fresh limes, four young pigeons, twelve oysters, twelve curry onions cut
lengthways into fine slices, a teaspoonful of ground pepper, some sweet herbs, and a dessertspoonful
of flour.Cut up the steak into pieces three inches long, and two inches or two and a half wide, by half an inch thick. Cut and divide each pigeon into four pieces; put up two pounds of beef with sufficient water to make a good strong gravy, throwing in all the scraggy parts and other rejections of the steak and pigeons. Warm the ghee, and fry in it the sliced onions; throw in, well dredged with the flour, the steaks and pigeons, and after frying a while add the pepper, salt, soup herbs, and some of the rind of the limes, and about half the beef gravy. Set the whole on a slow fire, and simmer until the meat is tender; allow to cool; then add the oysters and the remaining gravy, with the juice of two limes; put into a dish lined with pastry, cover over the whole with a pastry crust, and bake.
139.—Veal Pie
Cut a leg of veal into small pieces, or a breast into chops, and parboil in water enough to fill the
pie-dish. When about half stewed take the veal out; season the gravy with pepper, salt, a little mace,
and a little bacon; dredge in a little flour; line the sides of the dish with a pie-crust; arrange the meat,
pour in the gravy, cover it with a pie-crust, and bake it for an hour.140.—Macaroni Pie
Take half a pound of macaroni (recipe No. 218); boil and throw away the first water; then boil it
again in some milk, and remove when it is quite tender. Prepare a strong gravy or soup with two
pounds of beef, well seasoned with ground white pepper, salt, and soup herbs.Bruise into fine powder two ounces of some good English cheese; take a dessertspoonful of very dry mustard, half a teaspoonful of very finely powdered white pepper, about two teaspoonfuls of salt, and two chittacks or four ounces of butter. Pound very fine a couple of crisp biscuits.
Pour over the boiled macaroni sufficient beef gravy or stock to entirely cover it; then put in all the pepper, salt, and mustard, but only half the ground cheese. Set it to simmer over a slow fire until the gravy begins to dry, and the macaroni acquires some consistency. Then with three ounces of butter (free of water) butter well the baking-dish; pour into it the macaroni; mix the remaining ground cheese with the powered biscuit, and strew it over the pie; cut into small pieces the remaining ounce of butter, and throw that also over the pie; then put the dish into an oven, and bake to a fine light but rich brown colour. Ten to fifteen minutes' baking will be sufficient.
141.—Alderman's Mock Turtle Pie
Make an extra rich hash of a calf s head, cutting the pieces from the cheeks two and a half to three
inches long, and one and three-quarters to two inches wide. Slice the tongue, and cut into large-sized
shapes. Prepare brain cakes, and plenty of forcemeat and egg balls as per recipes Nos. 289 to 295.Make an extra strong stock with eight calves' feet; season it highly with soup herbs, salt, and plenty of ground black pepper; simmer until the meat begins to drop away from the bones; strain through a coarse sieve, in order to get a very thick stock, passing as much of the dissolved meat through as possible.
Line a deep pie-dish with a thick and rich pie-pastry, and arrange in it the hash, egg and meat balls, and brain cakes, with some twenty or thirty green leaves of spinach, cut up to about the size and shape of the meat. Pour over the whole as much stock as will fill the dish, cover over with pastry, and bake.
142.—Sauce for Alderman's Mock Turtle Pie
Mix with some of the stock the contents of a canister of oysters well bruised, the pulp of sixteen or
twenty prunes, a blade of mace, some nutmeg and cloves, a wineglassful of port wine, and a
tablespoonful of Worcestershire sauce; allow to simmer for ten minutes, and add it to the
ready -baked pie before it is put on the table.143.—Friar Tuck's Mock Venison Pastry Pie
Take the chop ends of two large fat breasts of mutton; remove the bones, and after the meat has
been washed, cleaned, and dried, lard well with narrow slips of lean bacon and corned tongue; then
cut it up into twelve well-shaped chops nicely trimmed; steep them in the juice of onions, ginger,
and garlic in the proportion of one tablespoonful of the former to a dessertspoonful of the latter, and
half a teaspoonful of the last.Make a strong broth or stock of the other side of the mutton, and all the rejections of bones, &c; season it well with pepper, salt, and soup herbs; remove the scum and cut away all the fat; then strain through a sieve, rejecting all the fat, but passing through some of the lean; allow it to simmer until it thickens, then add to it two blades of mace, half a dozen allspice, and as many small sticks of cinnamon.
Line a deep metal pie-dish with the pastry pie-crust as per recipe No. 200, reserving sufficient for the upper crust. Prepare a sausage roll, say six inches long, and two inches and a quarter thick, of minced veal and udder, using the ordinary pie-crust pastry to inclose it in; then slice it into twelve equal slices of the thickness of half an inch.
Remove the twelve chops out of the onion, garlic, and ginger juice; dredge them well with finely- sifted flour mixed with pepper and salt; heat in a large deep frying-pan four tablespoonfuls of lard; fry the chops of a light brown colour, and remove them carefully; then dredge with flour and slightly brown the twelve slices of sausage, six of which lay at the bottom of the pie-dish; lay over them six of the mutton chops; over the mutton chops place another layer of the sliced sausage roll, and over that the remaining six chops; pour in as much of the stock or gravy as will fill the pie-dish, cover it over with a layer of the pastry as per recipe No. 200, and bake carefully.
144.—Sauce for Friar Tuck's Mock Venison Pastry Pie
Put some of the stock or gravy into the pan in which the chops and sliced sausages had been
browned; add two tablespoonfuls of bruised and powdered oysters, and simmer from ten to fifteen
minutes. Serve hot, on the pie being cut, adding at the last moment a wineglassful of port wine and
one tablespoonful of lime-juice.Make a hole in the centre of the pie through the crusts, and pour in the sauce with the help of a lipped sauce-boat.
145.—Leg of Mutton Dumpling
Prepare a good pie-crust with one seer and a quarter of soojee, half a seer of flour, and half a seer of
suet, as per recipe No. 199.Clean and trim the leg, cutting away the end of the knuckle-bone, and any other projections likely to injure the dumpling. Sprinkle it well with ground pepper and some salt, and confine it securely in the pastry, closing all joinings with the aid of a little water. Place the dumpling into a strong napkin, previously buttered and dredged with flour; tie it securely, and allow it to boil from three to four hours. Care must be taken that during the whole process of boiling the dumpling remains suspended in the water, and not resting on the bottom of the pan. On removing it from the boiler, plunge it immediately into a large tureen of cold water for two or three minutes. This will strengthen the pastry and prevent its bursting or breaking while it is being served up.
146.—Sausage Rolls
Take equal portions of cold roast veal and ham, or cold fowl and tongue; chop them together very
small; season with a teaspoonful of powdered sweet herbs, and a spoonful of mixed salt and
cayenne pepper; mix well together. Put three tablespoonfuls of the meat well rolled together into
enough pastry (pie-crust recipe No. 199) to cover it. When you have used up the whole of your
materials, bake them for half an hour in a brisk oven. These rolls are excellent eating, either hot or
cold, and are especially adapted for travelling, gipsy, boating, or pic-nic parties.147.—Dumpode Goose (Indian Way)
Take a good fat tender goose; feather, clean, and bone it carefully without destroying the skin; when
every bone has been removed, pour into the goose a mixture composed of a dessertspoonful each of
mustard, sweet oil, and mixed sauce.Take all the bones and the giblet, the liver excepted, and make a good gravy seasoned with pepper, salt, soup herbs, and bay-leaves. Mince very fine three pounds of beef, a quarter of a pound of beef suet, a quarter of a pound of fat bacon, and the liver of the goose. Take of chopped garden herbs a tablespoonful, powdered black pepper a dessertspoonful, mixed hot spices finely powdered a dessertspoonful, finely-grated bread-crumbs two tablespoonfuls, salt a dessertspoonful, and essence of anchovies, if liked, one teaspoonful. Mix the above well together, and stuff the goose.
Melt two chittacks and a half or five ounces of ghee; put in the goose, and pour over it the soup made of the bones and giblet, and allow it to stew until quite tender; then glace the goose, as also some boiled turnips, carrots, onions, and potatoes, and serve up hot, surrounded with the vegetables and some English pickles.
For the modern redaction see the Dumpode Goose page.
148.—Dumpode Duck (Eastern Way)
Take a good fat duck; feather, clean, and bone it without hurting the skin; pour into it a mixture
made up of a teaspoonful each of mustard, sweet oil, and mixed sauce.Make a gravy of the bones and giblet, seasoning it with pepper, salt, soup herbs, and a few bay-leaves.
Mince together with the liver of the duck two pounds and a half of good beef, half a pound of beef suet, a dessertspoonful of chopped garden herbs, a tablespoonful of grated bread-crumbs, half a teaspoonful of mixed hot spices pounded, a teaspoonful each of black pepper and salt, and, for those who like it, half a teaspoonful of essence of anchovies. Mix these well together, and stuff the duck. Melt one chittack and a half or three ounces of ghee; put in the duck; pour over it the giblet gravy, and allow it to cook until tender; then glace the duck, as also some ready-boiled mixed vegetables, and serve up, surrounding the duck with the vegetables and some hot West-Indian pickle.
149.—Fowl a la Cardinal, or Dumpode Capon or Fowl
Feather the bird, clean it, and remove every bone very carefully without injuring the skin.Make a good strong broth or gravy of the bone and giblet, reserving the liver.
Pour into the bird a mixture of sweet oil, mustard, and sauces in the proportion of one teaspoonful of each.
Mince the liver together with one pound and a half of good beef, one pound and a half of beef suet, a dessertspoonful each of finely-chopped garden herbs and finely-grated bread-crumbs, a teaspoonful each of powdered mixed hot spices, finely-powdered black pepper, and salt, if liked, and half a dozen oysters. Mix all well together, and stuff the bird; melt two chittacks or four ounces of ghee, add to it the giblet gravy, cook and glace the bird in it, as also some vegetables, and serve up hot, adding a little cayenne pepper to the gravy to make it piquant.
150.—Brisket of Beef Trambland
Heat or melt in a saucepan two chittacks of butter free of water; fry to a light brown a tablespoonful
of finely-sliced onions, then add a tablespoonful and a half of flour, which must be put in very
gradually, stirring the whole time; add half a teaspoonful of ground pepper, and one teaspoonful of
salt. When these have been well mixed, pour in gradually a large cupful of pure milk, and lastly two
wineglassfuls of vinegar. Keep stirring to prevent the sauce lumping. Mince fine half a dozen pickled
gherkins or French beans, and mince up also the yolks and whites of six hard-boiled eggs. Boil a
fresh brisket of beef, and dish up quite hot. Pour over it the sauce, over which sprinkle the minced
pickle, and then cover the whole with the minced eggs.151.—Mutton Trambland
Is prepared, in all respects, as the above. The joint best adapted to “trambland" is a fore-quarter, or
only the shoulder, or the breast if required for a small party of two or three.152.—Bubble and Squeak
Put into a pot cold meat cut into thin slices two inches square, with ready-boiled peas, cauliflower,
cabbage, potatoes, turnips, and carrots cut up, with pepper, salt, and sliced ginger, and with as much
good stock as will cover the meat and vegetables; allow the whole to simmer until the meat and
vegetables have absorbed half the stock, when it will be ready. Serve it up bubbling and squeaking.153.—To Stew a Fillet of Veal
Bone, lard, and stuff a fillet of veal; half roast, and then stew it with two quarts of white stock, a
teaspoonful of lemon pickle, and one of mushroom catsup. Before serving, strain the gravy; thicken
it with butter rolled in flour; add a little cayenne, salt, and some pickled mushrooms; heat it, and
pour it over the veal. Have ready two or three dozens of forcemeat balls to put round it and upon the
top. Garnish with cut lemon.154.—Veal Cutlets
Cut a neck of veal into cutlets, or take them off a leg. Season two well-beaten eggs with pounded
mace, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and finely-chopped sweet marjoram, lemon, thyme, and parsley; dip the
cutlets into it; sift over them grated bread, and fry them in clarified butter. Serve with a white sauce,
forcemeat balls, and small mushrooms. Garnish with fried parsley.155.—Kidney Toasts
Pound, in a marble mortar, the kidney and the surrounding fat; season with pepper, salt, grated
lemon-peel, and nutmeg; mix with it the yolk of an egg well beaten; lay it upon thin toasted bread
cut into square bits; put a little butter into a dish, lay in it the kidney toasts, and brown them in an
oven. Serve them very hot.156.—Rolled Mutton
Bone a shoulder of mutton carefully, so as not to injure the skin; cut all the meat from the skin,
mince it small, and season it highly with pepper, nutmeg, and a clove, some parsley, lemon, thyme,
sweet marjoram chopped, and a pounded onion, all well mixed, together with the well-beaten yolk
of an egg; roll it up very tightly in the skin; tie it round, and bake it in an oven for two or three
hours, according to the size of the mutton. Make a gravy of the bones and parings; season with an
onion, pepper, and salt; strain and thicken it with flour and butter; add a tablespoonful each of
vinegar, mushroom catsup, soy, and lemon pickle, and a teacupful of port wine; garnish with
forcemeat balls made of grated bread, and part of the mince.157.—Haggis
Wash and clean the heart and lights; parboil and mince them very small; add one pound of minced
suet, two or three large onions minced, and two small handfuls of oatmeal; season highly with
pepper and salt, and mix all well together; the bag being perfectly clean and sweet, put in the
ingredients; press out the air, sew it up, and boil it for three hours.158.—To Boil Marrow-bones
Saw them even at the bottom; butter and flour some bits of linen, and tie a piece over the top of
each bone; boil them for an hour or two, take off the linen, and serve them with thin slices of dry
toast cut into square bits. At table the marrow should be put upon the toast, and a little pepper and
salt sprinkled over it.159.—Beef or Mutton Baked with Potatoes
Boil some potatoes; peel and pound them in a mortar with one or two small onions; moisten them
with milk and an egg beaten up; add a little salt and pepper. Season slices of beef or mutton chops
with salt and pepper, and more onion, if the flavour is approved; rub the bottom of a pudding-dish
with butter, and put in a layer of the mashed potatoes, which should be as thick as a batter, and then
a layer of meat, and so on alternately, till the dish is filled, ending with potatoes. Bake in an oven for
one hour.160.—Olive Royals
Boil one pound of potatoes, and when nearly cold rub them perfectly smooth with four ounces of
flour and one ounce of butter; knead all together till it becomes a paste; roll it out about a quarter of
an inch thick, cut it into rounds, and lay upon one side any sort of cold roasted meat cut into thin
small bits, and seasoned with pepper and salt; put a small bit of butter over the meat; wet the edges
of the paste, and close it in the form of half -circles. Fry them in boiling fresh dripping till of a light
brown colour; lay them before the fire, on the back of a sieve, to drain. Serve them with or without
gravy in the dish. For a change, mince the meat, and season it as before directed. The potatoes
should be very mealy.161.—To Boil Ox-Cheek
Wash half a head very clean; let it lie in cold water for some hours; break the bone in two, taking
care not to break the flesh; put it into a pot of boiling water, and let it boil from two to three hours;
take out the bone. Serve it with boiled carrots and turnips. The liquor in which the head has been
boiled may be strained, and made into barley broth.162.—To Stew Ox-Cheek
Clean the head as before directed, and parboil it; take out the bone; stew it in part of the liquor in
which it was boiled, thickened with a piece of butter mixed with flour, and browned. Cut into dice,
or into any fancy shape, as many carrots and turnips as will fill a pint basin. Mince two or three
onions, add the vegetables, and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan closely, and stew it two
hours. A little before serving, add a glassful of port wine.163.—Dressed Ox-Cheek
Prepare it as directed for stewing; cut the meat into square pieces; make a sauce with a quart of
good gravy, thickened with butter mixed with flour; season with salt and pepper, a little cayenne,
and a tablespoonful of vinegar; put in the head, and simmer it till quite tender. A few minutes before
serving add a little catsup or white wine. Forcemeat balls may be added.164.—Potted Ox-Cheek
May be made of the meat that is left from any one of the above dishes. It is cut into small bits, and
heated up with a little of the liquor in which the cheek was boiled, seasoned with pepper, salt,
nutmeg, and a little vinegar, then put into a mould, and turned out when required for use. It is used
for supper or luncheon, and is eaten with mustard and vinegar.165.—Breasts of Mutton a la Ste. Menoult
Stew them with carrots, onions, and spices in gravy, and when done drain them and take out the
bones; flatten the meat between two dishes, and when cold cut it into the form of cutlets or hearts;
brush them with the beaten yolk of an egg; roll them in grated bread, then in clarified butter, and
again in the grated bread. Bake them in an oven till of a fine brown colour, and serve them with an
Italian or any other sauce.166.—To Cure Mutton Ham
Cut a hind quarter of good mutton into the shape of a ham; pound one ounce of saltpetre, with one
pound of coarse salt and a quarter of a pound of brown sugar; rub the ham well with this mixture,
taking care to stuff the hole of the shank well with salt and sugar, and let it he a fortnight, rubbing it
well with the pickle every two or three days; then take it out and press it with a weight for one day;
smoke it with sawdust for ten or fifteen days, or hang it to dry in the kitchen. If the ham is to be
boiled soon after it has been smoked, soak it one hour; and if it has been smoked any length of time,
it will require to be soaked several hours. Put it on in cold water and boil it gently for two hours. It is
eaten cold at breakfast, luncheon, or supper. A mutton ham is sometimes cured with the above
quantity of salt and sugar, with the addition of half an ounce of pepper, a quarter of an ounce of
cloves, and one nutmeg.167.—Meat or Birds in Jelly
Clean the meat or the bird or birds; fully roast, bake, or stew in the usual way.Place the meat in the mould, or if birds, arrange them with their breasts downwards; fill the mould quite full with the jelly, recipe No. 329; set it to cool till the next day; then turn it on a dish, breasts upwards. Garnish the dish with curled parsley, and some of the jelly cut fine, and sprinkled about.
If the jelly be clear, it will form a handsome side-dish for dinner or supper.
168.—Pigeons in Savoury Jelly
Bone six pigeons; remove the heads and feet, stuff with sausagemeat, and roast; lay the pigeons in a
mould with the breasts down; fill up the mould with jelly, recipe No. 329; and when cold, turn out.
Garnish with parsley, and some of the jelly cut fine, and sprinkled round the dish.All vegetables should be boiled quickly, and, with the exception of spinach, in an open vessel, skimming them carefully.
Herbs of all sorts should be gathered when in flower, and on a dry day, and, being well cleaned from dust and dirt, tied up in small bunches and dried before the fire. They may then be kept in paper bags labelled; or rubbed to a powder, sifted, and put into bottles and labelled.
169.—To Boil Potatoes
Wash and pare them, throwing them into cold water as they are pared; put them into a saucepan,
cover them with cold water, and throw in a little salt; cover the saucepan closely, and let them boil
quickly for half an hour; pour off the water immediately, and set the pan by the side of the fire to
dry the potatoes.170.—Another Way.
Wash them very clean, put them on in cold water, cover the saucepan, and let them boil quickly; as
soon as the water boils pour it off, and cover them with cold water; add a little salt, and when the
water boils pour it off instantly, when the potatoes will be sufficiently done; dry them, and take off
the skins before serving.171.—To Broil Boiled Potatoes
After boiling potatoes not quite sufficiently to send to table, put them on a gridiron over a clear fire,
and turn them frequently till they are of a nice brown colour all over; serve them hot; take care they
do not become too hard, as that spoils the flavour.172.—To Brown Potatoes under Meat while Roasting
After being boiled, lay them on a dish, and place it in the dripping-pan; baste them now and then
with a little of the meat dripping, and when one side is browned turn the other; they should all be of
an equal colour.173.—Potato Ribbons
Wash four or five large potatoes, scrape them, and cut them into thin strips round and round,
keeping as nearly to one width as possible; throw them into cold water as they are cut, and then fry
them of a light brown, in very hot or boiling beef dripping; strew over them a little salt and pepper,
and before serving, drain them upon a dish turned up before the fire.174.—To Boil Turnips
Wash, pare, and throw them into cold water; put them on in boiling water with a little salt, and boil
them from two hours to two and a half; drain them in a colander, put them into a saucepan, and,
mixing in a bit of butter, with a beater mash them very smoothly; add half a pint of milk, mix it well
with the turnips, and make them quite hot before serving. If they are to be served plain, dish them as
soon as the water is drained off.175.—To Dress Young Turnips
Wash, peel, and boil them till tender in water with a little salt; serve them with melted butter poured
over them. Or,They may be stewed in a pint of milk thickened with a bit of butter rolled in flour, and seasoned with salt and pepper, and served with the sauce.
176.—To Boil Spinach
Pick it very carefully, and wash it thoroughly two or three times in plenty of cold water; then put it
on in boiling water with a little salt; let it boil nearly twenty minutes; put it into a colander, hold it
under the water-cock, and let the water run on it for a minute; put it into a saucepan, beat it
perfectly smooth with a beater or wooden spoon, add a bit of butter and three tablespoonfuls of
cream, mix it well together, and make it hot before serving. When dished, it is scored in squares with
the back of a knife.177.—Another Way
After being nicely picked and well washed, put it into a saucepan, with no more water than adheres
to it; add a little salt; cover the pan closely, and boil it till tender, frequently shaking it; beat it quite
smooth, adding butter and cream, and make it quite hot. Spinach may be served with poached eggs,
or fried sausages laid on it.When the spinach is bitter, it is preferable to boil it in water.
178.—To Boil Cauliflowers
Trim them neatly, and let them he an hour or two in cold water; then rinse them in fresh cold water,
and put them with a very little salt into boiling water; boil them twenty minutes, or half an hour if
very large. They may be boiled in milk and water, and require to be skimmed with particular
attention.179.—To Boil French Beans
Cut off the stalk and string them; if not very young, cut them in four, or into very thin slices; put
them into water as they are done, and put them on in boiling water, with a little salt, and let them
boil for half an hour. If they are old they will require a longer time to boil. Melted butter in a sauce-
tureen is served with them.18O.—To Boil Asparagus
Wash them well, scrape, and tie them up in small bundles; cut them all even at the bottom, and as
they are done put them into cold water; put them on in boiling water, with a little salt, and let them
boil twenty or twenty-five minutes; take them up, lay them upon a slice of toasted bread cut in four,
and the crusts pared off, with the tops meeting in the middle of the dish, and cut off the strings.181.—Asparagus a la Francais
Boil it, and chop small the heads and tender parts of the stalks, together with a boiled onion; add a
little salt and pepper, and the beaten yolk of an egg; heat it up. Serve it on sippets of toasted bread,
and pour over it a little melted batter.182.—To Boil Brocoli
Wash it, cut off all the outside leaves and stalks, throw it into cold water as it is trimmed, put it on in
boiling water with a little salt, and boil it for twenty-five minutes or half an hour. It is sometimes
served upon bits of toasted bread, and a little melted butter poured round it.183.—To Boil Artichokes
Cut off the stalks close to the bottom, wash them well, and let them lie for some hours in cold water;
put them on in boiling water with a little salt in it, cover the pan closely, and boil them an hour and a
half. If they are old, and have not been freshly gathered, they will take a longer time to boil. Melted
butter is served with them in a sauce-tureen.184.—To Boil Young Green Cabbages
Wash and clean them well, put them on in boiling water with a little salt in it, and let them boil
quickly from three-quarters to nearly an hour. Serve with melted butter.185.—To Stew Cucumbers
Pare eight or ten large cucumbers, and cut them into thick slices; flour them well, and fry them in
butter; then put them into a saucepan with a teacupful of gravy; season it highly with cayenne, salt,
mushroom catsup, and a little port wine. Let them stew for an hour, and serve them hot.186.—Another Way
Pare the cucumbers, and let them lie in vinegar and water with a little salt in it; drain them, and put
them into a saucepan with a pint of gravy, a slice of lean ham, an onion stuck with one or two
cloves, and a bunch of parsley and thyme; let them stew, closely covered, till tender. Take out the
cucumbers, strain and thicken the gravy with a piece of butter rolled in flour, boil it up, and pour it
over the cucumbers.187.—To Stew Mushrooms
Clean them as for pickling, and, after washing them, put them into a saucepan, with an anchovy, two
cloves, some nutmeg sliced, mace, whole pepper, and salt; let them stew in their own liquor till
tender.In this way they will keep for some time, and when required to be dressed, pick out the spice, and to a dishful put two large tablespoonfuls of white wine; add part of their own liquor, and let them just boil; then stir in a bit of butter dredged with flour, and two tablespoonfuls of cream.
188.—Another Way
For a good-sized dishful, take a pint of white stock; season it with salt, pepper, and a little lemon
pickle; thicken it with a bit of butter rolled in flour; cleanse and peel the mushrooms, sprinkle them
with a very little salt, boil them for three or four minutes, put them into the gravy when it is hot, and
strew them for fifteen minutes.189.—To Roast Onions
Roast them with the skins on in an oven, that they may brown equally. They are eaten with cold
fresh butter, pepper, and salt.190.—Onions, Plain Boiled
Peel them, and let them he an hour in cold water, put them on in boiling milk and water; boil them
till tender, and serve with melted butter poured over them.191.—To Boil Carrots
Scrape, wash, and clean them; put them on in boiling water with some salt in it, and boil them from
two to three hours. Very young carrots will require one hour.192.—Carrots, Flemish Way
Prepare (after boiling) in the form of dice, balls, stars, crescents, &c, and stew with chopped
parsley, young onions, salt and pepper, in plain melted butter, or good brown gravy.193.—Green Peas Stewed
Put a quart of good peas into a stewpan, with a lettuce and small onion sliced small, but not any
water; add a piece of butter the size of an orange, pepper and salt to taste, and stew gently for two
hours. Beat up an egg, and stir into them (or a lump of butter will do as well); mint should be stewed
(if it can be procured) with them, and ought to be chopped fine, and stirred in with some good gravy.194.—To Boil Green Peas
After being shelled, wash them, drain them in a colander, put them on in plenty of boiling water,
with a teaspoonful of salt, and one of pounded loaf sugar; boil them till they become tender, which,
if young, will be in less than half an hour; if old, they will require more than an hour; drain them in a
colander, and put them immediately into a dish with a slice of fresh butter in it. Some people think it
an improvement to boil a small bunch of mint with the peas; it is then minced finely, and laid in
small heaps at the end or sides of the dish. If peas are allowed to stand in the water after being
boiled they lose their colour.195.—To Stew Young Peas and Lettuce
Wash and make perfectly clean one or two heads of cabbage lettuce, pick off the outside leaves, and
lay them for two hours in cold water with a little salt in it; then slice them, and put them into a
saucepan, with a quart or three pints of peas, three tablespoonfuls of gravy, a bit of butter dredged
with flour, some pepper and salt, and a teaspoonful of pounded loaf sugar. Let them stew, closely
covered, till the peas are soft.196.—Peas for a Second-course Dish, a la Francais
Put a quart of fine green peas, together with a bit of butter the size of a walnut, into as much warm
water as will cover them, in which let them stand for eight or ten minutes. Strain off the water, put
them into a saucepan, cover it, stir them frequently, and when a little tender add a bunch of parsley
and a young onion, nearly a dessertspoonful of loaf sugar, and an ounce of butter mixed with a
teaspoonful of flour; keep stirring them now and then till the peas be tender, and add, if they
become too thick, a tablespoonful of hot water. Before serving, take out the onion and bunch of
parsley.197.—To Steam Peas
Shell and close-pack the peas securely in a large quantity of lettuce-salad leaves; put the package
into a stewpan over a moderate fire for the ordinary time required to boil peas, say half an hour,
when they will be ready.198.—Vegetable Mash
Take boiled potatoes, cauliflower, carrots, turnips, and green peas; mash down the potatoes with
plenty of butter, pepper, and salt; mince small the cauliflower, carrots, and turnips, and add them
with the peas to the mashed potatoes; mix them all well together, and serve up hot.199.—Pastry for Pies and Tarts
To every three ounces of flour take one ounce of soojee, two ounces of beef suet, and a little salt;
pick and clean the suet, pound it in a mortar, and make a flat circular cake of it; make a dough of the
flour and soojee, knead it well, divide it into two equal parts, and make them into two flat circular
cakes quite as large as the suet cake; roll the three together, placing the suet cake between the two
flour cakes; double the whole up twice, and roll it out again, when it will be ready for use.200.—Pastry for Friar Tuck's Mock Venison Pastry Pie
Take of veal one pound, and of udder one pound; pick, clean, and wash them; chop, mince, and
pound them in a mortar; season with salt and white pepper; fix the mixture with the yolk and white
of an egg well beaten up; pass it through a sieve, rejecting all that will not pass; and form it into a
flat circular cake.Make a dough of two pounds and a half of flour and half a pound of soojee; add a little salt, and knead it well; then form two cakes of the dough; place the veal and udder cake between, and roll out the three very carefully; double up the whole and roll it out again, when it will be ready.
The pie-dish should be lined thickly with the pastry, and, although a single layer should cover the top of the pie, the sides and edges of the dish should be built up high with it; a double layer of the crust is not interdicted to cover the top of the pie if it will not interfere with raising it up.
201.—Custard
Take a seer of milk and a stick of cinnamon, and boil down to half the quantity; add sugar to taste;
beat up quickly the yolks of four eggs, and add them gradually to the milk, stirring it continually;
after a while thicken with a tablespoonful of rice flour; take it off the fire, and flavour with rose
water, orange-flower water, or vanilla.202.—Orange Custard
Boil very tender the rind of half an orange, and beat it in a mortar until it is very fine; put it to a
spoonful of the best brandy, the juice of an orange, four ounces of loaf sugar, and the yolk of four
eggs; beat them altogether for ten minutes, and then pour in by degrees a pint of boiling milk; beat
them until cold; then put them in custard-cups into a dish of hot water; let them stand till they are
set; then take them out, and stick preserved orange-peel on the top. This forms a fine-flavoured dish,
and may be served up hot or cold.203.—Chocolate Custard
Rasp three ounces of fine Spanish chocolate, which has the vanilla flavour; make a paste of it with
the smallest possible quantity of water; put two pints of pure milk over the fire, and let it boil; then
add powdered loaf sugar to your taste, and a little salt; meanwhile, beat up the chocolate with some
of the milk as it boils, and mix it well; pour it into the boiling milk, which you must keep in motion;
add the yolks of eight eggs well beaten up; keep stirring in, or rather milling the mixture, until of
sufficient consistency; when cool enough put the custards into glasses.204.—Almond Custard
Blanch and pound, with two tablespoonfuls of orange-flower water, a quarter of a pound of
almonds; add rather more than a pint of milk, thickened with a teaspoonful of corn-flour, and the
well-beaten-up yolks of six eggs; sweeten to taste with pounded loaf sugar, and stir it over a slow
fire till it thickens, but do not allow it to boil. Serve up in glass custard-cups.205.—Princess Royal Custard
Beat up in a large deep bowl the yolks of eight fresh eggs; dredge into it while beating up a
dessertspoonful of corn-flour; sweeten to taste with the best pounded loaf sugar; add to it a quarter
of a pound of Jordan almonds well bruised in a marble mortar; pour the mixture into a clean newly-
tinned copper pan; stir into it a seer of good cold milk; have a brisk flaming fire ready. Put the pan
on the fire; never cease stirring it, keeping the spoon as much as possible in the centre of the pan;
reduce the flame after it has boiled for fifteen minutes, and continue to boil for a few minutes
longer, until the custard is of the consistency required.206.—Rose-bloom Custard
This is made in every respect like the foregoing, adding some bruised almonds, and a little
rose-bloom to tint the custard. The froth of the white of the eggs is also tinted with a few drops of
the rose-bloom.207.—Blanc Mange
Boil, till dissolved, three-fourths of an ounce of isinglass in as much water as will cover it; when
lukewarm, add to it gradually a quart of good rich milk, with a stick of cinnamon, some lemon-peel,
and a few bitter almonds well pounded; sweeten to taste; boil for five or six minutes, stirring it all
the while; strain through muslin into moulds, and place in a pan of cold water to congeal.208.—Another Way
Blanch and pound with a little rose-water two ounces of sweet and six bitter almonds; dissolve
three-fourths of an ounce of isinglass in a little water; when nearly cool, mix it into a quart of good
rich milk; mix in the almonds the peel of a small lemon and a stick of cinnamon; sweeten to taste
with good clean sugar; let it stand for two or three hours; then put it into a pan, and let it boil for six
or eight minutes, stirring it constantly; strain through muslin, and keep stirring it until nearly cold;
then pour it into moulds.209.—Rice Blanc Mange
Mix to a stiff smooth paste four tablespoonfuls of finely-sifted ground rice-flour, with a little cold
milk; then stir it into a quart of boiling milk, in which had been dissolved one-eighth of an ounce of
isinglass, a stick of cinnamon, and the peel of half a small lemon; sweeten to taste; boil it from ten to
fifteen minutes, stirring it carefully all the while; remove it from the fire, and mix into it briskly a
tablespoonful of pounded almonds, and pour it while scalding hot into moulds previously dipped in
cold water.N.B.—If it be desired to tint it in streaks like marble, drop into the mould every here and there, at the time of pouring the blanc mange, some of the cochineal, recipe No. 268.
210.—Corn-flour Blanc Mange
The above recipe will answer, except that the quantity of corn-flour must be in the proportion of two
tablespoonfuls to every quart of milk.211.—Christmas Plum Pudding (Indian Way)
This pudding may be made a few days before it is required for the table.Take of cleaned and picked raisins one pound and a half, currants half a pound, finely-grated bread- crumbs three-quarters of a pound, finely-sliced mixed peel half a pound, finely-minced suet three- quarters of a pound, and sugar three-quarters of a pound. Mix all these well together with half a teaspoonful of finely-powdered mixed spices, say cinnamon, nutmeg, and mace; then moisten the mixture with half a pound of butter free of water, twelve eggs well beaten, and a wineglassful of brandy, stirring it well the whole time, that the ingredients may be thoroughly mixed.
Butter a large piece of cloth or napkin; dredge it well with flour; put the mixture into it, and tie it down tightly; after boiling it steadily for seven hours take it out of the boiler and hang it up immediately, until the day it is intended to be eaten, when it should be boiled again for fully two hours, care being taken that the water is boiling before the pudding is put into it. Then turn it out of the towel, and serve up with brandy sauce.
212.—Bombay Pudding
Take two pounds or one seer of soojee, half roast it, then boil it in water until it becomes very thick;
butter a soup-plate or any other dish of about the same depth; pour the boiled soojee into it; when it
has cooled and congealed, cut it into eight or more cakes; rub the cakes over with the yolk of an
egg, dredge with finely-sifted flour, and fry in ghee until they acquire a rich brown colour. Arrange
them in a dish, and pour over them a thick syrup flavoured with lemon-juice.For the modern redaction see the Victorian Bombay Fried Semolina Pudding page.
213.—Another Way.
Make a good sweet custard and set it aside; rasp fine a cocoanut, and fry it in a little butter with
grated nutmeg; pour into it gradually a wineglassful of brandy, stirring it all the time; have a
pudding-dish lined with a good puff paste; pour the fried cocoanut gradually into the custard, stirring
it well all the while; fill the pudding-dish with the mixture, and bake it in a gentle oven for fifteen to
twenty minutes, or until the pudding is cooked.214.—Cocoanut Rice Pudding
Soak a breakfastcupful of fine rice in water until quite soft; scoop out the contents of a hard
cocoanut; extract all the milk with a little boiling-hot water, then boil the rice in it, sweeten it to
taste with some date jagree or treacle, and put in a few grains of aniseed. Pour the mixture into a
buttered pudding-dish and bake it slightly.For the modern redaction see the Victorian Coconut Rice Pudding page.
215.—Indian Lemon Pudding
Take four chittacks or eight ounces of butter free of water, six chittacks or twelve ounces of white
sugar, twelve fresh eggs, four wineglassfuls of lemon or lime juice, and four tablespoonfuls of finely-
grated bread-crumbs. Mix the butter and the sugar, add the yolks of the eggs, then the lime-juice and
bread-crumbs, and when the oven is ready add the whites of the eggs well beaten up, put the whole
into a buttered pudding-dish, and bake it immediately.216.—Marmalade Pudding
This pudding requires care in mixing the ingredients thoroughly together, but it proves so excellent
when eaten, either cold or hot, that it fully repays the trouble of preparation. Shred six ounces of
fresh beef suet, and chop it up fine; mix it with two ounces of moist sugar, a quarter of a pound of
well-grated bread-crumbs, and then stir in half a pint of new milk; when these are all mixed, add the
well-beaten yolks of three eggs, whisk all together for a quarter of an hour, and set it to stand on a
cold stone for an hour. Butter a pudding-dish or mould thickly, place a layer of the above mixture in
it, then a layer of marmalade, another layer of mixture, and so on alternately until the mixture is
exhausted. For the above quantity about one pound of marmalade will be required. Whisk the
whites of the eggs with a little loaf sugar and orange-flower water, place the froth at the top of the
pudding, and bake for an hour and a half in a moderate oven.217.—Custard Pudding
Mix with a pint of cream or milk six well-beaten eggs, two tablespoonfuls of finely-sifted flour, half
a small nutmeg grated, or an equal quantity of pounded cinnamon, a tablespoonful of pounded loaf
sugar, and a little salt; put it into a cloth or buttered basin, that will exactly hold it, and boil it for half
an hour. Serve with wine sauce.218.—Macaroni
Take the yolks and white of two fresh eggs, and as much finely-sifted flour (English or American
preferable to country) as will make a good dough of the consistency of dough for pie-crusts without
the addition of any water; roll it out to its full extent on a large board to about the thickness of an
eight-anna piece; then cut it up into small squares, diamonds, or circles, or into any shape or design
you please, which must be done quickly, as within an hour of its being rolled out the pastry will
harden. It may be used immediately, or in the winter it may be kept good for a few days.N.B.—If pipe macaroni be required, cut the macaroni in ribbons of the required width, dredge some flour over it, and put it lengthways over glass pipes, joining the two cut ends with the aid of a little raw egg, and draw the pipes out as the pastry hardens round them. For pipe macaroni, the pastry should be rolled finer.
219.—Tart and Pie Crusts of Soojee
To one seer and a quarter of soojee add half a seer of suet and a teaspoonful of salt. Thoroughly
clean the suet, remove all the skin and other objectionable particles, chop, mince, and pound fine in
a mortar. Damp the soojee for half an hour before kneading it, then knead it with the suet and a little
of the yeast, recipe No. 283; divide it into parts, dredge it with flour, and roll in layers; repeat the
operation two or three times, and the pastry when baked will be light and flaky. Half a seer of flour
will be required for dredging and rolling.For the modern redaction see the Semolina Suet Pastry page.
Chappatee or Hand-Bread
The native hand-bread is made simply of wheat-flour and water; the addition of a little salt would be
an improvement. Make a good dough of flour and water, take a piece about the size of an egg, roll it
out to the circumference of a half-plate, and bake it over an iron or earthen plate.For the modern redaction see the Traditional Chapati page.
221.—Dalpooree.
Prepare a dal chur churree, recipe No. 93; put it into a marble mortar, and reduce it to a fine paste.
Prepare an ordinary pie pastry; take two pieces of the prepared dough, each of the size of a walnut;
shape them into two small bowls; take as much of the dal paste as will make a ball the size of a
walnut; put it into one of the bowls of dough, and cover it over with the other bowl, and then roll out
the whole very carefully to the size of a dinner-plate, and fry in ghee of a very light yellow colour.
The lighter and thinner dalpoorees can be made the better. They should be eaten hot.For the modern redaction see the Victorian Dal Puri page.
222.—Dal Pittas.
Prepare an ordinary pie-crust, and the dal chur churree, recipe No. 93; roll out the pastry, cut into
circles of the size of saucers, put into them a tablespoonful of the dal, and close them; fry in ghee of
a light brown colour. They should be eaten hot.For the modern redaction see the Anglo-Indian Dal Pitha page.
223.—Prawn Doopiaja Pittas.
The same as the above, enclosing in the pastry a tablespoonful of the prawn doopiaja, recipe No. 69;
fry in ghee.224.—Prawn Doopiaja Loaf.
Pare away very finely all the outer brown crust of the bread, without injuring the inner crust; cut out
of the top of the loaf a small square sufficiently large to extract from within all the crumb, leaving
the shell complete; then fill the loaf up to the top either with some prawn doopiaja minced, or with
the prawn cofta curry, No. 37, and as much gravy as it will take; replace the square bit at the top,
bake it to a light brown, and serve up hot.225.—Fowl Doopiaja Loaf.
Is made in the same way as the prawn loaf, the difference being that the shell of the bread is stuffed
with either a fowl doopiaja, recipe No. 23, or with the chicken cofta curry, recipe No. 34; all the
bones of the fowl will require to be removed before the bread is stuffed with the curry.226.—Falooree.
Take of the finely-sifted flour of the chunna ka dal, which has been previously parched, one seer; six
large Patna onions finely sliced and chopped; eight fresh green chilies sliced very fine; a
tablespoonful each of finely-chopped soa mattee, saug, and parsley; a dessertspoonful of salt and a
teaspoonful of finely-ground green ginger. Put the seer of dal-flour into a large deep pan, and mix
into it all the above condiments; then keep adding to it water, very gradually and in small quantities
at a time, mixing it briskly the whole while, until it is of a consistency that if poured on a plate from
a spoon it will incline to a pyramid, or if dropped into a glass of water will not readily dissolve, but
drop to the bottom en masse. In this state the mixture will be ready to fry.Take half a seer of the best mustard oil; put it into a deep frying-pan with some fine slices of lemon-peel, and fry it or cook it thoroughly; remove three-fourths of the cooked oil from the frying-pan, and into the remainder, while boiling and bubbling, with a tablespoon pour in the preparation in the shape of rocks, and allow to brown, turning them over so that top and bottom may be of the same colour. As the oil is being expended clear the pan of all particles which may accumulate, pour in some more of the ready-cooked oil, and continue to fry until all the mixture is fried. They should be eaten hot.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Fuluri/Falooree page.
227.—Cocoanut Pittas.
Scrape finely a cocoanut, brown it with some jagree and a few grains of the black cardamom seed,
and set it aside; then prepare a pastry of finely-sifted rice-flour (it must be kneaded with boiling-hot
water, and will not roll out); take as much as the size of a duck's egg, and press it out flat in the palm
of your hand to the size of a large saucer; put a tablespoonful of the fried cocoanut into it, and close
it up in a half-moon shape, with the help of a little water. Have a wide-mouthed large earthen pot of
boiling water; stretch and tie over its mouth a napkin, and steam the pittas or cakes over them; they
will be ready in half an hour, and may be eaten hot or cold.For the modern redaction see the Coconut Pitha page.
228.—Plantain Fritters.
Prepare a batter of twelve ripe plantains, four tablespoonfuls of finely-sifted flour, half a cupful of
milk, sugar to taste, and cardamom and caraway seeds, with a couple of eggs beaten up; mix the
whole well together, and make into small cakes by pouring a tablespoonful at a time of the mixture
into melted ghee; fry them on both sides to a good brown colour, and serve up hot.229.—Fried Plantains.
Slice or divide very ripe plantains lengthways into two; brush them slightly with the yolk of an egg;
dredge with flour, and fry in melted ghee. Serve up hot, sprinkled with crushed crystallized sugar.For the modern redaction see the Fried Plantains page.
230.—Bibinca Dosee, or Portuguese Cocoanut Pudding.
Extract a cupful of milk from two cocoanuts, and set it aside. Make a syrup of three-quarters of a
pound of sugar; mix into the syrup half a pound of rice-flour finely sifted, and the cocoanut milk,
which boil over a good fire, stirring the whole while until it thickens; pour it into a buttered
pudding-dish, and bake it of a rich light-brown colour.231.—Bole Comadree, or Portuguese Cocoanut Pudding with Jagree.
Extract a cupful of milk from two cocoanuts, and set it aside. Make a syrup of half a pound of sugar;
mix into it half a pound of finely-sifted rice-flour, and set aside; fry with the yolk of an egg all the
scrapings of the two cocoanuts, half a pound of jagree, and some grains of aniseed; then mix the
whole thoroughly together, and after the oven is well heated, and ready to receive the pudding, pour
the mixture into a well-buttered pudding dish, and bake over a slow fire until it is perfectly set.232.—Goolgoola, or Fritters.
Take half a seer or one pound each of flour, sugar, and milk, half a dozen small sticks of cinnamon, a
little yeast, and half a seer of ghee; mix the flour with the yeast and a little milk; add water sufficient
to bring it to a thick consistency; then put into it gradually the sugar and the remainder of the milk,
and place it on the fire, adding the cinnamon; keep stirring it with a large spoon until it is again
reduced to a thick consistency; remove it from the fire, and when it has cooled make it up into small
balls, and fry them in ghee.For the modern redaction see the Victorian Gulgula page.
233.—Another Way (as usually served on the tea-table).
Take two chittacks or four ounces of soojee, four eggs well beaten up and four chittacks or eight
ounces of milk; mix the soojee and eggs, beating them well together, and gradually add the milk.
Melt down three chittacks or six ounces of ghee in a small but deep pan; pour into the boiling ghee
in one spot the mixture, a dessertspoonful at a time, and fry until of a rich brown colour. Serve up
hot, sprinkled with crushed crystallized sugar.234.—Cajure
Mix one seer of soojee with four tablespoonfuls of ghee; add half a seer of sugar; mix well together;
then pour in gradually a quarter of a seer of milk, and last of all as much flour as will make a good
dough; let it be well kneaded, and then allowed to stand for two or three hours.Have some ghee melted; take the dough of the size of walnuts, shape them like shells and fry them in the melted ghee until they acquire a rich brown colour.
235.—Hulluah
Steep half a seer of soojee in one seer of water for twelve hours, or, if the hulluah be made in the
winter, let it soak for eighteen hours; it will then be the "milk of soojee," which strain through a
coarse duster, rejecting only such impurities as remain unstrained; add to the milk half a seer of
sugar, and boil it, stirring it all the time, and as it thickens add three chittacks or six ounces of ghee,
warmed with a few white cardamoms and a few small sticks of cinnamon; continue stirring it from
first to last until the whole is well mixed together, and the hulluah finally taken out of the pan; while
warm put it into shapes or moulds.236.—Another Way.
Take half a seer of soojee, ghee, sugar, almonds, and raisins, and a few white cardamoms and sticks
of cinnamon. Make a syrup of the sugar, and set it aside. Roast the soojee, or brown it, and set it
aside. Melt the ghee, and fry the soojee with the spices in it, after which put in the almonds and
raisins, stirring it well all the time; last of all add the syrup, and continue to cook and stir it until it
thickens; then remove into moulds or shapes while hot.237.—A Two-pound or One-seer Plum Cake
This is the favourite cake for Christmas, weddings, birthdays, and christenings in India, and consists
of the forollowing ingredients :—
An experienced man ought to be engaged to mix the ingredients, which, if properly done, will take
fully one hour.Have two large glazed earthen preserving-pans; put the sugar into one, and bruise it well down, breaking all the lumps; add to it three pounds and three-quarters of butter; then throw in one by one all the yolks of the forty eggs, and throw the whites into the other preserving-pan, mixing the sugar, butter, and the yolks the whole while briskly and without ceasing. While one man is mixing these ingredients another ought to be actively employed in beating up the whites of the eggs unceasingly for nearly an hour.
After the butter has been well mixed with the sugar and eggs, dredge in all the finely-pounded spices and the caraway-seeds; after a while dredge in the flour and soojee in small quantities at a time (this must be well mixed); the currants, raisins, and preserves, with the almonds, are next to be added. By this time the man will have been engaged in mixing the ingredients fully three-quarters of an hour.
After the raisins, &c., have been thoroughly mixed, pour in the brandy very gradually, and in small quantities at a time, and last of all add the well-beaten whites of the forty eggs: the stirring now must be very brisk to effect a perfect mixture of the whites of the eggs right through; fill quickly into the moulds, and bake without a moment's delay in a brisk baker's oven.
N.B.—The moulds ought to be lined with paper and well buttered.
238.—Swiss Cakes
Take butter, flour, and sugar, of each the weight of four eggs; beat the yolks with the sugar and some
grated lemon-peel, or ten drops of essence of lemon, and one large teaspoonful of rose-water, or
orange-flower water if preferred; add the butter just melted, and slowly shake in the flour, beating it
until well mixed; beat the whites of the eggs to a froth, mix the whole together, and beat on for a
few minutes after the whites are added. Butter a tin, and bake the cake half an hour.239.—Queen Cakes
Prepare eight ounces of fresh butter beaten to a cream, six ounces of pounded and sifted loaf sugar,
half a pound of dried and sifted flour, the same quantity of cleaned and dried currants, four
well-beaten eggs, a little grated nutmeg and pounded cinnamon, and a few pounded bitter almonds;
then add the sugar to the butter, put in the eggs by degrees, after that the flour and the other
ingredients; beat all well together for half an hour, and put it into small buttered tins, nearly filling
them, and strew over the top finely-powdered loaf sugar. Bake them in a pretty brisk oven.240.—Shrewsbury Cakes
Mix with half a pound of fresh butter, washed in rose-water and beaten to a cream, the same
quantity of dried and sifted flour, seven ounces of pounded and sifted loaf sugar, half an ounce of
caraway-seeds, and two well-beaten eggs; make them into a paste, roll it thin, cut it into round
cakes, prick them, and bake them upon floured tins.241.—Another Way
Rub into a pound of dried and sifted flour half a pound of fresh butter, seven ounces of sifted loaf
sugar, the same quantity of cleaned and dried currants, and a little grated nutmeg; make it into a
paste with a little water and two tablespoonfuls of rose or orange-flower water; roll it out, and cut it
into round cakes; prick them, and bake them upon tins dusted with flour.242.—Shortbread
For two pounds of sifted flour, allow one pound of butter, a quarter of a pound of candied orange
and lemon-peel, a quarter of a pound each of pounded loaf sugar, blanched sweet almonds, and
caraway comfits; cut the lemon, the orange-peel, and almonds into small thin bits, and mix them
with a pound and a half of the flour, a few of the caraway comfits, and the sugar; melt the butter,
and when cool, pour it into the flour, at the same time mixing it quickly with the hands; form it into a
large round nearly an inch thick, using the remainder of the flour to make it up with; cut it into four,
and with the finger and thumb pinch each bit nearly all round the edge; prick them with a fork, and
strew the rest of the caraway comfits over the top. Put the pieces upon white paper dusted with
flour, and then upon tins. Bake them in a moderate oven.243.—Scotch Shortbread
Warm before the fire two pounds of flour and one pound of butter free of water; rub the butter, with
twelve ounces of sugar, into the flour with the hand and make it into a stiff paste with four eggs, well
beaten; the rolling-out to the required thickness must be done with as little use of the rolling-pin as
possible; either take small pieces, and roll them into oblong cakes, or roll out a large piece and cut it
into squares or rounds; prick a pattern round the edge of each cake with the back of a knife, and
arrange slices of candied peel, caraway-seeds, and caraway comfits in a pattern. They will take
about twenty minutes to bake, and the oven itself should not be too quick. The mixing of flour, sugar, and butter, and afterwards of the eggs, must be done very thoroughly and smoothly.244.—Another Way.
Take two pounds of flour, one pound of butter, four eggs, and twelve ounces of loaf sugar powdered
very finely; rub the butter and sugar into the flour with the hand, and by means of the eggs convert
it into a stiff paste; roll it out half an inch thick, and cut into square or round cakes; pinch up the
edges to the height of about an inch, and on the top of each cake place some slices of candied peel
and some large caraway comfits, pressed down so as to imbed about half of each in the cake. Bake
in a warm oven upon iron plates.245.—Gingerbread Nuts
Take three pounds of flour, a pound of sugar, three pounds and a half of treacle, half an ounce of
caraway-seeds, half an ounce of allspice, two ounces of butter, half an ounce of candied lemon-peel,
three ounces of ground ginger, half an ounce of coriander, the yolks of three eggs, and a wineglassful
of brandy; work the butter to a cream, then the eggs, spice, and brandy, then flour, sugar, and then
hot treacle; if not stiff enough, a little more flour must be added in rolling out, but the less the better.246.—Another Way.
Take two pounds of flour, one pound and a quarter of treacle, half a pound of sugar, two ounces of
ginger, three-quarters of a pound of butter (melted), and a small quantity of cayenne pepper; mix all
together and roll out to about the thickness of half an inch, or not quite so much; cut into cakes, and
bake in a moderate oven.247.—Ginger Cakes
In two pounds of flour well mix three-quarters of a pound of good moist sugar and one ounce of the
best Jamaica ginger; have ready three-quarters of a pound of lard melted, and four eggs well beaten;
mix the lard and eggs together and stir into the flour, which will form a paste; roll out into thin cakes
and bake in a moderately heated oven.Lemon biscuits may be made the same way, substituting essence of lemon instead of ginger.
248.—Gingerbread Spiced
Take three-quarters of a pound of treacle, one egg, four ounces of moist sugar, an ounce of
powdered ginger, a quarter of an ounce each of mace, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg powdered, a
pound of oiled butter, and sufficient flour to make a stiff paste; mix well, and make into thick pieces,
which should be brushed over the top with white of egg and baked for an hour in a moderate oven.249.—American Gingerbread
Take half a pound of fresh butter melted, a pound and a half of dried and sifted flour, the same
quantity of brown sugar, a quarter of a pound of pounded ginger, nine eggs, the yolks and whites
separately beaten, one glass of rose-water, and one of white wine; mix all well together, and beat for
an hour; then with a spoon spread it over flat tin pans, about the thickness of a penny-piece; bake it
of a light brown, and while warm cut it into oblong pieces, and place them on end till cool, when
they will be very crisp.250.—Rich Gingerbread Cakes
To one pound of dried and sifted flour allow half a pound of pounded loaf sugar, three-quarters of a
pound of fresh butter washed in rose-water, one pound of treacle, one nutmeg grated, the weight of
a nutmeg of pounded mace, and as much of pounded cinnamon, one ounce of pounded ginger, one
and a half of candied orange and lemon-peel cut small, half an ounce of blanched sweet almonds cut
into long thin bits, and two well-beaten eggs. Melt the butter with the treacle, and when nearly cold
stir in the eggs and the rest of the ingredients; mix all well together, make it into round cakes, and bake them upon tins
251.—Indian Gingerbread
Take twelve ounces of pounded loaf sugar, a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, one pound of dried
flour, two ounces of pounded ginger, and a quarter of an ounce each of cloves and cinnamon. Mix
the ginger and the spice with the flour; put the sugar and a small teacupful of water into a saucepan;
when it is dissolved add the butter, and as soon as it is melted mix it with the flour and other things;
work it up, form the paste into cakes or nuts, and bake them upon tins.252.—Oatmeal Gingerbread
Gingerbread made with oatmeal instead of flour, besides being nice, is a very useful aperient for
children.253.—Excellent Cheesecakes, known at Richmond as "Maids of Honour"
Take half a pound of curd free from the whey; add to it six ounces of butter, four yolks of eggs, and
sugar and nutmeg to the taste; mix all the ingredients well; line patty-pans with a puff paste, fill
them with the mixture, and bake in a quick oven. The cheesecakes may be flavoured with lemon for
a variety, and, as a further variety, currants and raisins may be introduced.254.—Cocoanut Cheesecakes
Grate a good-sized nut very fine, and add to it four or five spoonfuls of rich syrup and one spoonful
of rose-water; set it over a few coals, and keep stirring till it is mixed; then take it off the fire and let
it cool; next mix the yolks of two eggs well with it, and bake in small paps in the shape of
cheesecakes. The pastry for the pans must be made with flour and yokes of eggs, rolled as thin as
possible; wet the tops of the cakes with rose-water; sift some refined sugar over them, and bake
them in an oven at a gentle heat.255.—Buns
Mix together one pound of flour, six ounces of butter, two teaspoonfuls of baking powder, a quarter
of a pound of sugar, one egg, nearly a quarter of a pint of milk, and a few drops of essence of lemon.
Bake immediately. The above quantities will make twenty-four buns; for variety, currants or raisins
may be added.256.—Rout Cakes
To one pound of ground almonds add one pound of powdered sugar; mix them together with yolks
of eggs to a stiff, yet flexible paste; then form it into small biscuits in the shape of coronets, shells,
filberts, birds' nest, rings, or any other fancy shapes; let them remain five or six hours, or all night,
upon the baking-tin in a warm oven.257.—French Pancakes
Beat separately the yolks and whites of seven eggs; beat with the yolks four tablespoonfuls of
pounded loaf sugar, the same quantity of flour, one pint of cream or milk, the grated peel and juice
of one lemon, and two tablespoonfuls of rose-water; add the beaten whites the last thing. Allow
three tablespoonfuls to each pancake.258.—Common Pancakes
With nearly half a pound of flour mix five well-beaten eggs, and then add, by degrees, a quart of
good milk; fry them in fresh lard, and serve them with pounded loaf sugar strewed between each.259.—Indian Pancakes
Add to three well-beaten eggs a pint of new milk, three tablespoonfuls of flour, some sugar, and a
little pounded cinnamon; mix all well together, and fry in butter; brown the upper side for a minute
before the fire; serve it, cut into four, with pounded sugar strewed over it.For the modern redaction see the Victorian Indian Pancakes page.
260.—Pink Pancakes
These are rarely seen at an English table, although they form a very pleasing variety. Boil a large red
beetroot until it is very tender; then peel it, cut it into thin slices, pound it to a pulp in a marble
mortar, and strain through muslin; add the yolks of five eggs, two tablespoonfuls of flour, four of
cream, plenty of pounded loaf sugar, half a nutmeg grated, and a wineglassful of brandy; rub the
whole into a batter, and fry the pancakes with melted butter, ghee, or lard; serve them up hot,
garnished with green candied sweetmeats.261.—Mango Fool
Take six green mangoes; remove every particle of the green peel, cut them into four, and steep them
in clean water; throw the stones away; boil the fruit perfectly tender, pulp and pass it through a
sieve, sweeten to your taste, and add to it very gradually, stirring all the while, as much good pure
milk as will reduce it to the consistency of custard. It should be eaten on the day it is made.For the modern redaction see the Victorian Mango Fool page.
262.#x2014;Another Way.
Boil to a pulp some green mangoes without peel or stones; pass through a sieve, and sweeten to
taste; then mix into it very gradually some cold milk, which has been previously boiled; keep stirring
until it has acquired the thickness of an ordinary cream custard; fill into glass cups, and grate a little
cinnamon or nutmeg over them.263.—Pink Mango Fool
The pink mango fool is produced by the introduction of beetroot boiled very tender, bruised down,
strained through muslin, and added to the pulp of the mango, and forms an agreeable variety.264.—Vanilla Drops
Take the whites of four eggs, beat them up well, and add three-quarters of a pound of finely-
powdered white sugar; flavour with vanilla, beat up well, and drop it on buttered paper. Bake in a
cool oven.265.—Mincemeat
Ingredients:—Three large lemons, three large apples, one pound of stoned raisins, one pound of
currants, one pound of suet, two pounds of moist sugar, one pound of sliced candied orange-peel,
one ounce of sliced candied citron, the same quantity of lemon-peel, one teacupful of brandy, and
two tablespoonfuls of orange marmalade.Grate the rinds of the lemons, squeeze out the juice, strain it, and boil the remainder of the lemons until tender enough to pulp or chop very finely; then add to this pulp the apples, which should be baked, and their skins and cores removed; put in the remaining ingredients one by one, and as they are added mix everything thoroughly together. Put the mincemeat into a stone jar with a closely- fitting lid, and in a fortnight it will be ready for use. This should be made the first or second week in December.
266.—Another Way.
Take seven pounds of currants well picked and cleaned; of finely shopped suet beef, the lean of
sirloin of beef minced raw, and citron, lemon, and orange peel cut small, each half a pound; two
pounds of fine moist sugar, an ounce of mixed spice, and the rinds of four lemons and four oranges;
mix well, and put in a deep pan. Mix a bottle of brandy and white wine and the juice of the four
lemons and oranges; pour half over, and press down tight with the hand; then add the other half and
cover closely. It may be made one year, to use the next.267.—Ornaments for Custards or Creams
Whisk for an hour the whites of two eggs, together with two tablespoonfuls of some syrup or thin
jelly; lay it in any form upon a custard or cream, piled up to imitate rock, or it may be served in a
dish with cream round it. The ornament may be coloured, if desired, with cochineal, saffron,
spinach, &c, as directed in the following recipe.268.—Colouring for Jellies, Creams, Ices, and Cakes
Boil very slowly in a gill of water, till reduced to one half, twenty grains of cochineal, and the same
quantity of alum and cream of tartar finely pounded; strain, and keep it in a small phial.For yellow, use an infusion of saffron.
For green, wash well, and pull into small bits, a handful of spinach-leaves; put them into a closely- covered saucepan, let them boil for a few minutes, and then press the juice.
269.—Colouring Mixtures
Yellow.—Into a four-ounce phial put half a drachm of saffron and two ounces of spirits of wine of
the strength of sixty-two degrees over proof. Let it stand until the spirit is tinted of a deep yellow;
then strain it for use.Red.—This is produced by infusing during a fortnight two ounces of red sandal- wood in a pint of spirits of wine. It at the expiration of that time the colour should not be dark enough, a pinch of subcarbonate of soda will give it the required tint.
Pink.—Dissolve half an ounce of cochineal in a sufficient quantity of spirits of wine.
Green.—Put a handful of well-cleansed vine-leaves or spinach into a decanter, fill with spirits of wine, and let it stand in the sun for ten or twelve days; strain when the wine has become of a bright green.
N.B.—The above colouring matters are only adapted for tinting liqueurs, wines, lemonades, and essences.
270.—Frost or Icing for Cakes
Beat till very light the whites of four eggs, and add gradually three quarters of a pound of double-
refined sugar, pounded and sifted through a lawn sieve; mix in the juice of half a lemon; beat it till
very light and white; place the cake before the fire, pour over it the icing, and smooth over the top
and sides with the back of a spoon.271.—Another Way.
Beat to a stiff froth the whites of three new-laid eggs, and add to them one pound of sifted white
sugar; flour the cake, and then wipe it off; apply the icing by means of a knife smoothly; then bake
in a slow oven.272.—Coloured Icings
Pink icing should be made by adding cochineal syrup; blue, with indigo; yellow, with saffron or
gamboge; green, with spinach syrup or sap green; brown, with chocolate.273.—Fine Icing for Tarts and Puffs
Pound and sift four ounces of refined loaf sugar; beat up the white of an egg, and by degrees add it
to the sugar till it looks white and is thick. When the tarts are baked, lay the icing over the top with a
brush or feather, and then return them to the oven to harden, but take care that they do not become
brown.274.—Raspberry Iced Cream
Mix a tablespoonful of pounded loaf sugar, two tablespoonfuls of raspberry jelly or jam, and a little
cochineal to heighten the colour, with the juice of a large lemon; strain, and put into the
freezing-pot; cover it closely and place it in a bucket which has a small hole near the bottom, and a
spigot to let the water run off, with plenty of ice broken small, and mixed with three or four handfuls
of coarse salt; press the ice closely round the freezing-pot, turn it round and round for about ten
minutes, take off the cover, and remove with a spoon the frozen cream to the centre; cover it again,
and turn it till all be equally iced. Serve it in china ice-pails in block, or put it into moulds, cover
them securely, and replace them in the bucket, with ice and salt as before, for an hour or more; dip
the moulds into cold water before turning out, and serve immediately. Water ices are made in this
way, substituting water for cream.275.—Apricot Iced Cream
Mix a tablespoonful of pounded loaf sugar with two of apricot jam, the juice of a lemon, and half an
ounce of blanched bitter almonds pounded with a little rose-water; add a pint of cream, stir all well
together before putting it into the freezing-pot, and freeze it as directed above.276.—Mille Fruit Iced Cream
Strain the juice of three lemons, and grate the peel of one; mince finely a dessertspoonful each of
orange marmalade, dried cherries, and preserved angelica; add to these half a pint of syrup, and mix
the whole with a pint and a half of cream, or a pint of water, and then drop in here and there a few
drops of the prepared cochineal. Put it into a mould, and freeze as above directed.277.—Orange-water Iced
Mix with a pint of water the strained juice of three oranges and one lemon, also the grated peel of
one orange; sweeten it well with syrup, and freeze it.278.—Juice of Fruit Iced
Press through a sieve the juice of a pint of currants or raspberries, or other fruit preserved for tarts;
add to it four or five ounces of pounded loaf sugar, a little lemon-juice, and a pint of cream. It may
be whisked previous to freezing, and a mixture of the juice in which the fruit was preserved may be
used.279.—Orange Iced Cream
Boil down a seer and a half of milk to half the quantity with some isinglass and a quarter of a seer or
half a pound of sugar; strain through a sieve, and when perfectly cool add the juice of twelve
oranges. Mix well, put into freezing-pots with two seers or four pounds of raw rice and some salt,
and freeze as above.280.—Bael Sherbet
Take a perfectly ripe sweet bael, and scoop out the whole contents into a bowl; make a paste of it
with a little water; then add sugar to taste, and as much water as will bring it to the consistency of
good honey; then pass it through a fine sieve, leaving all the fibres and seeds behind; it is a most
delicious drink, and if taken early in the morning in rather a liquid state—say of the consistency of
porter—serves as a most effective aperient in a natural and healthy form; but if taken of the
consistency of thick pea or potato soup, it has a directly contrary effect, and as such is invaluable in
all cases of relaxed bowels.For the modern redaction see the Bael Sherbet page.
281.—Mallie, or Cream as prepared by the Natives
Boil down over a slow fire milk to less than half its original quantity, and when cold it will be of the
strength and consistency of a well-made blanc mange.N.B.—The best Indian sweetmeats are made of mallie.
For the modern redaction see the Bael Sherbet page.
282.—Tyre or Dhye
Warm some milk without boiling it; stir into it a little stale butter about the size of a large pea; put
the vessel in a warm place well covered over, and in the course of eight or ten hours the tyre will be
ready.For the modern redaction see the Home-made Yoghurt page.
283.—Yeast
Boil one pound of good flour, a quarter of a pound of brown sugar, and a little salt in two gallons of
water for one hour; when milk-warm, bottle it close; it will be fit to use in twenty-four hours. One
pint of this will make eighteen pounds of bread.284.—Another Way.
Take two pounds of soojee or flour, a quarter of a pound of brown sugar or suckur, and half a
drachm of hops. Dry the hops in the sun, and then reduce them to fine powder, by pounding in a
mortar. Mix the soojee or flour and powdered hops with a little water, just sufficient to make a stiff
dough; then add the sugar and knead all well together. Roll the leaven into a ball, wrap it lightly in a
clean cloth, then in a blanket, and put it away for three days, when it will be ready for use.N.B.—If worked up or kneaded once daily during the three days, the fermentation will be more perfect.
The above quantity will be sufficient for twenty-five pounds weight of bread.
285.—Casserole of Potatoes
Peel and boil some good mealy potatoes, pound them, and mix with them some butter, cream, and a
little salt; put them about an inch and a half high upon a dish, and leave an opening in the centre;
bake it of a light brown colour, and take out as much more from the centre as will admit of a ragout,
fricassee cutlet, or macaroni being put in.286.—Rissoles or Croquets
Mince very finely some cold roast meat or fowl and a small bit of bacon; season it with grated
nutmeg and salt; moisten it with cream, and make it up into good-sized balls; dip them into yolks of
eggs beaten up, and then into finely-grated bread. Bake them in an oven, or fry of a light brown
colour. Before serving, drain them before a fire on the back of a sieve. Garnish with fried parsley.287.—Fricandellans
Mince about two pounds of tender lean beef and three-quarters of a pound of fresh suet; then pound
till it is as smooth as a paste, and carefully pick out all the threads and sinews; add four well-beaten
eggs, half a pint of rich cream, and as much grated and sifted bread as will make it sufficiently
consistent to form into rolls resembling corks; and season with salt and pepper. Boil the corks in
some good stock, or in boiling water, or fry them.288.—Forcemeat
Mince very finely the following ingredients:— Three ounces of fresh beef suet, one of fat bacon,
three of raw or dressed veal, two of grated bread, a little grated lemon-eel, nutmeg, pepper, salt, and
finely -minced parsley; mix all well together, and bind with the beaten yolks of eggs; make it into
croquets or balls, the size of large nutmegs, and fry them in ghee or clarified beef dripping, or use it
for stuffing.289.—Forcemeat balls
May be made of pounded veal or mutton, minced beef suet or fat of veal, taking an equal quantity
of meat, suet, and grated bread-crumbs; add a bit of fat bacon chopped, season with salt, pepper,
and grated nutmeg, and mix all well together with the beaten yolk of an egg.290.—Another Way.
To half a pound of beef or veal add half a pound of udder; mince and pound to a pulp in a mortar;
remove all gristle and parts not pulped, and mix with it the finely-grated crumbs of a slice of stale
bread, and a tablespoonful of finely-chopped parsley; soften down the whole with some milk or
gravy, then add a teaspoonful of finely-pounded pepper and a teaspoonful of salt; rub down the
whole well together, and add the whites and yolks of two raw eggs, well beaten up; make into balls.
If for soup, the size of the balls should be that of small nutmegs; if to garnish made dishes, make
them into the size of large walnuts or of ordinary croquets or rissoles.291.—Forcemeat Onions
Peel four or five large onions, scoop out the inside, fill them with forcemeat, and roast them in an
oven.They may be served with roast turkey or fowl.
292.—Forcemeat for Fish
Pick from the bones the meat of a large beckty, hilsa, or any sort of white fish; mince it finely, and
add the same proportions of minced suet and grated bread, a few chopped oysters, and some boiled
parsley chopped; season with a little pounded onion, cayenne pepper, salt, nutmeg, and lemon-peel;
mix all well together, and bind it with the well-beaten yolks of eggs; roll it into small balls, and fry
them.293.—Egg Balls
Grind down to a powder or paste the yolks of four hard-boiled eggs; add a teaspoonful of very finely
sifted flour, some tender leaves of parsley, finely chopped, and a little white pepper and salt; grind,
and mix all well together with the yolk of a raw egg; roll into small balls, and boil for two or three
minutes.294.—Brain Cakes
Having previously boiled down the brains, bruise them, and add a teaspoonful of finely-sifted flour,
some grated nutmeg, pepper, and salt, and a raw egg; then roll out like piecrust to the thickness of a
rupee, punch out cakes of the size of Spanish dollars, and fry them.295.—Another Way.
Take the brains and remove any veins, &c; chop well with a knife, add salt, nutmeg, and pepper, a
little raw egg, and flour enough to make them stick together; mix well, make into cakes about the
size of the top of liqueur glasses, and fry them brown on both sides.296.—Sauce for Salads
Bruise down when quite cold the yolks of four hard-boiled eggs, and rub into them half a
teaspoonful of pepper, one of salt and one tablespoonful of sugar, with two to three tablespoonfuls
of prepared mustard. When well rubbed together, add very gradually four tablespoonfuls of oil,
stirring it the whole while; when well mixed add a dessertspoonful of Lee and Perrin's
Worcestershire sauce, one tablespoonful and a half of white wine vinegar, and a dessertspoonful of
tarragon vinegar.If the sauce be required thicker than usual, take either a larger number of eggs or a teaspoonful or a dessertspoonful of corn or other flour; put it into a cup, pour over it the quantity of vinegar prescribed above, place the cup in a saucepan of boiling water over the fire, and stir until the vinegar thickens to the desired consistency; then mix it gradually into the preparation of eggs, oil, &c.
297.—Sauce for Lobster Salad
Observe all the directions given in the foregoing recipe, adding to the yolks of the hard-boiled eggs
some of the spawn or red coral of the lobsters and a dash of essence of anchovy. Omit the sugar, and
instead of the Worcestershire sauce substitute mushroom catsup and Indian tapp sauce.298.—Excellent Fish Sauce
Wash and bone two anchovies, and rub them up in a mortar with a quarter of a pound of butter and
half a teaspoonful of flour. Put these into a small saucepan; then add to the yolks of three eggs well
beaten up, two tablespoonfuls of tarragon vinegar, a small bunch of sweet herbs, consisting of
parsley, green onions, and a bay-leaf, and a little salt, pepper, and nutmeg; stir these over the fire
until the sauce is thick, but be careful not to let it boil, or it will burn. Serve it up in a sauce-tureen.299.—Sauce for Boiled Mutton or Boiled Brisket of Beef
Warm a saucepan, and melt in it two chittacks or four ounces of butter free of water; fry in it a
tablespoonful of finely-sliced onions; when half browned, put in gradually two tablespoonfuls of
finely-sifted flour, taking care to keep stirring it the whole time; then add gradually eight chittacks or
sixteen ounces of pure milk, and lastly two wineglasses of vinegar, with finely-pounded white
pepper and salt to taste. This sauce is without its equal.300.—Fresh Tomato Gravy Sauce for Made Dishes
Take forty tomatoes (halved), some soup herbs, and salt; boil them in a little stock; strain through a
sieve, replace on the fire, and thicken with the addition, more or less, of a dessertspoonful of
arrowroot or corn or other flour, to obtain any required consistency; finally add a teaspoonful of
good English vinegar; if a sharper gravy sauce be required, instead of the vinegar add either a
dessertspoonful of tapp sauce or a teaspoonful of chili vinegar.For the modern redaction see the Fresh Tomato Gravy Sauce page.
301.—Tapp Sauce Gravy for Made Dishes
Thicken a good seasoned stock with arrowroot or corn-flour; add to every cup of the thickened
stock a tablespoonful of tapp sauce. Pour it while hot over chicken, veal, beef, or prawn cutlets, or
other made dishes.For the modern redaction see the Tapp Sauce Gravy page.
302.—Sauce for Cucumber Salad
Slice into a soup-plate two large Patna onions and a couple of fresh chilies; sprinkle over with
ground pepper and a little salt; then add two tablespoonfuls of vinegar, and allow to stand for two or
three hours before adding to it the sliced cucumbers. This sauce is also used occasionally for lobster
and prawn salads.303.—Parsley Sauce
Pick, clean, and mince fine some fresh green crisp parsley, and put it into a tureen with a
tablespoonful of chopped capers and a teaspoonful of good English vinegar. Fry to a nice light
brown a dessertspoonful of curry onions in two chittacks or four ounces of butter, free of water; add
a cup of good white stock, free of fat, and thicken with crumb of stale bread finely grated, a
teaspoonful of salt, and a little pepper; allow to simmer until of a sufficient consistency; then pour it
over the minced parsley and capers, mix well together, and it is ready for use.304.—Onion Sauce
Clean and boil six or eight good Patna onions; allow the water to drain away; fry to a light brown
colour, in two chittacks or four ounces of butter, free of water, a dessertspoonful of finely-sliced
curry onions; then gradually mix into it a tablespoonful of finely-sifted flour and half a seer of milk,
taking care through the whole operation to keep stirring the sauce to prevent its lumping; add a
teaspoonful of salt and a quarter of a teaspoonful of pepper; last of all add the boiled onions, and in
a few minutes the sauce will be ready.305.—White Onion Sauce
Peel and cut in halves eight large and perfectly sound white Patna onions, and steep them in water
for half an hour; then boil them until quite tender; drain them of all water; then chop and bruise
them fine, and put them into a saucepan, with half a chittack or one ounce of butter, half a
teaspoonful of salt, and some milk; put the mixture over a brisk fire, and keep stirring till it boils;
then rub the whole through a sieve, after which add sufficient milk to make the sauce of the
consistency required. This is a favourite sauce for boiled mutton, over which some occasionally
strew a tablespoonful of capers.306.—Brown Onion Sauce for Gravy
Heat one chittack or two ounces of butter, free of water, in which fry to a light brown half a dozen
well-selected white Patna onions finely sliced; then stir into it gradually half a chittack or one ounce
of flour; add a little stock and some pepper and salt, boil up for a few minutes, strain through a
sieve, and then add a tablespoonful of port wine, and the same of mushroom catsup. Lemon-juice or
vinegar may be added if a sharper gravy be required.307.—Sauce for Boiled Beef
Mince a large onion, parboil it, and drain off the water; put the onion into a saucepan, with a
tablespoonful of finely -chopped parsley, some good gravy, and one ounce of butter dredged with a
little flour; let it boil nearly ten minutes, and add a spoonful of cut capers. The sauce must be
thoroughly heated before being served up.308.—Sauce for any kind of Meat
Take three tablespoonfuls of gravy, two of vinegar, a blade of mace, a little pepper and salt, and a
large onion sliced; boil and strain.309.—Lobster Sauce
Pound very finely the spawn of a lobster, rub it through a sieve, mix it with a quarter of a pound of
melted butter, and then add the meat of the lobster cut into small bits. Make it quite hot, but do not
allow it to boil.310.—Oyster Sauce
Beard and scald the oysters; strain the liquor, and thicken it with a little flour and butter; squeeze in
a little lemon-juice, and add three tablespoonfuls of cream. Heat it well, but do not let it boil.311.—Sauce for Roast Beef
Mix well together a large tablespoonful of finely-grated horseradish, a dessertspoonful of made
mustard, and half a dessertspoonful of brown sugar; then add vinegar till it be as thick as made
mustard. Serve in a sauce-tureen.312.—To make a Quart Bottle of Fish or Meat Sauce
To half a bottle of vinegar put one ounce of cayenne, two cloves of garlic, one tablespoonful of soy,
two of walnut, and two of mushroom catsup. Let it stand six days, shaking it frequently; then add
the remaining half of the bottle of vinegar, let it stand another week, strain, and put it into small
bottles.313.—Pink Sauce for Fish
Put into a pan, or wide-mouthed jar, one quart of good vinegar, half a pint of port wine, half an
ounce of cayenne, one large tablespoonful of walnut catsup, two of anchovy liquor, a quarter of an
ounce of cochineal, and six cloves of garlic. Let it remain forty hours, stirring it two or three times a
day; run it through a flannel bag, and put it into half-pint bottles.314.—Bread Sauce
Boil in a pint of water the crumb of a French roll or of a slice of bread, a minced onion, and some
whole pepper; when the onion is tender drain off the water, pick out the peppercorns, and rub the
bread through a sieve; then put it into a saucepan, with a gill of cream, a bit of butter, and a little
salt; stir it till it boils, and serve in a sauce-tureen.315.—Apple Sauce
Pare, core, and slice some apples; boil them in water with a bit of lemon-peel; when tender, mash
them; add to them a bit of butter the size of a walnut, and some brown sugar. Heat, and serve in a
sauce-tureen.316.—Egg Sauce
Boil three or four eggs about a quarter of an hour; put them into cold water, take off the shells, cut
three of the whites and four yolks in small pieces, mix them with melted butter, and heat it well.317.—Shrimp Sauce
Pick some shrimps nicely from the shell, put them into melted butter, and add a tablespoonful of
lemon pickle and vinegar; heat it.318.—Mint Sauce
Pick and wash some green mint; add, when minced, a tablespoonful of the young leaves to four of
vinegar, and put it into a sauce-tureen, with a teaspoonful of brown sugar.319.—Pudding Sauce
Mix with half a pint of melted butter two wineglasses of sherry and a tablespoonful of pounded loaf
sugar; make it quite hot, and serve in a sauce-tureen, with grated nutmeg on the top.320.—Parsley and Butter
Pick and wash clean a large bunch of parsley, tie it up, and boil it for a few minutes in water; drain
and chop it very finely, add some melted butter, and make it quite hot. It is better to be made thick
with parsley.321.—Melted Butter
Dust a little flour over a quarter of a pound of butter, and put it into a saucepan, with about a
wineglass of water; stir it one way constantly till it is melted, and let it just boil: a round wooden
stick is the best thing to stir batter with in melting. If the butter is to be melted with cream, use the
same proportion as of water, but no flour; stir it constantly, and heat it thoroughly, but do not let it
boil.322.—French Melted Butter
Mix in a stewpan, with a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, a tablespoonful of flour, a little salt, half
a gill of water, half a spoonful of white vinegar, and a little grated nutmeg. Put it on the fire, stir it,
and let it thicken, but do not allow it to boil, lest it should taste of the flour.323.—Stuffing for Hare or Kid
Parboil the liver, and mince it; add an equal quantity of grated bread, double the quantity of fat
bacon chopped, and a bit of butter the size of a walnut. Season with pepper, salt, nutmeg, chopped
lemon thyme, and parsley; bind with an egg beaten.324.—Stuffing peculiar for Fowls only
Take four boiled potatoes; break them into pieces while hot, and add a chittack or two ounces of
butter free of water, some pepper and salt, a little grated bread-crumb, and some eight or ten olives
stoned, and cut or chopped small; the quantity of potatoes and bread-crumb may be increased or
decreased according to the size of the fowl or number of fowls to be stuffed; moisten with a little
stock or gravy before stuffing the fowls.325.—Stuffing for Roast Pig, Roast Kid, Fillets of Veal, and Duck
Break up, but not mash, six boiled potatoes with one chittack or two ounces of butter free from
water; cut into fine slices two white Patna onions, take a little finely-chopped suet, finely-grated
crumbs of a slice of stale bread, a teaspoonful of ground pepper, a teaspoonful of salt, all kinds of
soup herbs, and a dessertspoonful of tomato or tapp sauce, add a little of the stock or gravy of the
giblets, &c, and stuff the pig, kid, or bird. The quantity of potatoes may be increased or decreased
according to the size of the roast to be stuffed.N.B.—The liver may be cut up or minced, and added to the stuffing.
326.—Stuffing for Boiled Turkey, Goose, or Duck
Mince a quarter of a pound of beef suet, and grate fine the crumbs of a thick slice of stale bread;
add a good quantity of soup herbs, finely sliced and chopped Patna onions, lemon-peel, some grated
nutmeg, a teaspoonful of white pepper, a teaspoonful of salt, half a dozen oysters, and an anchovy,
or in the absence of anchovies a little minced ham or tongue; melt down one chittack or two ounces
of butter; then throw in the above ingredients and warm up well; moisten with stock, and then stuff
the bird.327.—Stuffing for Roast Duck
Slice into fine long strips or ribbons as much of the heart or inside of a young tender cabbage as will
suffice for stuffing; wash and dry it through a colander, and shake it up in a napkin, without crushing
or destroying the crispness of the leaves; take for the stuffing as much only as will suffice to stuff
the number of ducks intended to be dressed; add for each duck a teaspoonful of finely-pounded
pepper, and one of salt, with three cloves of garlic, and two chittacks or four ounces of butter free of
water; stuff your birds and bake or roast as you please.328.—Stuffing for Roast Turkey or Goose
Break, blanch, and slice up very fine twenty-five Barcelona nuts and a dozen Jordan almonds, and
set aside; fry, in two chittacks or four ounces of butter free of water, four tablespoonfuls of finely-
sliced onions; add to it one dozen oysters, half a dozen boiled potatoes broken up small, but not
mashed, a pork or beef sausage broken up small, the rind of a fresh lemon finely sliced and chopped,
the crumb of a slice of stale bread grated fine, some garden herbs, grated nutmeg, plenty of finely-
pounded pepper, and salt to taste; then add the sliced nuts, and as much stock as will cover the
whole of the mixture, and allow it to simmer over a slow fire until it is reduced to the consistency of
stuffing; next add the juice of a lemon and a little mushroom catsup and port wine, and stuff the
bird, after fixing the stuffing with an egg.329.—Jelly for Cooked Birds, Meats, or Made Dishes
Boil down eight calves'-feet, with some pepper and salt, two onions, a head of celery, and two
carrots, in three or four quarts of water, according to the quantity of jelly required; when perfectly
boiled down strain it lightly without bruising the onions or carrots; let it cool, and remove all the fat;
then, with a dozen cloves and the juice and rind of a lemon, boil it again, adding a tablespoonful of
soy or any other dark-coloured, rich, and well-flavoured sauce; beat up to a light froth the whites of
four eggs, and clear the soup or jelly; add a wineglass of brown sherry, and run or drip it through
flannel. Pour what you require over the ready cooked or dressed meat into moulds, and let the rest
cool in some large flat dish, and cut it up small for garnishing the meat or bird when served up.330.—Love-apple or Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:—Five hundred tomatoes; two pounds of green ginger, ground fine; a pound and a half of
garlic, ground fine; one pound of chilies, ground fine; one pound of chilies, ground fine; one pound
of salt; three pounds of tamarinds; and three quarts of vinegar.Steep the tamarinds for twelve hours in a quart of the vinegar; strain them through a sieve, rejecting the stones, and add the other two quarts of vinegar, all the ground condiments, and salt; break the tomatoes into the mixture, and boil the whole, stirring it all the time until it thickens; remove it from the fire, and when cold strain it carefully and bottle the liquid, which is the sauce.
331.—Tomato or Love-apple Chutnee
Ingredients:—Two hundred large ripe love-apples, four ounces of raisins, seven ounces of salt, four
ounces of sugar, eight ounces of chilies, finely sliced, four ounces of ground garlic, and seven
ounces of ground mustard-seed.Parboil the tomatoes in a quart of vinegar, add the other ingredients, and allow the whole to stand for ten to twelve hours; then boil it for twenty to thirty minutes over a slow fire; when cold, bottle it.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Tomato Chutney page.
332.—Tapp Sauce
Ingredients:—Three seers or six pounds of peeled and sliced mangoes, two pounds of ground raisins,
a pound of ground garlic, half a pound of ground chilies, a pound and a half of ground ginger, a
pound of sugar, two pounds of salt, a quart of lime-juice, and six quarts of vinegar.Mix all the above well together, put it into stone jars, and expose it to the sun for twenty days or a month, after which drain away the liquid, which is the sauce; boil it for ten to fifteen minutes, and when cold bottle and cork it.
For the modern redaction see the Tapp's Sauce page.
333.—Sweet Chutnee
The refuse of the tapp sauce makes an excellent chutnee with the addition of some thick syrup, a
few dried dates, a few more whole raisins, and some hot spices. Put the whole into a pan and let it
simmer for a quarter of an hour, or until the syrup is absorbed and the chutnee reduced to a proper
consistency; when cool, bottle, and cork it well down.334.—Another Way.
Ingredients:—Two hundred green mangoes, peeled and sliced, four pounds of salt, three pounds of
ground garlic, three pounds of ground ginger, one pound of chilies, finely sliced, four pounds of
raisins, half a dozen bay-leaves, eight pounds of sugar, and four quarts of vinegar.Make all the sugar into a syrup with two quarts of the vinegar, in which the sliced mangoes must be boiled; when half done, throw in the other ingredients, and mix up well; last of all, add the remaining two quarts of vinegar, and when the chutnee begins to thicken remove it from the fire; let it cool, and then bottle it.
335.—Sweet Mango Chutnee
Ingredients:—A hundred green mangoes, peeled and sliced, two seers of tamarinds stoned, the syrup
of six pounds of sugar boiled in three quarts of vinegar, one tablespoonful of finely-pounded
cinnamon, two pounds of salt, two pounds of sliced ginger, two pounds of cleaned and picked
raisins, three quarts of vinegar, and one dessertspoonful of grated nutmeg.Peel the mangoes, cut them into fine slices, and steep them in salt for thirty-six hours; drain away the salt water, and boil them in the three quarts of vinegar; when cool, remove them into a preserving-pan, mix in all the condiments and other ingredients, and allow the whole to simmer for half an hour, pouring in the syrup gradually, and mixing all the time, until the vinegar and syrup have been absorbed, and the chutnee has acquired the desired consistency; bottle and cork when perfectly cold.
336.—Hot Sweet Mango Chutnee
Ingredients:—A hundred green mangoes, the syrup of four pounds of sugar and three quarts of
vinegar, four pounds of tamarinds, stoned and strained, three quarts of vinegar, eight or ten
bay-leaves, one pound of green chilies, two pounds of sliced ginger, one pound of cloves of garlic,
one pound of raisins, and two pounds of salt.Peel and cut the mangoes into fine slices, and steep them in salt for twenty-four to thirty-six hours; remove the mangoes from the salt water, and boil them in three quarts of vinegar; when quite cool, lay them in a preserving-pan, sprinkle over them the remaining salt, add all the condiments, tamarinds, raisins, &c, and allow the whole to simmer for half an hour, stirring all the time, with the syrup. It should not be bottled until quite cold.
For the modern redaction see the Hot Sweet Mango Chutney page.
337.—Tamarind Chutnee
Ingredients:—Four pounds of ripe tamarinds without the stones, a quarter of a pound each of ground
chilies, ginger, and garlic, two ounces of ground cinnamon, half a pound of picked currants, half a
pound of raisins (the small Cabool are the best), two pounds of soft sugar, a quarter of a pound of
salt, and a quart of vinegar.Put the whole into a glazed earthen preserving-pan, pour over it a quart of vinegar or syrup, or as much as will entirely cover the mixture, and mix all well together; then allow it to simmer over a quick fire until the vinegar or syrup is absorbed and the chutnee thickened to the required consistency; it must be stirred during the whole time it is on the fire.
N.B.—The two pounds of sugar and the quart of vinegar may be made into syrup or used separately.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Tamarind Chutney page.
338.—Cussoondee
Peel and slice fine a hundred green mangoes, steep them in salt for twelve hours, then put them
under a heavy pressure for two hours, and drain away all the water; then mix with them half a
pound each of ground chilies, ginger, and garlic, half a pound of bruised mustard-seed, two pounds
of tamarinds without the stones, and some salt; when the whole is thoroughly mixed, pour over it as
much warmed or cooked mustard oil as will entirely cover it, and cook it for ten to fifteen minutes
over a brisk fire; when cold bottle it, taking care that it is kept several inches well under the oil, and
that it is well corked, or it will spoil.For the modern redaction see the Victorian Cussoondee Kasundi page.
339.—Mango Amchoor
Peel and quarter some green mangoes; sprinkle with salt, and expose them to the sun until they
begin to dry up; then rub them with dry pounded turmeric, chilies, and dry ginger; sprinkle more
salt, and expose them to the sun again, until they are quite dried up, when they may be bottled and
kept for use.340.—Pickled Cabbage
Quarter a full-sized cabbage, keep it in salt for forty-eight hours, and then drain away all the water.
Prepare a pickle or brine of salt and water in the proportion of eight ounces of salt to twenty-four
ounces of water, and boil it with half an ounce each of peppercorns and bay -leaves; pack the
cabbage loose in a wide-mouthed stone jar, and pour over it the cold pickle or brine, which should
have been boiled the day before. Care must be taken to keep the mouth of the jar always airtight, or
the cabbage will rot. When required for use, take out as much as will be required, steep it in fresh
cold water for an hour or two, and then boil it the same as fresh cabbage.341.—Red Cabbage Pickle
Slice the cabbage, and sprinkle salt over each layer; after twenty-four hours remove it into a
colander, and allow all the salt water to drain; then put the cabbage into a pan, pour in sufficient
boiling vinegar to cover it, and add a few slices of red beetroot; when cold, put it into glass bottles
and cork down.342.—Red Cauliflower Pickle
This is a very uncommon pickle, and looks particularly pretty in white bottles. Cut the cauliflower
into pieces of equal sizes, sprinkle with salt, and place it in the sun for a couple of days. Make a
syrup of vinegar and sugar: to every quart of vinegar put a quarter of a pound of sugar, a few sticks
of cinnamon, and as much sliced or bruised and pounded red beet as will give the vinegar a deep red
colour. When all the salt water has drained away, put the cauliflower into a pan, and pour over it the
boiling-hot vinegar or syrup through a fine sieve, in order to leave behind the sticks of cinnamon and
fibres of the beetroot; when cold, put the pickle into nice white bottles and cork.343.—Patna or Bombay Onion Pickle
According to the size and number of bottles, take the small or button onions; remove the outer coat,
wash and dry them thoroughly, throw them into a pan with some vinegar, and parboil them; set the
vinegar aside, after filtering it, for shrimp, cucumber, and other salads, or for the preparation of
mustard. Put the parboiled onions when cold into wide-mouthed bottles, laying them alternately with
fresh red chilies, a few black peppercorns, some finely-sliced green ginger, and a little salt. Fill the
bottles with vinegar, and cork them.For the modern redaction see the Patna or Bombay Pickled Onions page.
344.—Mangoes Pickled Whole
Peel and divide some large-sized mangoes sufficiently to admit of the stones being easily extracted;
rub them over with salt, and expose them to the sun for two or three days; then dry them with a
napkin, and stuff each mango with a few cloves of garlic, finely-sliced chilies and ginger, some
cullungee seeds, a clove or two, and a stick or two of cinnamon; tie them securely with strong
sewing cotton, and put them into bottles, with vinegar sufficient to cover them; cork the bottles well,
and expose them to the sun for fifteen to twenty days. The pickle will be ready for use in three or
four months.To prevent the pickle spoiling, it is not unusual to pour a tablespoonful or two of mustard oil over it when in the bottle.
345.—Sweet Mango Pickle
Peel and quarter a hundred green mangoes, and steep them in salt for thirty-six hours; drain off the
salt water, wipe the mangoes dry, and put them into a preserving-pan, with a seer or two pounds of
sliced ginger, and half a seer of chilies finely sliced; pour in a syrup made of sugar and vinegar (half
a seer of the former in two quarts of the latter), and allow the whole to simmer for ten to fifteen
minutes; bottle when quite cold.346.—Long Plum Pickle
Take the long plums, or what the natives call nar kollee bhyar; remove the peel, and keep them in
salt in the sun for a day or two; drain away the salt water, and put them into bottles, in layers
alternately with fresh chilies, cloves of garlic, ginger finely sliced, and peppercorns; add a little more
salt, and pour in as much vinegar as will cover the whole; cork and expose to the sun for fifteen to
twenty days. This is one of the most delicious of Indian pickles; it will not be fit for use until the
plums have pickled for six months.For the modern redaction see the Victorian Jujube Long Plum Pickle page.
347.—Sweet Long Plum Pickle
Is made in every respect according to the foregoing recipe, with the addition of a syrup in the
proportion of a quarter of a pound of sugar to every quart of vinegar, and a few sticks of cinnamon.348.—Round Plum Pickle
Get the perfectly ripe fruit, which the natives call cool; put them into a damp cloth, and roll them
about to free them of dust; sprinkle them well with salt, and stand them in the sun for three or four
days; then drain away all the water, and bottle the plums alternately with cloves of garlic, green or
fresh red chilies, sliced ginger, peppercorns, and ground mustard-seed; add a little salt, fill up the
bottles with vinegar, and cork, and expose them to the sun for fifteen to twenty days.349.—Round Plum Pickle with Mustard Oil
Is made like the above, the only difference being that some mustard oil is poured over the vinegar,
and allowed to float about an eighth of an inch thick over the surface.350.—Dry Fruit Pickle
This is the pickle of all pickles. Take equal quantities of "dry dates," called the shawarah, khobanee,
or Arabian apricots; allobhokara, a species of Arabian plum or damson; English prunes, rather of
the dry sort; and Normandy dry pippins. Wash and clean them thoroughly, particularly the Arabian
dry fruits, which are very dirty, and dry them well in the sun. Stew the dry dates for ten to fifteen
minutes, cut them up into rings, and throw away the stones. Make a syrup of good French vinegar, in
the proportion of a quarter of a pound of good clean sugar to a quart of French vinegar. After
quartering the pippins, arrange them and the other fruit in a wide-mouthed bottle in alternate layers,
with finely-sliced ginger, peppercorns, sticks of cinnamon, and small sprinklings of salt; then pour
over the whole as much of the vinegar syrup as will entirely cover the fruit; cork the bottle well
down, expose it to the sun for a few days, and it will be fit for use in a month.351.—Green Mint Vinegar
Put into a wide-mouthed bottle enough fresh, clean mint-leaves to fill it loosely, and fill it up with
good vinegar. After it has been stopped close for two or three weeks, pour off the vinegar clear into
another bottle, and keep it well corked for use. Serve with lamb or kid when fresh mint cannot be
obtained.352.—Another Way.
Fill a wide-mouthed bottle with fresh, full-grown, green mint-leaves; pour in a quart of vinegar; after
ten or fifteen days strain away the liquor, and re-fill the bottle with fresh leaves; pour back the
liquor, and after it has steeped for ten or fifteen days longer, strain and bottle for use as required.353.—Horseradish Vinegar
To three ounces of finely-scraped horseradish add a quart of vinegar and a drachm of cayenne, some
black pepper and celery-seeds, and one ounce of bruised onions; after eight or ten days filter the
vinegar, which will serve as an excellent relish for cold beef, salads, &c, and for the preparation of
mustard.354.—Chili Vinegar
Pick, clean, and put into a glass-stoppered bottle one chittack or two ounces of birds'-eye chilies,
and pour over them a pint and half of the best vinegar; after a month's time filter through
blotting-paper a pint of the vinegar; add to what remains half a pint more of vinegar, and expose it to
the sun for a few days, when the second portion will also be ready for use.355.—Essence of Chilies
Pick one chittack or two ounces of the best dried Patna chilies; expose them to a hot sun for an
hour; then pound them to as fine a powder as possible; put the powder into a stoppered bottle with a
teaspoonful of salt, pour over it as much vinegar only as will form a limp paste, and expose it to the
sun for a few days; then pass it through muslin, adding to it as much more vinegar as will reduce it to
the consistency of some thick sauce.For the modern redaction see the Victorian Essence of Chillies page.
356.—To Preserve Lime-juice
Squeeze and strain a pint of lime-juice; put into a basin one pound of double-refined sugar finely
pounded and sifted, add the lime-juice, and stir it with a silver spoon till the sugar is perfectly
dissolved. Bottle it, and cork it tightly; seal the cork, or tie bladder over it, and keep it in a dry, cool
place.357.—To Purify Lime-juice
To a quart of strained lime-juice add an ounce of well-burnt and finely-pounded animal charcoal; in
twelve hours filter it through blotting-paper, and put it into small phials; cork these tightly, and keep
them in a cool place; a thick crust will form beneath the corks, and the mucilage will fall to the
bottom.358.—Green Mint-juice
If for immediate use, extract it with water, but if required to keep for a few days, take brandy for the
purpose. Pick and clean half a dozen large stalks of good fresh mint, and pound the leaves in a
mortar with a dessertspoonful of water, or with brandy, then put them into muslin and squeeze out
all the liquor. Juice may be extracted a second time by a little more water or brandy being added,
and the leaves rebruised and pressed through muslin.359.—Green Ginger-juice
Is extracted in the same manner as mint-juice.360.—Juice of Onions and Garlick.
Is extracted by pounding the condiment in a mortar with a little water, and squeezing the juice
through muslin.361.—Mustard
There are various ways of preparing mustard for the table, each with its admirers, yet in nine houses
out of ten it is often so execrably done as to mar the best dinner, through the loss of its piquancy and
pungency. Be the quantity ever so small, it should never be prepared in a cup, but in a soup or other
deep plate. The dry mustard, with a little salt, should first be well rubbed down with the back of a
spoon; the water, vinegar, or other liquid should then be gradually added, and mixed gently until the
required consistency has been obtained; it should then be mixed briskly, turning the spoon one way
only, and in a few minutes the pungency of the mustard will tell on the eyes; put it immediately into
the mustard-pot, and cork it, removing the cork only when the mustard is required for use. It is a
mistake to suppose that the little silver or plated lid to a mustard-pot is intended, or is sufficient, to
preserve the piquancy and pungency of the condiment. The practice which prevails in some houses
of allowing the spoon to remain immersed in the mustard, which has probably been prepared with
vinegar, the spoon perhaps being a plated one, is very objectionable.It is scarcely necessary to give any further instructions, excepting that hot water should not be used. Some like mustard prepared simply with water; others prefer weak vinegar and water. It is also prepared with plain vinegar, with tarragon vinegar, with vinegar taken from pickles and capers, and with onion and garlic juice. The best mustard for roast beef is that prepared with horseradish; the most delicate flavoured is that made with tarragon vinegar, or vinegar taken from capers.
HINTS ABOUT THE MAKING OF PRESERVES
It is not generally known that boiling fruit a long time without sugar, in an open preserving-pan, and
skimming it well, is a very economical way, as the whole of the scum rises from the fruit, and boiling
without a cover allows the evaporation of all the watery particles. Preserves boiled in this way keep
firm and well-flavoured. Jam made as above, with the addition of a quarter of a pound of good pure
sugar to every pound of fruit, is excellent.362.—To Detect Adulteration of Sugar
The adulteration of brown sugar may be detected by dissolving a little in a glass of clear water; if
sand or any similar substance be present, it will after a while fall to the bottom of the glass. If white
sugar, adulterated with flour, chalk, or other similar substances, be dissolved in clear water, the latter
will become opaque or discoloured, and a sediment will be formed at the bottom of the glass.363.—White Syrup
Put a quart of water over the fire in a well-tinned and clean copper stewpan; when on the boil, drop
into it lump by lump one pound of the best loaf sugar; let it well boil up, and after all the sugar is
thoroughly dissolved, pour it into a broad dish to cool. When cold it is fit for use.364.—Brown Syrup
Take a pound of brown sugar-candy called misseree, and prepare the syrup as directed above. After
all the sugar is thoroughly dissolved, strain it through a sheet of stout blotting-paper spread on
muslin, and allow the syrup to drip into a broad dish. Use it when quite cold.365.—To Clarify Sugar
To every three pounds of loaf sugar allow the beaten white of one egg and a pint and a half of water;
break the sugar small, put it into a nicely cleaned brass pan, and pour the water over it; let it stand
some time before it be put upon the fire; then add the beaten white of the egg, stir till the sugar be
entirely dissolved, and when it boils up pour in a quarter of a pint of cold water, and let it boil up a
second time; then remove it from the fire and let it settle for fifteen minutes; carefully take off all
the scum, put it again on the fire, and boil till sufficiently thick, or, if required, till candy high: in
order to ascertain this, drop a little from a spoon into a cup of cold water, and if it become quite
hard, it is sufficiently done; or dip the handle of a wooden spoon into the sugar, plunge it into cold
water, and draw off the sugar which adheres; if the sugar be hard and snaps, the fruit to be
preserved must be instantly put in and boiled.366.—Capillaire
To a quart of water add three pounds of lump sugar, one pound of soft sugar, and the whites and
yolks of two eggs well beaten up; boil it gently, and skim well; on the scum ceasing to rise, remove
the pan from the fire, add two ounces of the best orange-flower water, and strain through flannel.For the modern redaction see the Victorian Capillaire Syrup page.
367.—Ceylon Moss, Seaweed, and Iceland Moss Preserves
Steep the moss or weed for two or three days in fresh water, changing the water two or three times a
day; wash it well once before boiling it; to every seer or two pounds of the weed add a wineglassful
of the best vinegar; allow it to simmer over a gentle fire until it thickens, so as to congeal on a glass;
then strain the moss or weed through a towel, pour the liquid into clarified sugar or syrup, and boil
them together for half an hour; pour the jelly into large wide dishes, and when quite cold cut it into
cakes. If desired, the jelly may be coloured or tinted with cochineal.For the modern redaction see the page.
368.—Guava Jelly
Select ripe guavas, and as they are peeled and quartered throw them into a large bowl of fresh clean
water; then boil them in as much other clean water as will only cover the fruit, and when perfectly
tender, so as to dissolve to the touch, strain through a fine sieve or towel without breaking or
pressing the fruit, and allow it to drip through for twelve to eighteen or twenty-four hours if
necessary. Put the juice on the fire again without a cover to the preserving-pan; boil and skim well;
add gradually good clean sugar to your taste; when nearly done, add lime-juice in the proportion of
ten large juicy limes to every hundred guavas; after it has boiled until no more scum rises, and the
jelly is quite clear, pour it while the jelly is warm into glass or stone jars, and cork them down when
quite cold. A hundred guavas will give two to two and a half jars of jelly, and will take from two to
two and a half hours' cooking or boiling.369.—Guava Cheese
After all the water or juice has drained from the guavas boiled for jelly, pass the fruit or pulp through
a sieve, rejecting the seeds; add lime-juice and sugar to taste, and boil over a slow fire to a
consistency stiff enough for it to remain unmoved in a spoon; rub a little butter in a mould, fill it
with the cheese while hot, and place it in a heat, or in an expiring oven, to dry; the colour may be
improved with the aid of cochineal.370.—Mango Jelly
Peel and stone a hundred green mangoes, and cut each into four, throwing them as they are ready
into a solution of weak lime-water, strained of all sediment. When all have been peeled and stoned,
remove them into a large vessel, pour in as much cold water as will entirely cover them, and boil
them until they are quite dissolved; then carefully strain the liquid without pressing the fruit, and let
it drip all night. Boil the juice again in an open preserving-pan, and cut away the scum as it rises;
then add gradually good clean white sugar until it is sweetened to taste; continue to boil steadily
until the scum has ceased to rise, and the jelly is quite clear and transparent; allow some of it to drop
on a plate and cool; if it congeals, remove the pan and fill the bottles while the jelly is slightly warm,
and cork down when quite cold.371.—Mango Marmalade
Pass through a sieve the pulp of the mangoes which had been boiled for jelly; add plenty of clean
white sugar, without quite destroying the acidity of the fruit; boil it over a slow fire until it acquires
the thickness of guava cheese, and bottle while it is yet warm.N.B.—This marmalade is will adapted for rolly-polly puddings, tarts, mango fool, and the preparation of sauces for boiled goose, ducks, &c.
For the modern redaction see the Victorian Green Mango Marmalade page.
372.—Green Mango Preserve
Select mangoes slightly under the middling size, taking care that they are not bruised or injured in
any way. Steep them in clean water; grate the outer coat, or peel very finely, so as to remove
thoroughly a fine coat of green from the surface; cut them sufficiently lengthways to extract the
stones, and then throw them into lime-water. Remove them into a copper preserving-pan with clean
water, and parboil them, skimming them well; throw them into a sieve, and allow all the water to
drain away; have a large quantity of good syrup prepared, allowing two pounds of sugar to every
twenty-five mangoes; throw the mangoes into the syrup, and allow them to simmer; cut away the
scum until the sugar inclines to crystallize; then remove the pan from the fire, and put the preserve
into wide-mouthed bottles; before corking them down, it will be necessary to examine the syrup
every two or three days, and if it be found that it is becoming thin, it will have to be reboiled; just as
the boiling is about to be finished, the mangoes ought to be put into it to warm up; this precaution
must be taken every time the syrup has been reboiled, until there is no further appearance of
fermentation; the bottles may then be securely corked down, and the preserve will keep good for
years.373.—Another Way.
Peel and stone good middling-sized green mangoes, and steep them in lime-water; parboil them in
fresh water, and then in syrup until it thickens; put them into bottles, and examine them daily; if any
signs of fermentation appear, reboil the syrup, and put in the fruit at the end of the boiling; the
reboiling to be continued until the syrup has ceased to ferment.The difference between this and the foregoing preserve is only in appearance: the former will be of a greenish tint, and the latter of a rich light brown.
N.B.—Care must be taken to have plenty of syrup at the starting, so that at the end of the two or three reboilings there may be enough left to cover the fruit.
374.—Pine-apple Preserve
Take care that the pines are not green, nor yet quite ripe; remove the peel, cutting it deeply, and then
all the seeds and eyes; cut each pine into six slices, lay them in a preserving-pan, and sprinkle over
each layer a good quantity of sugar, a few sticks of cinnamon, and a few bay-leaves, covering the
uppermost layer with a larger quantity of sugar; allow them to simmer over a tolerably brisk fire
until the sugar has all melted; then reduce the fire, and continue to simmer until the pines have quite
changed colour and become tender; remove them out of the syrup into a colander, and allow them to
drain, but continue to boil the syrup with all that drops from the fruit until it has thickened; then
return the fruit into the syrup and finish the boiling. Bottle when quite cool, but before corking them
for good, ascertain the state of the syrup every two or three days; if it shows signs of fermentation,
remove it from the fruit and reboil it; this operation must be continued until the syrup has ceased to
ferment; the fruit is not to be reboiled, but only returned into the syrup when the boiling is about to
be finished.375.—Another Way
Finish the preserve by boiling the sliced pines and sugar together until the fruit has become of quite
a dark colour, and the syrup so thick that it is not likely to ferment. There is, however, the objection
to this method that the fruit becomes more or less leathery, and is not mellow like that preserved
according to the foregoing recipe.376.—Peach Preserve
Clean the peaches, slit them with a silver or plated knife, and remove the stones; have a very strong
syrup ready, and while it is boiling hot throw in the peaches, and let them stand over a slow fire for
six to eight hours; then remove them from the fire, and twelve hours after drain off the syrup and
reboil it; return the fruit into the syrup, and if it shows any disposition to ferment, boil it again; when
satisfied it will not ferment any more, add a little brandy, say a wineglassful to every fifty peaches,
and boil the whole over a slow fire for two hours. Bottle when quite cold. The kernels from the
stones may be put in if desired.377.—Another Way.
Clean the peaches, and put them with the stones into a preserving-pan with sufficient water to cover
them; allow them to simmer until quite tender, cutting away the scum, and then spread them on a
dish to cool. Make a syrup, allowing three-quarters of a pound of sugar to every pound of fruit, and
while it is boiling hot put in the peaches, and boil them gently until the syrup is quite thick. Two days
after drain off the syrup and reboil it, returning the fruit into it while hot; if at the end of twenty -four
or thirty-six hours it has become thin again, it must be reboiled; a little brandy should be added
finally.N.B.—If the peaches are boiled in two waters, the first may be thrown away, but the second, in which the peaches should be boiled a longer time, may be taken for making the syrup.
378.—Pulwal Preserve
Take two seers or four pounds of large full-grown pulwals without any decay; peel, slit, remove the
seeds, and throw them into cold water; wash them thoroughly, and parboil them in clean water; then
put them in a colander, and set them aside to cool. Prepare a good strong syrup of half a seer of
sugar and a quarter of a seer or half a pound of green ginger well bruised; throw the pulwals in, and
allow them to simmer until the syrup thickens. They should be removed immediately the colour
becomes quite brown, but the syrup must be kept boiling till it has acquired the proper consistency;
return the pulwals into the syrup, and, if necessary, reboil it two or three days after, if it appears to
have become thin, or inclined to ferment.379.—Another Way.
Take two seers or four pounds of good large fresh pulwals; thoroughly grate the outer surface, half
slit them, remove the seeds, and throw them into water; parboil them in clean water, remove them
into a colander, and allow them to drain and dry; then stuff each pulwal with some bruised green
ginger, tie or bind them with fine cotton, put them into a strong syrup made of half a seer of sugar,
and allow them to simmer until they change colour; remove them, and continue to boil the syrup
until it thickens; then return them into the syrup, and in two or three days reboil the syrup, if it has
become thin, or appears inclined to ferment.380.—Candied Pulwal
The same process is observed as directed for pulwal preserve, the chief difference being that hot or
boiling clarified sugar or syrup must be used, and the preserve exposed to the sun, spread out on
fresh oiled paper, to dry.For the modern redaction see the Candied Pointed Grouds page.
381.—Tipparee (commonly called Gooseberry) Preserve
Shell or remove the pods of the tipparees, and wipe away all dust; prick each with a bamboo or
other wooden pin, and put them into a preserving-pan; strew some sugar over each layer of fruit,
making the final layer of sugar thicker than the others, and simmer the whole until all the juice has
been extracted, and the syrup has acquired such a consistency that it will congeal if dropped on a
plate; then remove the preserve quickly from the fire, and bottle while warm.382.—Tipparee Jelly
Clean and prick the tipparees as in the foregoing recipe, and put them into a clean well-tinned
stewpan, with as much water as will entirely cover them; boil them until all the juice has run out;
strain the latter into a preserving-pan through fine muslin, without crushing the fruit, and allow it to
simmer for a while, removing the scum; then add to it fine clean white sugar to taste, in small
quantities at a time, skimming it well all the while; when nearly ready, put in the juice of two lemons
strained through muslin; when the scum has ceased to rise, and the jelly is clear, remove the pan
from the fire; bottle the jelly while it is warm, and cork when it is quite cold.383.—Tipparee Cheese or Marmalade
Take the fruit which had been boiled for jelly, and pass it through a fine sieve, leaving the skins
behind; clean and prick a few more tipparees, and add them to the strained fruit; put the whole into
a preserving-pan with sugar, and simmer until of a sufficient consistency to make into cheese; add
some orange marmalade, in the proportion of a tablespoonful to every mould; with a feather damp
the moulds with melted butter or sweet oil, and pour into them the cheese while quite hot; place
them in cold water, and turn out the cheeses as soon as they are cool enough to retain their shape.384.—To Preserve Tamarinds
Rid the tamarinds of all the stones; put a layer of sugar in a wide-mouthed bottle, and over it a layer
of stoned tamarinds, then another layer of sugar, and so on alternately until the bottle is full; the
final layer must be a deep one of sugar. Tie the stopper down with oiled bladder. This will keep good
for years, and prove serviceable when fresh tamarinds cannot be procured.385.—Bael Preserve
The fruit must be rather less than half ripe, to enable it to be cut into firm slices a quarter of an inch
thick; carefully remove the seeds, together with the gum by which they are surrounded, and throw
the slices into cold water; when all the bael is ready, remove it from the water, and simmer it in a
strong syrup over a slow fire for half an hour, or until it has become of a rich light brown colour;
bottle it when cool, taking care that the fruit is well covered with syrup.386.—Bael Jam
The fruit must be half ripe, all the seeds and gum carefully removed, and the pulp passed through a
coarse sieve into a preserving-pan with the help of a little water; add sugar to taste, and simmer over
a slow fire for half an hour, or until the fruit and sugar have acquired the consistency of jam; let it
cool, and then bottle.387.—Candied Bael
The fruit should be selected as for the preserve, cut into slices, and the seeds and gum removed;
after steeping it in cold water, drain it, and put it in a preserving-pan, with sufficient boiling clarified
sugar or syrup to cover it; simmer it over a slow fire for half an hour, or until it becomes quite
tender; then remove the pan from the fire, lay the fruit on some fresh oiled paper spread on tin trays,
and expose it to the sun; it will crystallize in a few hours, and the oil will prevent it adhering to the
paper.388.—Orange Jelly
Melt an ounce and a half of isinglass and three-quarters of a pound of fine white sugar in a pint of
water; add some orange and lemon-peel, and boil until it is a good syrup; while warm, add the juice
of ten oranges and two lemons, strain the whole through flannel, and put it into moulds. The juice of
the fruit should not be boiled.389.—Damson Cheese
Take damsons that have been bottled for tarts, pass them through a sieve, and reject the skins and
stones; to every pound of the strained pulp add half a pound of loaf sugar broken small; boil the
whole until it has thickened; then pour it into buttered moulds and put it in an oven or warm place to
dry; when quite firm, remove it from the moulds and serve up.390.—Apricot Cheese
Take the Cabool apricots, or those preserved for tarts; if the former, wash them thoroughly in
several waters, parboil and reduce them to a pulp, and pass them through a sieve, rejecting all the
skin, &c; add sugar as directed in the foregoing recipe, and a handful or two of the apricot stones
blanched, and boil the whole until it has thickened sufficiently; then pour it into buttered moulds,
put it into an expiring oven or some warm place to dry, and when quite firm turn it out of the
moulds.N.B.—Other bottled fruits sent out to this country for tarts, not preserved in sugar, are admirably adapted for converting into marmalades, or for making into “fools."
391.—Orange Marmalade
Take twenty-four oranges and six lemons, and of the best sugar a quantity equal to the weight of the
fruit; grate the rinds of the oranges and lemons; then mark or cut into quarters and strip off the rinds
without hurting the pulps; stew the rinds until they become perfectly tender, changing the water two
or three times; then drain them, scrape out a little of the inside, and cut them into very fine slices or
chips; next separate the pips, skin, and fibrous parts from the pulps, over which pour some water
and strain it off; with this and a little more water prepare a syrup in a preserving-pan, add to it the
whites of two eggs well beaten up, skim it well, and the moment it begins to boil take it off the fire;
continue to remove the scum, add a little more water, boil, and strain until the syrup is perfectly
clear; then throw in the chips and boil until they are quite transparent; next put in all the pulp and
juice, and boil until it thickens. To ascertain if it has been sufficiently cooked, drop a little on a plate
and see if it congeals.392.—Another Way.
Stew good fresh ripe oranges till perfectly tender, changing the water several times; drain them, and
cut and remove the rinds without breaking them or wounding the pulps; weigh the pulps, having
previously removed all the pips, skin, and seeds, and to every six pounds of fruit add seven of sugar;
pour boiling water over the pips, seeds, &c, strain them, and take the liquor for the preparation of
syrup; skim it well while boiling; when clear, add to it the rind, having first scraped and thrown away
some of the inside and then cut it up into thin slices or chips. After a while add the pulp and juice,
and boil it up again until it acquires the consistency of jelly. This is a new method, and approved by
some as being excellent and economical.393.—Indian Way of Making Calf's-Foot Jelly
Take twelve large or full-sized calves'-feet, one pound or half a seer of sugar, eight limes, two
oranges, half a dozen blades of lemon-grass, a tablespoonful of mixed spices (say cinnamon,
cardamoms, mace, nutmeg, and cloves), six eggs, a handful of isinglass, and a claretglassful of
sherry. Having thoroughly washed the feet, break them up and boil them; allow all the meat to
dissolve over a slow fire, skim away every particle of fat, and strain the liquid through a coarse
napkin; add the sugar, all the hot spices, and the rinds of two lemons and one orange; simmer the
whole for some time, squeeze in the juice of the eight limes and the two oranges, together with the
isinglass and lemon-grass, and when it begins to thicken strain it; then reboil until it is reduced to the
required quantity, skimming all the fat. Beat the whites of the six eggs to a good light froth; add this
to the jelly, and pour it from one pan into another several times, until it clears; then add the sherry
and strain it through flannel, returning it quickly two or three times until it runs perfectly bright and
clear; fill into glasses or moulds before it congeals.394.—Cream of Citron
Put sixty drops of the oil of citron into a quart of spirits of wine of the strength of sixty-two degrees
overproof; shake it well, mix with it a quart of syrup and two ounces of yellow colouring matter, and
filter the whole through filtering-paper. If not sufficiently bright, filter it a second time through some
fresh paper, and bottle it.395.—Cream of Cloves
To a quart of spirits of wine of the strength given in the foregoing recipe add forty drops of oil of
cloves; shake it well, and mix with it a quart of syrup, and as much yellow colouring matter as will
give it a good colour; filter through filtering-paper and bottle immediately. It is a delightful liqueur,
and is excellent for relaxed throats.396.—Cream of Noyau
To a quart of spirits of wine sixty-two degrees overproof add twenty drops of good essential oil of
bitter almonds and six drops of oil of orange; shake it well, and add a quart of syrup; filter it through
paper until it is quite clear.397.—Pink Noyau
To a quart of spirits of wine sixty-two degrees overproof add fifteen drops of essential oil of bitter
almonds, three drops of oil of roses, four drops of oil of aniseed, and one drop of tincture of vanilla;
shake it well, and mix with it a quart of syrup and a sufficient quantity of pink colouring matter to
make it of a delicate pink colour; bottle it after filtering.398.—Cream of Aniseed
Put twenty drops of essential oil of aniseed in a quart of spirits of wine; after shaking it well, mix
with it a quart of syrup; filter and put it in bottles.399.—Cream of Cinnamon
To a quart of spirits of wine add two drops of oil of cinnamon and two of oil of roses; shake it well
until the oil has thoroughly dissolved, and add a quart of syrup and a sufficient quantity of red
tincture to produce a bright full colour; it may then be filtered and bottled. This is an agreeable
liqueur, and beneficial to dyspeptic persons.400.—Rose Cream
Into a quart of spirits of wine put twelve drops of the oil of roses and three of oil of nutmeg; shake
the mixture well until the oils are dissolved, and add a quart of syrup, and a sufficient quantity of
pink tincture to produce a fine rose-colour: filter and bottle.401.—Cream of Mint
Drop into a quart of spirits of wine twenty-five drops of oil of mint and three of oil of citron; shake
it well, and add a quart of syrup and as much green colouring tincture as may be necessary: filter
and bottle.402.—Cream of Vanilla
Put twelve drops of tincture of vanilla into a quart of spirits of wine; shake it well, and add a quart
of syrup; when well mixed, let it stand for a quarter of an hour; then filter it two or three times
through filtering-paper, but do not filter again if it comes out bright and clear the first time. This is a
most delicious cordial.403.—Golden Wasser or Dantzic Brandy
To a quart of spirits of wine add twelve drops of oil of aniseed, six of oil of cinnamon, three of oil of
roses, and eight of oil of citron; shake it will until the oils dissolve; then add a quart of syrup, and
filter through filtering-paper: before bottling the liqueur, stir into it a few squares of leaf-gold cut
into very little bits.404.—Curacao
Boil a quart of water in a very clean pan, and add to it, bit by bit, a pound of dark brown sugar-
candy; when the latter is dissolved, increase the fire and let the syrup boil up; then pour it into a
deep dish to cool, dissolve a hundred and twenty drops of oil of bitter orange in a quart of spirits of
wine sixty -two degrees overproof, and mix with the syrup when quite cold; then filter and bottle the
liqueur.This is a most difficult liqueur to filter of a clear bright colour; indeed, all liqueurs in which essential oils extracted from peals of the lemon tribe are used become so opaque on being mixed with syrup that the filtering is rendered a most tedious undertaking.
The proportions given in the above recipes are for the production of really good strong liqueurs, which will keep good for years, and improve by age. Liqueurs for immediate consumption need not be made quite so strong, two parts of syrup and one of spirits of wine will usually be sufficient; but consumers will be the best judges of their own tastes. A caution is very necessary against the free use of the essential oils: they are all harmless in moderation, but poison if used in excess, and some more powerful than others.
405.—Punch a la Romain
Squeeze the juice out of eight juicy limes and four lemons or oranges; strain it through muslin and
well mix with it two pounds of the best loaf sugar; beat to a light froth the whites of ten fresh eggs,
and add gradually to the sugared juice; pour the whole into a pewter vessel, and place it in a tub
containing two seers of cutcha, or raw ice, stirring it frequently to make it congeal. Ice two quarts of
champagne, and when required add it to the contents of the pewter vessel; mix all well together, and
serve in green or amber-coloured hock glasses. The addition of a little rum is considered an
improvement.406.—Mint Beer
Put some bruised fresh-gathered mint-leaves into a large tankard, and pour over them a bottle of
beer well iced, and a soda-water bottle of sparkling lemonade, also well iced; or use bottled
mint-juice if the beer and lemonade have not been iced, and stir in a quarter of a pound of crushed
ice.407.—Another Way.
To the juice or bruised leaves add sufficient sugar to sweeten, and pour into the tankard two
tumblers of water and two quarts of beer; stir and serve up with crushed ice, or cool the beer and
water before the preparation.408.—Ginger Beer
Use bruised green ginger instead of mint, and ginger beer instead of lemonade.409.—“The Commander-in-Chief"
Empty into a punchbowl a quart of claret and a bottle of soda-water; add a wineglassful of curacao,
and sweeten to taste with sugar; then throw in a handful of picked and bruised mint-leaves, with a
seer of crushed ice; add a quart of champagne, stir briskly, and serve up.410.—Regent Punch
Mix a quart of sparkling champagne, a claretglassful of brandy, a wineglassful of old Jamaica rum,
and a pint of very strong pure green tea; sweeten to taste with capillaire or any other syrup.411.—Milk Punch
Six quarts of rum and one of brandy, one quart of lime-juice, two seers of soft sugar, three quarts of
cold water, two seers of pure milk, the rinds of forty limes, and three nutmegs will make twelve
quarts of punch, as follows:—Steep for two days in a bottle of the rum the peels of the forty limes; boil in the three quarts of water the two seers of soft sugar, and grate in the nutmeg; pour all the rum and syrup into a large vessel, and add gradually the quart of lime-juice and two seers of milk, boiling hot, stirring the whole time; let it stand for an hour or two, then strain through flannel several times until it drips clear, and bottle.
412.—Another Way.
Sixteen bottles of rum, three bottles of brandy, four bottles of lime-juice, eight bottles of milk,
twelve bottles of water, eight seers of sugar, eight nutmegs, and the rinds of eighty limes, will make
thirty-six quarts of milk punch, but of a milder quality than the foregoing.The addition of a bottle of curacao to milk punch is a great improvement; it may be added after the milk and lime-juice.
413.—Ginger Pop
Boil an ounce of well-bruised green ginger cleaned of all rind, an ounce of cream of tartar, a pound
of white sugar, some toddy, and some of the rind and all the juice of a large lime, in four quarts of
water, for twenty minutes; when nearly cold, add a claretglassful of good fresh toddy; let it stand for
six hours, and then put into soda-water bottles. It will fill eight or nine bottles.414.—Imperial Pop
Take three ounces of cream of tartar, an ounce of bruised sugar, a pound and a half of white sugar,
and an ounce of lemon-juice, and pour a gallon and a half of boiling water on them, with two
tablespoonfuls of yeast. Mix, bottle, and tie down the corks as usual.415.—Negus
To two quarts of claret or one of port add a wineglassful of brandy, two limes cut into thin slices, a
slight grating of nutmeg, a few cloves, cardamoms, and sticks of cinnamon, two teacupfuls of boiling
water, and two tablespoonfuls of sugar.416.—Flash
Mix half a pint of lemon ice with a wineglassful of Jamaica rum; pour over it, stirring briskly, a
bottle of iced ginger beer; drink it while it is effervescing.417.—Sherry Cobbler
Pour into a tumbler two wineglassfuls of sherry, half a wineglassful of rum, and half a wineglassful
of maraschino; add half an orange sliced fine, and fill the tumbler with crushed ice; take the
preparation through a reed, quill, or common straw.418.—Apricot Effervescing Drink
Filter until clear a pint of the juice of bruised apricots, and make into a syrup with half a pound of
sugar; then add an ounce of tartaric acid; bottle, and cork well. To a tumbler three parts full of water
add two tablespoonfuls of the syrup and a scruple of carbonate of soda; stir well, and drink while
effervescing.419.—Mint Julep
Put about a dozen of the young sprigs of mint into a tumbler; add a tablespoonful of white sugar,
half a wineglassful of peach, and the same of common brandy; then full up the tumbler with
pounded ice.420.—Orangeade
Squeeze out the juice of an orange; pour boiling water on a little of the peel, and cover it close; boil
water and sugar to a thin syrup, and skim it; when cold, mix all together with as much water as well
make a rich drink; strain through a jelly -bag, and ice.421.—Orgeat
Blanch and pound three-quarters of a pound of sweet and thirty bitter almonds with a tablespoonful
of water; stir in by degrees two pints of water and three pints of milk, and strain the whole through a
cloth; dissolve half a pound of loaf sugar in a pint of water; boil, skim well, and mix with the
almond-water, adding two tablespoonfuls of orange-flower water and a teacupful of good brandy.422.—Poor Man's Champagne
Put a pint of Scotch ale into a jug, and add a bottle of good ginger beer.423.—Royal Lemonade
Pare two oranges and six lemons as thin as possible, and steep them four hours in a quart of hot
water; boil a pound and a quarter of the loaf sugar in three pints of water; skim it and add to the two
liquors the juice of six oranges and a dozen lemons; stir well; strain through a jelly-bag, and ice.424.—Summer Beverage
Pour, while hot, two quarts of barley-water, made as in recipe 426, on the juice and rind of a lemon
very thinly cut; to which add honey, capillaire, or sugar, according to taste; let it stand one hour and
strain.425.—Lemon Barley-water
Two tablespoonfuls of pearl barley, a quarter of a pound of lump sugar, rather more than two quarts
of boiling water, and the peel of a fresh lemon make a pleasant drink for summer. It should stand all
night, and be strained the next morning.426.—Barley-water for the Sick Chamber
Mix smoothly a teaspoonful of Robinson's patent barley and a tablespoonful of cold spring water
into a smooth paste, and gradually add a quart of boiling water; boil it gently for ten minutes, stirring
occasionally, and strain when cold.427.—To Cure the Sting of a Wasp
Oil of tartar or solution of potash applied to the part affected will give instant relief.428.—To Cure Deafness from Deficient Secretion of Wax
Mix half a drachm of oil of turpentine and two drachms of olive oil. Put two drops into the ear at
bedtime.429.—Cure for Cramp in the Legs
Stretch out the heels and draw up the toes as far as possible. This will often stop a fit of the cramp
after it has commenced.430.—Emetic Draught
Mix one grain of emetic tartar, fifteen grains of powder of ipecacuanha, and an ounce and a half of
water. This is commonly employed for unloading the stomach on the accession of fevers, and in
ordinary cases.431.—Another Recipe
Mix ten grains of blue vitriol (sulphate of copper) and two ounces of distilled water.432.—Another Recipe
For a draught to be taken directly, mix a scruple of subcarbonate of ammonia, half a drachm of
ipecacuanha in powder, three ounces of peppermint water, and two drachms of tincture of cayenne
pepper. In case of poisoning, this is said to be more certain and effectual in arousing the action of
the stomach than either of the preceding draughts.433.—Cure for Tic-doloreux or Neuralgia
Mix half a pint of rose-water and two teaspoonfuls of white vinegar. Apply it to the part affected
three or four times a day: fresh linen should be used at each application. This will, in two or three
days, gradually take the pain away.At least three hundred “infallible cures" for tic-doloreux have been discovered, but the disease arises from such various causes that no remedy can be relied upon. Carbonate of iron cures one; quinine, another; upon a third neither has any effect. The remedy above suggested, although safe and simple, takes time to afford relief. Ten to twenty drops of Collis Browne's chlorodyne have been found from repeated experience to afford nearly instantaneous relief, and in some cases subject to periodical return to have effected almost perfect cures.
434.—To Cure Hiccough or Hiccup
This spasm is caused by flatulency, indigestion, and acidity. It may generally be relieved by a sudden
fright or surprise, or the application of cold, also by swallowing two or three mouthfuls of cold water
or a teaspoonful of vinegar, or by eating a small piece of ice, taking a punch of snuff, or anything
that excites coughing.435.—Cure for Colds
Total abstinence from liquid food of any kind for a day or two (known as the dry system) has been
known to cure coughs and colds where it has been persevered in.436.—Mixture for Recent Coughs
Mix five ounces of honey, a quarter of a pound of treacle, and seven ounces of best vinegar, and
simmer in a common pipkin for fifteen minutes; remove it from the fire, and when the mixture has
become lukewarm, add two drachms of ipecacuanha wine. The dose is a tablespoonful every four
hours for adults. This is one of the best mixtures known for recent cough, and, on account of its
pleasant taste, is particularly eligible for children and infants.437.—Emulsion for Recent Coughs
Mix an ounce of oil of sweet almonds, the yolk of one egg, five ounces of orange-flower water, half
an ounce of mucilage of gum Arabic, a drachm and a half of ipecacuanha wine, and half an ounce of
syrup of marshmellows. The dose is a tablespoonful when the cough is troublesome. Half this
quantity may be given to young children.438.—Emulsion for Old Coughs
Rub well two drachms of gum ammoniac, gradually adding half a pint of water; when they are
thoroughly mixed, strain them through linen. This is a useful expectorant in old coughs and asthmas,
when no inflammatory symptoms are present. The dose is from one to two tablespoonfuls, united
with an equal quantity of almond emulsion.439.—Cure for Hooping-cough
Dissolve a scruple of salts of tartar in a quarter of a pint of water; add ten grains of cochineal, and
sweeten with sugar. Give to an infant the fourth part of a tablespoonful four times a day; two years
old, half a spoonful; from four years, a tablespoonful.440.—Roche's Embrocation for Hooping-cough
Mix eight ounces of olive oil, four ounces of oil of amber, and a sufficient quantity of oil of cloves to
scent it strongly. This is the same as the famous embrocation of Roche. When rubbed on the chest, it
stimulates the skin gently, and is sometimes serviceable in hooping-cough and the other coughs of
children. In hooping-cough it should not be used for the first ten days of the disease.441.—Valuable Lotion for Hooping-cough, &c.
Dissolve one drachm of emetic tartar in two ounces of common water, and add half an ounce of
tincture of Spanish fly. This is a valuable lotion in the advanced stages of hooping-cough, and is of
much service in all other coughs, both of adults and children. It is often very useful in removing the
distressing cough and oppression of the chest left after the hoop has quitted the patient. After it has
been rubbed into the chest night and morning for about a week, it will create a redness, and bring
out some small pustules; it should then be applied only once a day, and if the part becomes very
sore, it may be laid aside altogether, and the pustules anointed twice a day with simple white
ointment. In very severe cases, however, it will be necessary to continue the use of this lotion until a
large number of pustules appear; and if they are kept discharging freely by an occasional use of it,
the relief will be more striking and permanent.442.—Warm Plaster
Melt together with a moderate heat one part of blistering plaster and fourteen of Burgundy pitch,
and mix them so as to form a plaster. This will be stimulant, and create a slight irritation on the part
to which it is applied. It is used with advantage in common cough, hooping-cough, sciatica, and local
pain.443.—Gargle for Irritation and Inflammation in the Throat
Mix two drachms of purified nitre, seven ounces of barley-water, and seven drachms of acetate of
honey. Use frequently.444.—Another Recipe
Mix half a drachm of muriatic acid and seven ounces of decoction of black-current leaves or barley-
water. This and the preceding gargle should be used when the object is to reduce the inflammation in
the throat without its proceeding to suppuration. They are likewise useful in relaxed sore throat. This
gargle possesses cleansing qualities, and should be used when the fauces are clogged with viscid
mucus. It may be made still more detergent, if necessary, by increasing a little the quantity of acid.445.—A Good Gargle for Sore Throats
Mix two drachms of tincture of myrrh, four ounces of water, and half an ounce of vinegar.446.—Excellent Domestic Gargle
Mix together, in a half -pint tumbler, three teaspoonfuls of vinegar, two of tincture of myrrh, two of
honey, and about one-fourth of a tumbler of port wine; then fill up the tumbler with lukewarm
water, and the gargle will be fit for use. This is both pleasant and efficacious in all cases of sore
throat. If a decoction of black-currant leaves be used instead of lukewarm water, it will be much
improved.447.—Remedy for Sprains
Mix together one ounce each of camphorated spirit, common vinegar, and spirits of turpentine.448.—Another Recipe
Put the white of an egg into a saucer, and stir it with a piece of alum, about the size of a walnut, until
it becomes a thick jelly; apply a portion of it on a piece of lint or two large enough to cover the
sprain, changing it for a fresh one as often as it gets warm or dry, and keep the limb in a horizontal
position.449.—Embrocation for Sprains and Bruises
Mix together an ounce and a half of compound liniment of camphor and half an ounce of tincture of
opium. This is a very useful application to sprains and bruises, after all inflammation has
disappeared, and for rheumatic pains. Warmed and rubbed over the surface of the abdomen, it is of
much service in allaying the pain of colic unattended by inflammation.450.—Another Recipe
Mix an ounce of solution of acetate of ammonia and an ounce of soap liniment. This is useful when
the bruises or sprains are accompanied with inflammation.451.—Lime Liniment for Burns, Scalds, &c.
Mix together equal parts of linseed or common olive oil and lime-water. Well shake the liniment
every time it is used.452.—Spermaceti Ointment for Dressing Blisters
Melt an ounce of white wax and a quarter of an ounce of spermaceti in two ounces of olive oil, and
stir the mixture till it becomes cold.453.—To Prevent Galling in Persons confined to their Beds
Beat the white of an egg to a strong froth, and gradually drop in two teaspoonfuls of spirits of wine;
put the mixture into a bottle, and apply occasionally with a feather.454.—Anodyne Fomentation
Boil three ounces of white poppy -heads, half an ounce of elder-flowers, and three pints of water till
one pint is evaporated; then strain out the liquor. This fomentation is used to relax spasm and relieve
acute pain. Sometimes it may be advisable to add three teaspoonfuls of tincture of opium to it.455.—Common Fomentation
Boil an ounce of dried mallows, half an ounce of dried camomile-flowers, and a pint of water for a
quarter of an hour, and strain. This is a very good fomentation for all common occasions.456.—Nitric Acid Lotion
Mix together two drachms of diluted nitric acid and a pint of water. This lotion is stimulating and
detergent, and is very serviceable when applied to foul foetid ulcers attended with a thin ichorous
discharge. It is also useful in caries of the bone, and when there is an impending mortification. It is a
favourite lotion in unhealthy ulcerations, which require the application of a mild stimulant.457.—Cure for Bowel Complaint
Mix half a drachm of rhubarb powder, a drachm of calcined magnesia, an ounce of paregoric elixir,
and half a pint of peppermint water. Shake up, and take two tablespoonfuls every three hours till
relieved.458.—Another Recipe
The following is a better prescription for the same purpose:— Mix eight ounces of chalk mixture, a
drachm of aromatic confection, three drachms of compound tincture of camphor, and three or four
drops of oil of caraways. Take two tablespoonfuls every three hours, or oftener if the pain and
purging be urgent; a teaspoonful is a dose for young children, and one tablespoonful for those of ten
or twelve years of age.459.—Compound Infusion of Senna
Macerate for an hour in a pint of boiling water, in a lightly covered vessel, an ounce and a half of
senna-leaves and a drachm of sliced ginger-root, and strain the liquor. This is a useful purging
infusion, in common use among medical men. It is usually given in conjunction with a little Epsom
or Glauber's salts, and forms a purging mixture of great service in all acute diseases.460.—Warm Purgative Tincture
Put three ounces of senna-leaves, three drachms of bruised caraway-seeds, a drachm of cardamom-
seeds, and four ounces of stoned raisins into two pints of best brandy; macerate for fourteen days in
a gentle heat, and filter. This is quite equal to the celebrated Daffy's elixir, and is similar to the
tincture of senna sold at the shops. It is stomachic and purgative, and is beneficially employed in
flatulency, pains in the bowels, gouty habits, and as an opening medicine for those whose bowels
have been weakened by intemperance. The dose is one, two, or three tablespoonfuls, in any
agreeable vehicle.461.—Tonic Aperient Mixture
Mix three ounces and a half each of decoction of bark and infusion of senna, three drachms of
sulphate of potash, and half an ounce of compound tincture of bark. Take three tablespoonfuls once
or twice a day, so as to keep the bowels regular; or it may be used only occasionally, when an
aperient is required.462.—Mild Aperient Pills
Beat into a mass and divide into twelve pills half a drachm of compound extract of colocynth, a
scruple of compound rhubarb pill, ten grains of Castille soap, and five drops of oil of juniper. These
are excellent aperient pills for occasional use in costiveness, bilious affections, and on all ordinary
occasions, and are suited to the relief of these complaints in children as well as in adults. One pill
taken at bedtime is generally sufficient, but some persons may require two.463.—Digestive Aperient Pills
Well rub thirty-six or forty grains of socotrine aloes with eighteen grains of gum mastic, and add
twenty-four grains each of compound extract of gentian and compound galbanum pill, and a
sufficient quantity of oil of aniseed to make twenty pills. Take two or three, an hour before dinner,
or at night. They are stomachic and aperient, containing an antispasmodic, and producing usually a
full feculent evacuation. They are very suitable to persons who have no vital energy to spare, and
require a medicine which will operate mildly, surely, and safely.464.—Worm Powder
Rub well together two or three grains of calomel and ten grains of compound powder of scammony.
This is an efficacious powder for the expulsion of worms from children and adults, and may be given
twice a week, or oftener, till the object be accomplished.465.—Infallible Cure for Tapeworm
Take of the plant Gisekia pharmaceoides, in its green, fresh state, leaves, stalks, seeds, and
seed-capsules (if the plant be in seed or forming its seed-vessels) indiscriminately one pound, and
grind it down with sufficient water to render it liquid. It should be administered to the patient after
twelve hours of fasting, and repeated on the fourth and eighth days. As a precautionary measure, to
destroy any latent germs, repeat the dose in eight days more. The Gisekia is free of every poisonous
quality: it simply possesses an acrid volatile principle, fatal alone to the tapeworm, and is in no way
distressing to the stomach or digestive organs. The plant flourishes most luxuriantly in the jungles at
Ferozepore, cis-Sutlej territories, Cawnpore, Seharunpore, Egypt, Coromandel, the banks of the
Irrawaddie, in Burmah, and throughout Oude. As a specific it was first brought to European notice
by a fakeer at Ferozepore, about the year 1856.N.B.—The dried plant is useless.
466.—Cure for Ringworm
The parts should be washed twice a day with soft soap and warm water; when dry, rub them with a
piece of linen rag dipped in ammonia from gas tar; the patient should take a little sulphur and
treacle, or some other gentle aperient, every morning; brushes and combs should be washed every
day, and the ammonia kept tightly corked.467.—Quinine Draught
For dyspepsia and hepatic derangement mix two grains of sulphate of quinine, two drops of diluted
sulphuric acid, one drachm of spirit of nutmegs, and ten drachms of distilled water, and take daily at
midday.468.—Seidlitz Powders
Two drachms of tartarized soda and two scruples of bicarbonate of soda for the blue paper; thirty
grains of tartaric acid for the white paper.469.—Ginger-beer Powders
Half a drachm of bicarbonate of soda, with a grain or two of powdered ginger and a quarter of an
ounce of sugar, for the blue paper; twenty-five grains of tartaric acid for the white paper.470.—Lemonade Powders
Omit the ginger powder from the above, and to the water add a little essence of lemon or lemon-juice.471.—Indian Mode of Preparing Perfumed Oils
The natives never make use of distillation. The plan adopted is to place on a large tray a layer of the
flowers, about four inches thick and two feet square; on this they put some of the til or sesamum
seed, wetted or damped, about two inches thick; on this, again, is placed another layer of flowers,
four inches thick; the whole is then covered with a sheet, held down by weights at the sides, and
allowed to remain for eighteen hours. The flowers are then removed and replaced by layers of fresh
flowers, and the operation repeated three times, each layer of fresh flowers being allowed to remain
eighteen hours. After the last process, the seeds are taken in their swollen state and placed in a clean
mill; the oil then expressed possesses most fully the scent of the flowers. It is kept in prepared skins,
called dubbers, and sold at so much per seer. The jasmine, bela, and chumbral are the flowers from
which the natives chiefly produce the oil.472.—Remedy for Scurf in the Head
Drop a lump of fresh quicklime the size of a walnut into a pint of water, and let it stand all night;
pour the water off clear from sediment, add a quarter of a pint of the best vinegar, and wash the
head with the mixture. It is perfectly harmless; only the roots of the hair need be wetted.473.—Imitative Bears' Grease
Melt together until combined eight ounces of hogs' lard and one-eighth of an ounce each of flowers
of benzoin and palm oil; stir until cold, and scent at pleasure. This will keep a long time.474.—Hair Grease
Dissolve a quarter of a pound of lard in a basin of boiling water; when cold, strain off the water and
squeeze the lard dry in a cloth; after which melt it in a pipkin, and mix well with it three
tablespoonfuls of salad oil and enough palm oil to give it a colour. When cold, or nearly so, scent it
and put it into pots. A little white wax may be added to make it thicker or stiffer.475.—Pomatum
Take a pound of white mutton suet, well boiled in a quart of hot water, and washed to free it from
salt, &c; when dried, melt it with half a pound of fresh lard and a quarter of a pound of bees' wax;
pour it into an earthen vessel, and stir till it is cold; then beat into it fifteen drops of oil of cloves, or
any essential oil whose scent is preferred. If too hard, use less wax.476.—Another Recipe
Take four ounces of lard, an ounce of castor oil, a quarter of an ounce of spermaceti, an ounce and a
half of salad oil, a quarter of an ounce of white wax, a drachm and a half of tincture of lytse, and
twenty drops of oil of roses, verbena, bergamot, or cloves. Melt the wax, spermaceti, and lard with
the oils in a glazed earthen pipkin, and when nearly cold add the scent.477.—Pomade for Hair that is Falling off
Take eight ounces of beef marrow, twenty-two drops of tincture of cantharides, sixty grains of sugar
of lead, an ounce of spirits of wine, and twenty drops of oil of bergamot. Boil the marrow in the
bone, and mix the prescribed quantity, free of bone and fibre, with the other ingredients, excepting
the scent, which is to be added last of all; if any other scent be preferred, the bergamot may be
omitted.478.—Pomade Divine
This is a capital pomade for rubbing into bruises, or to give relief in any similar hurt:—Take a pound
and a half of beef marrow, which will be the produce of six or eight bones; clear it thoroughly from
bone and fibre, and put it in an earthen vessel of spring water; change the water every night and
morning for eight or ten days; then steep the marrow in a pint of rose-water for twenty-four hours,
and drain it dry through a linen cloth. Take an ounce of flowers of benzoin, cyprus-root, odoriferous
thorn, and Florentine iris-root, half an ounce of cinnamon, and a quarter of an ounce each of cloves
and nutmeg. Pound all these very fine, and mix them well with the marrow; then put all into a
pewter digester which holds three pints, and let the top be closely fitted. Spread on linen a paste
made of flour and white of egg, and fix it over the top so that there can be no evaporation. Suspend
the digester by the handles in the middle of a pot of boiling water, and keep it boiling, adding more
boiling water as often as necessary. Strain the pomade into small wide-mouthed bottles, and cover it
down when quite cold.479.—Another Recipe
Take three-quarters of a pound of beef-marrow; clean it well from bone and fibre, and wash it in
water fresh from the spring, which must be changed night and morning for ten days; then steep it in
rose-water for twenty-four hours, and drain it. Take half an ounce each of storax, gum benjamin,
and odoriferous cyprus-powder, two drachms of cinnamon, and a drachm of cloves. Let these
ingredients be all powdered and well mixed with the marrow, and put them in a pewter pot which
holds about a pint and a half. Make a paste of white of egg and flour, and lay it on a piece of linen,
and place a second linen to cover the pot very tight and keep in the steam. Place the pot in a copper
vessel of water, and keep it steady, so that the water may not reach or touch the covering. As the
water evaporates, add more, boiling hot, and keep it boiling four hours without ceasing. Strain the
pomade into small jars or boules, and cork when quite cold. Take care to touch it only with silver.480.—Bandoline for the Hair
Mix two ounces of olive oil with one drachm each of spermaceti and oil of bergamot; heat and
strain; then beat in six drops of otto of roses. If colour be desired, add half a drachm of annatto.481.—Dentifrice
Scrape as much whiting to a fine powder as will fill a pint pot; moisten two ounces of camphor with
a few drops of brandy, rub it into a powder, and mix with the whiting half an ounce of powdered
myrrh. Bottle it, and keep it well corked down, taking small quantities out in a separate bottle for
daily use.482.—Another Recipe
Dissolve two ounces of borax in three pints of boiling water; before quite cold, add a teaspoonful of
tincture of myrrh and a tablespoonful of spirits of camphor: bottle the mixture for use. One
wineglassful of the solution, with half a pint of tepid water, is sufficient for each application.
Applied daily, it preserves and beautifies the teeth, extirpates all tartarous adhesion, produces a
pearl-like whiteness, arrests decay, and induces a healthy action in the gums.483.—Another Recipe
No dentifrice in the world can equal that of powdered betel-nut if properly prepared, but very few
know how to do this: the nuts should not be burnt, but sliced and roasted, like coffee, to a rich
brown colour, and then pulverised and passed through fine muslin; the grit should then be repounded
and strained through muslin, and this operation continued until all the powder is finely sifted. The
colour, instead of being black, like charcoal, should be a fine rich chocolate-colour. The dentifrice
may then be used as it is, or tincture of myrrh and camphor and eau de Cologne may be added to it.484.—Rose Lip-salve
Take an ounce and a half of spermaceti, nine drachms of white wax, twelve ounces of oil of sweet
almonds, two ounces of alkanet-root, and one drachm of otto of roses; digest the first four
ingredients with the heat of boiling water for four hours, then strain through flannel, and add the otto
of roses.485.—Essence of Roses
Mix two drachms of otto of roses and a pint of rectified spirits of wine.486.—Essence of Lemon-peel
Steep six ounces of lemon-peel, cut very thin and without any particle of the white skin, in eight
ounces of spirits of wine well corked.487.—Eau de Cologne
Put twelve drops each of oil of neroli, citron, bergamot, orange, and rosemary, and a drachm of
cardamom-seeds, into a pint of spirits of wine, and let it stand for a week.488.—Lavender-water
Mix two drachms of oil of lavender, half a drachm of oil of bergamot, a drachm of essence of musk,
thirteen ounces of spirits of wine, and five ounces of water, and let it stand a week.489.—To Unite Broken Glass or China
Rub the edges of the pieces that require mending with the white of an egg, and then dust some slack
lime upon them; hold them together till they stick, and let them dry. This cement is not liable to be
softened by heat.490.—Cement for Attaching Metal to Glass or Porcelain
Mix two ounces of a thick solution of glue with one ounce of linseed-oil varnish or three-quarters of
an ounce of Venice turpentine. Boil together, agitating until the mixture becomes as intimate as
possible. The pieces cemented should be fastened together for forty-eight or sixty hours.491.—Japanese Cement
This is made by thoroughly mixing rice-flour with cold water, and then gently boiling it; it is
beautifully white, and dries almost transparent.492.—To Clean Silks, Satins, Coloured Woollen Dresses, &c.
Mix well together a quarter of a pound each of soft soap and honey, the white of an egg, and a
wineglassful of gin; the article should be scoured thoroughly with rather a hard brush, rinsed in cold
water, left to drain, and ironed whilst damp.493.—To Remove Stains from Mourning Dresses
Boil a handful of fig-leaves in two quarts of water until reduced to a pint. Bombazines, crape, cloth,
&c, need only be rubbed with a sponge dipped in this liquor, and the stains will be instantly
removed.494.—To Remove Ironmould
Rub the spot with a little powdered oxalic acid, or salts of lemon, and warm water. Let it remain a
few minutes, and then well rinse it in clear water.495.—To Clean Kid Gloves
First see that your hands are clean; then put on the gloves and wash them, as though you were
washing your hands, in a basin of spirits of turpentine, until quite clean; hang them up in a warm
place, or where there is a good current of air, which will carry off all smell of the turpentine.496.—To Clean Feathers
To every gallon of water allow half a pound of quick-lime; stir the mixture well, and let it stand a
night; then pour off the water that is perfectly clear, put the feathers to be cleaned into a deep tub,
and pour in as much lime-water as will cover them; let them stand two or three days, stirring them
frequently; then put them into a bag, and wash them thoroughly in cold water; turn them out on
sieves, and wring the water from them by squeezing them in small portions with the hands, after
which they may be separated, the hard quills picked out, and the down stripped from the large
feathers. When they are thus carefully cleaned, lay them on a floor where air can be freely
admitted; turn and shake them frequently, and when dry, put them into bags, and beat them on a
knocking-stone with a knocker.497.—To Wash Lace
Place the lace in folds, and baste it on each side; lay it in cold water for a night, and wash it in cold
water with the best white soap; gently rub and squeeze it; wash it in three or four waters with the
soap, and rinse it well in clean water; then put it into thin starch or rice-water; take out the basting
thread, and spread it on a blanket upon a bed to dry; when it is nearly so, pick it out, and lay it in
folds, and when quite dry, lay it in an old cambric handkerchief, and then in the folds of a towel; put
it upon the rug, or upon a blanket laid upon a stone, and with a heavy wooden pestle, or rolling-pin,
beat it hard till it looks quite smooth. A scarf or veil, after being starched, should be pinned out tight
upon a cloth on the floor, and when dry, beaten in the same manner.498.—To Wash Head and Clothes Brushes
Put a dessertspoonful of pearl-ashes into a pint of boiling-water, and shake the brush about in it till it
is perfectly clean; then pour some clean hot water over it; shake, and dry it before the fire.499.—To Clean Gold Chains, Earrings, &c.
Make a lather of soap and water, and boil the chain in it for a few minutes; immediately on taking it
out, lay it in magnesia powder which has been heated by the fire, and when dry, rub it with flannel;
if embossed, use a brush.500.—To Clean Plate
Boil an ounce each of cream of tartar, alum, and common salt in a gallon of water; put the plate in
and boil it, and when taken out and rubbed dry it will have a fine polish. Plate, when laid aside, will
generally tarnish, but if cleaned by this method at stated periods, it will always look well.501.—To Clean Marble
Sift through a fine sieve two parts of common soda, one of pumice-stone, and one of finely-
powdered chalk, and mix it with water; rub it well all over the marble, and the stains will be
removed; then wash the marble with soap and water, and it will be perfectly clean.502.—To Make Stale Bread Fresh
If stale bread be immersed in cold water for a moment or two, and rebaked for about an hour, it will
be for the time in every respect equal to newly-baked bread; but the deception will be found out in
the course of a few hours.503.—How to Select and Keep Coffee
In purchasing coffee, always prefer the Mocha— a small roundish berry of a bluish tint. Never buy it
roasted; a coffee-roaster can be procured at a reasonable price, and the trouble of roasting and
grinding it at home is not very great. Let it be kept in a plain tin canister, and when roasted and
ground transfer it to a smaller air-tight one, as nothing deteriorates coffee so much as exposure to
the light and air after it has been roasted.504.—Lettuce Salad
Salads should be very fresh, carefully washed, picked, and dried in a clean cloth, cut up separately,
and put into the bowl only just before they are required for use. The salad mixture should be placed
at the bottom of the bowl and the salad on top; if mixed, the leaves lose that crispness which is so
delicious. Slices of beet, eggs, or boiled potatoes are placed on the top to garnish.505.—Substitute for Cream in Tea or Coffee
Beat the white of an egg to a froth, and mix well with it a very small lump of butter; then add the
coffee to it gradually, so that it may not curdle. If perfectly done, it will be an excellent substitute for
cream.506.—Another Way
Beat up, separately, the yolk and white of an egg; transfer them into a large cup, and pour over it
sweetened coffee, scalding hot. Skim away the froth, and fill the coffee into a cup of the required
size.507.—To Protect Bed Linen and Curtains from Burning
Add an ounce of alum to the last water in which the linen and curtains are to be rinsed, and they will
be rendered inflammable, or so slightly combustible that they would take fire very slowly, if at all.
This is a simple precaution, and is recommended where there are children and in the sick chamber.508.—To Prevent the Smoking of a Lamp
Soak the wick in strong vinegar, and dry it well before using it; it will then burn both sweet and
pleasant, and give much satisfaction for the trifling trouble in preparing it.509.—Transparent Paper
Paper can be made as transparent as glass, and capable of being substituted for many purposes, by
spreading over it on both sides, with a feather, a very thin layer of resin dissolved in spirits of wine.
Fine thin post paper is the best for the purpose.510.—To Take Impressions of Leaves
A very beautiful and cheap way of taking impressions of leaves is to take a small quantity of
bichromate of potass (say a teaspoonful), which may be had at any druggist's or colourman's shop;
dissolve it in a saucerful of water, and pass the paper on which the impressions are to be taken
through the solution; while wet press the leaves lightly upon it, and expose it to the sun, which
should be shining powerfully. When perfectly dry, remove the leaves, and perfect facsimile will
remain in a light lemon shade, while the rest of the paper will be of a dark brown tint. Bichrome, as
it is generally termed, is in dark yellow crystals, which should be powdered previous to using it.511.—To Take Impressions of Leaves on Silk, &c.
Prepare two rubbers by tying up wool, or any other substance, in wash-leather; then rub up with
cold-drawn linseed oil the wished-for colours, as indigo for blue, chrome for yellow, &c; dip the
rubbers into the paint, and rub them one over the other, so that too much may not remain upon
them; place a leaf on one of the rubbers and damp it with the other; take the leaf off and apply it to
the silk, satin, paper, or other substance you wish stamped; place a piece of paper on the leaf, and
rub it gently, and there will be a beautiful impression of all the veins. Leaves can only be used once;
they should be nearly all the same size, or the pattern will not look uniform.
BURTAS OR MASHES.
CURRIES.
Brinjal burta, 33
Cold corned-beef burta, 34
Cold ham burta, 34
Cold tongue burta, 34
Dry fish burta, 33
Green mango burta, 34
Potato burta, 33
Red herring burta, 34
Tomato burta, 34
CURRIES.
Bhahjees, 31
Bringal bhahjee, 31
Pulwal bhahjee, 31
Chahkees, 29
Pulwal, potatoes, and torrie, 29
Red pumpkin and tamarind, 29
Seam, potato, and peas, 29
Tomato, plain, 30
Tomato with tamarind, 30
White pumpkin and tamarind, 29
——————————, plain, cut small, 30
Country Captain, 20
Chicken country captain, 20
Jahl frezee, 20
Kid country captain, 20
Veal country captain, 20
Dal or Peas Curries, 32
Dal foolaree, 33
Moong dal, 32
Mussoor dal chur churree, 32
———————— with amchoor or with tamarind, 32
Mussoor or red dal, 32
Doopiajas, 16
Beef doopiaja, 17
Chicken doopiaja, 16
Cold boiled pork doopiaja, 17
Duck doopiaja, 17
Kid doopiaja, 16
Mutton doopiaja, 17
Pigeons, doopiaja of, 17
Udder and beef doopiaja, 17
———— doopiaja, 17
Veal doopiaja, 17
Egg Curry, 28
Egg curry with chunna ka dal, 29
——————— with green peas, 29
Forcemeat Ball Curries, or Kofta-ka-Carree, 18
Beef forcemeat ball curry, 18
Chicken forcemeat ball curry, 18
Crab cofta curry, 19
Fish cofta curry, 19
Liver and udder, ball curry of, 19
Lobster cofta curry, 19
Mutton forcemeat ball curry, 19
Prawn cofta curry, 19
Gravy Curries, 15
Beef curry, 15
Chicken curry, 15
Kid curry, 15
Green duck curry, 16
Mutton curry, 15
Veal curry, 15
Young pigeon curry, 16
Gravy Fish Curries, 27
Beckty fish gravy curry, 28
————————, sliced, fried in curry condiments, 28
Hilsa fish gravy curry, 28
——————, sliced, fried in condiments, 28
Prawn doopiaja, 28
Hindoostanee Curries, 20
Seik kawab, 20
Tick-keeah kawab, 21
Hussanee Curries, or Curries on Stick, 21
Hussanee beef curry, 21
—————— curry of udder and liver, 22
—————— mutton curry, 22
—————— veal curry, 22
Kurma or Quorema Curry, 22
Fowl quorema, 23
Kid quorema, 23
Quorema curry, plain, 22
Madras Mulligatawny Curry, 27
Malay Curries, 23
Chicken malay doopiaja, 25
—————————— gravy curry with pulwal, 24
Chicken malay gravy curry with white pumpkin or cucumber, 23
Coconut milk, 23
Prawn malay doopiaja, 25
———————— gravy curry with pulwal, 25
Prawn malay gravy curry with white pumpkin or cucumber, 24
Portuguese Curry (Vindaloo or Bindaloo), 25
Beef vindaloo, 25
Curry paste, 26
Duck vindaloo, 26
Pickled vindaloo, 26
Pork vindaloo, 26
Saug Curries, 30
Danta curry with shrimps, 30
Green saug with prawns, 30
Khatta carree, or acid vegetable curry, 31
Red saug and omra, 30
—————— and prawns, 30
——————, omra, and shrimps, 30
FISH.
GARNISHES, SAUCES, STUFFINGS, etc.
Crabs in shell, 39
Fish mooloo, 38
Fish smoked, 39
Prawn cutlet, 38
———— powder, 40
Prawns, dried, 40
Tamarind fish, 39
GARNISHES, SAUCES, STUFFINGS, etc.
Apple sauce, 79
Beef, boiled, sauce for, 78
, roast, sauce for, 78
Birds, cooked, jelly for, 81
Brain cakes, 75, 76
Bread sauce, 79
Brisket of beef, boiled, sauce for, 76
Casserole of potatoes, 74
Croquets or rissoles, 74
Cucumber salad, sauce for, 77
Duck, boiled, stuffing for, 81
————, roast, stuffing for, 80,81
Egg balls, 75
Egg sauce, 79
Fish, forcemeat for, 75
———, sauce, pink, 79
————————, excellent, 76
————————, to make a quart bottle of, 79
Forcemeat, 75
——————— balls, 75
——————— for fish, 75
——————— onions, 75
Fowls, stuffing for, 80
Fricandellans, 74
Goose, boiled, stuffing for, 81
————, roast, stuffing for, 81
Hare, stuffing for, 80
Jelly for cooked birds, meats or made dishes, 81
Kid, roast, stuffing for, 80
———, stuffing for, 80
Lobster salad, sauce for, 76
————— sauce, 78
Made dishes, jelly for, 81
Meats cooked, jelly for, 81
Meat, sauce for any kind of, 78
————————, to make a quart bottle of, 79
Melted butter, 80
—————————, French, 80
Mint sauce, 79
Mutton, boiled, sauce for, 76
Onion, brown, sauce for gravy, 78
————— sauce, 77
———————— white, 77
Oyster sauce, 78
Parsley and butter sauce, 80
————– sauce, 80
Pink sauce for fish, 79
Pig, roast, stuffing for, 80
Potatoes, casserole of, 74
Pudding sauce, 79
Rissoles or croquets, 74
Salads, sauce for, 76
Sauce for any kind of meat, 78
Shrimp sauce, 79
Tapp sauce gravy for made dishes, 77
Tomato, fresh, gravy sauce for made dishes, 77
Turkey, boiled, stuffing for, 81
————–, roast, stuffing for, 81
Veal, stuffing for fillets of, 80
HOME-MADE LIQUEURS.
Aniseed, cream of, 97
Apricot effervescing drink, 100
Barley-water, lemon, 101
Champagne, poor man's, 101
Cinnamon, cream of, 97
Citron, cream of, 97
Cloves, cream of, 97
“Commander-in-chief", 99
Curaçoa, 98
Dantzic brandy, 98
Flash, 100
Ginger-beer, 99
Ginger pop, 100
Golden wasser, 98
Imperial pop, 100
Lemonade, royal, 101
Mint-beer, 99
———–, cream of, 98
———–, julep, 101
Negus, 100
Noyau, cream of, 97
————, pink, 97
Orangeade, 101
Orgeat, 101
Punch à la Romain, 99
————, milk, 99,100
————, regent, 99
Rose Cream, 98
Sherry Cobbler, 100
Summer beverage, 101
Vanilla, cream of, 101
FISH.
INDIAN PICKLES, CHUTNEES, SAUCES, etc.
INDIAN PRESERVES, JAMS, JELLIES, AND MARMALADES.
Crabs in shell, 39
Fish mooloo, 38
Fish smoked, 39
Prawn cutlet, 38
———— powder, 40
Prawns, dried, 40
Tamarind fish, 39
INDIAN PICKLES, CHUTNEES, SAUCES, etc.
Bombay onion pickle, 85
Cabbage, pickled, 84
Chilies, essence of, 87
Chili, vinegar, 87
Cussoondee, 84
Dry fruit pickle, 86
Garlick, juice of, 88
Ginger-juice, green, 88
Green mint vinegar, 86
Horseradish vinegar, 87
Hot sweet mango chutnee, 83
Lime-juice, to preserve, 87
———————–, to purify, 87
Long plum pickle, 85
Love-apple chutnee, 82
———————— sauce, 82
Mango amchoor, 84
Mangoes pickled whole, 85
Mint-juice, green, 87
Mustard, 87
Onions, juice of, 88
Patna onion pickle, 85
Red cabbage pickle, 84
Red cauliflower pickle, 86
—————————— with mustard oil, 86
Sweet chutnee, 82
———— long plum pickle, 86
———— mango chutnee, 83
————————— pickle, 86
Tamarind chutnee, 83
Tapp sauce, 82
Tomato chutnee, 82
————— chutnee, 82
INDIAN PRESERVES, JAMS, JELLIES, AND MARMALADES.
Apricot cheese, 95
Bael, candied, 95
———, jam, 95
———, preserve, 95
Calf's-foot jelly, 96
Capillaire, 90
Ceylon moss preserve, 90
Damson cheese, 95
Gooseberry (tipparee) preserve, 93
Green mango preserve, 91
Guava cheese, 90
———— jelly, 90
Iceland moss preserve, 90
Mango jelly, 91
Mango marmalade, 91
Orange jelly, 95
————— marmalade, 96
Peach preserve, 92.93
Pine-apple preserve, 92
Pulwal, candied, 93
————– preserve, 93
Seaweed preserve, 90
Sugar, adulteration of, to detect, 80
———––, to clarify, 89
Syrup, brown, 89
———––, white, 89
Tamarinds, to preserve, 94
Tipparee cheese, 94
—————— jelly, 94
—————— marmalade, 94
—————— preserve, 93
JOINTS, MADE DISHES, etc.
Alderman's mock turtle pie, 45
—————————————————–, sauce for, 45
Beef à la mode, 40
——— baked with potatoes, 49
——— steak and pigeon pie, 44
Breast of mutton à la Ste. Menoult, 50
Brisket of beef trambland, 48
Bubble and squeak, 48
Collared brisket, 41
Corned round of beef, 40
Ducks with green olives, 42
Dumpode capon or fowl, 47
——————– duck (Eastern way), 47
——————– goose (Indian way), 47
Fillet of veal, to stew a, 48
Fowl à la cardinal, 47
French mutton chops, 42
Friar Tuck's mock venison pastry pie, 45
Friar Tuck's mock venison pastry pie, sauce for, 46
Fricandeau de veau, 41
Haggis, 49
Hunter's beef, 41
Kidney stew, 42
Kid roasted whole, 43
Kidney toasts, 49
Leg of mutton, dumpling, 46
Macaroni pie, 44
Marrow-bones, to boil, 49
Meat or birds in jelly, 51
Minced veal potato pie, 44
Mutton brains and love apples, 43
————— baked with potatoes, 49
————— ham, to cure, 51
Mutton stew, 39
————— trambland, 48
Olive royals, 50
Ox-cheek dressed, 50
——————– potted, 50
——————–, to boil, 50
——————–, to stew, 50
Pigeons in savoury jelly, 51
————— with petit pois, 42
Potato pie, 44
Rolled mutton, 49
Sausage rolls, 46
Spiced beef, 41
———— collared brisket, 41
Veal cutlets, 48
——— pie, 44
MEDICINAL AND OTHER RECIPES.
Aperient mixture, tonic, 107
—————– pills, digestive, 107
————————– , mild, 107
Barley-water for the sick chamber, 102
Blisters, spermaceti ointment for dressing, 106
Bowel complaint, cure for, 106
Burns, lime ointment for, 106
Colds, cure for, 103
Coughs, old, emulsion for, 103
————, recent, emulsion for, 103
—————————, mixture for, 103
Cramp in the legs, to cure, 102
Deafness, to cure, 102
Emetic draught, 102
Fomentation, anodyne, 106
————————–, common, 106
Galling in persons confined to bed, to prevent, 106
Gargle, excellent domestic, 105
Ginger-beer powders, 109
Hiccup, cure for, 103
Hooping-cough, cure for, 104
——————————–, Roche's embrocation for, 104
——————————–, valuable lotion for, 104
Irritation in the throat, gargle for, 104,105
Lemonade powders, 109
Lotion, nitric acid, 106
Neuralgia, cure for, 103
Plaster, warm, 104
Mango marmalade, 91
Orange jelly, 95
————— marmalade, 96
Peach preserve, 92.93
Pine-apple preserve, 92
Pulwal, candied, 93
————– preserve, 93
Seaweed preserve, 90
Sugar, adulteration of, to detect, 80
———––, to clarify, 89
Syrup, brown, 89
———––, white, 89
Tamarinds, to preserve, 94
Tipparee cheese, 94
—————— jelly, 94
—————— marmalade, 94
—————— preserve, 93
JOINTS, MADE DISHES, etc.
Alderman's mock turtle pie, 45
—————————————————–, sauce for, 45
Beef à la mode, 40
——— baked with potatoes, 49
——— steak and pigeon pie, 44
Breast of mutton à la Ste. Menoult, 50
Brisket of beef trambland, 48
Bubble and squeak, 48
Collared brisket, 41
Corned round of beef, 40
Ducks with green olives, 42
Dumpode capon or fowl, 47
——————– duck (Eastern way), 47
——————– goose (Indian way), 47
Fillet of veal, to stew a, 48
Fowl à la cardinal, 47
French mutton chops, 42
Friar Tuck's mock venison pastry pie, 45
Friar Tuck's mock venison pastry pie, sauce for, 46
Fricandeau de veau, 41
Haggis, 49
Hunter's beef, 41
Kidney stew, 42
Kid roasted whole, 43
Kidney toasts, 49
Leg of mutton, dumpling, 46
Macaroni pie, 44
Marrow-bones, to boil, 49
Meat or birds in jelly, 51
Minced veal potato pie, 44
Mutton brains and love apples, 43
————— baked with potatoes, 49
————— ham, to cure, 51
Mutton stew, 39
————— trambland, 48
Olive royals, 50
Ox-cheek dressed, 50
——————– potted, 50
——————–, to boil, 50
——————–, to stew, 50
Pigeons in savoury jelly, 51
————— with petit pois, 42
Potato pie, 44
Rolled mutton, 49
Sausage rolls, 46
Spiced beef, 41
———— collared brisket, 41
Veal cutlets, 48
——— pie, 44
MEDICINAL AND OTHER RECIPES.
Aperient mixture, tonic, 107
—————– pills, digestive, 107
————————– , mild, 107
Barley-water for the sick chamber, 102
Blisters, spermaceti ointment for dressing, 106
Bowel complaint, cure for, 106
Burns, lime ointment for, 106
Colds, cure for, 103
Coughs, old, emulsion for, 103
————, recent, emulsion for, 103
—————————, mixture for, 103
Cramp in the legs, to cure, 102
Deafness, to cure, 102
Emetic draught, 102
Fomentation, anodyne, 106
————————–, common, 106
Galling in persons confined to bed, to prevent, 106
Gargle, excellent domestic, 105
Ginger-beer powders, 109
Hiccup, cure for, 103
Hooping-cough, cure for, 104
——————————–, Roche's embrocation for, 104
——————————–, valuable lotion for, 104
Irritation in the throat, gargle for, 104,105
Lemonade powders, 109
Lotion, nitric acid, 106
Neuralgia, cure for, 103
Plaster, warm, 104
Purgative tincture, warm, 107
Quinine draught, 108
Ringworm, cure for, 108
Scalds, lime liniment for, 106
Seidlitz powders, 108
Senna, compound infusion of, 107
Sore throat, good gargle for, 105
Sprains, embrocation for, 105
—————, remedy for, 105
Tapeworm, cure for, 108
Tic-doloreux, cure for, 108
Wasp-sting, to cure a, 102
Worm powder, 108
MISCELLANEOUS USEFUL RECIPES.
Brushes, head and clothes, to wash, 114
China, broken, to unite, 113
Cement for attaching metal to glass or porcelain, 113
Cement, Japanese, 113
Earrings, to clean, 114
Feathers, to clean, 114
Glass, broken, to unite, 113
Gold chains, to clean, 114
Ironmould, to remove, 113
Kid gloves, to clean, 113
Lace, to wash, 114
Marble, to clean, 115
Mourning dresses, to remove stains from, 113
Plate, to clean, 115
Satins, to clean, 113
Silks, to clean, 113
Woollen dresses, coloured, to clean, 113
PASTRY, PUDDINGS, SWEETMEATS, etc.
Almond custard, 58
Bael sherbet, 73
Bibinca dosee, or Portuguese cocoanut pudding, 41
Blanc mange, 58,59
Bole comadree, or Portuguese cocoanut pudding with jagree, 63
Bombay pudding, 60
Buns, 69
Cajure, 64
Chappatee or hand-bread, 61
Cheesecakes, cocoanut, 68
———————— excellent, 68
Chocolate custard, 58
Cocoanut cheesecakes, 68
——————– pittas, 63
——————– pudding, Portuguese, 63
————————————–, (Portuguese) with jagree, 63
Cocoanut rice pudding, 60
Coloured icings, 72
Colouring for jellies, creams, ices, and cakes, 71
Colouring mixtures, 71
Corn-flour blanc mange, 59
Cream as prepared by the natives, 73
Custard, 57
Creams, ornament for, 71
Custards, ornament for, 71
Custard pudding, 61
Dal pittas, 62
Dalpooree, 61
Dhye or tyre, 73
Falooree, 62
Fowl doppiaja loaf, 62
Friar Tuck's mock venison pastry pie, pastry for, 57
Fritters, 64
Frost or icing for cakes, 71,72
Gingerbread, American, 68
————————, cakes, rich, 68
————————, Indian, 68
———————— nuts, 67
————————, oatmeal, 68
————————, spiced, 67
Ginger cakes, 67
Goolgoola, or fritters, 64
Hand-bread, 61
Ice-cream, apricot, 72
———————, mille-fruit, 72
———————, orange, 73
———————, raspberry, 72
Icing, fine, for tarts and puffs, 72
———— for cakes, 71,72
Icings, coloured, 72
Juice of fruit iced, 73
Lemon (Indian) pudding, 60
Macaroni, 61
“Maids of honour", 68
Mallie, 73
Mango fool, 70
———————— , pink, 70
Marmalade pudding, 60
Mincemeat, 70
Oatmeal gingerbread, 68
Orange custard, 57
————— water iced, 73
Ornament for custards or creams, 71
Pancakes, common, 69
——————, French, 69
——————, Indian, 69
——————, pink, 69
Pies and tarts, pastry for, 57
Plantain fritters, 63
Plantains, fried, 63
Plum cake, 63
——— pudding (Indian way), 59
Prawn doopiaja loaf, 62
—————————–, pittas, 62
Princess royal custard, 58
Queen cakes, 66
Rice blanc mange, 59
Rose-bloom custard, 58
Rout cakes, 69
Scotch shortbread, 66,67
Sherbed, bael, 73
Shortbread, 66
Shrewsbury cakes, 66
Soojee, tart and pie crusts of, 61
Swiss cakes, 65
Tarts, pastry for, 57
Tyre or dhye, 73
Vanilla drops, 70
Yeast, 73,74
PELLOW OR POOLOO.
Beef, mutton, or kid pellow, 13
Chicken pellow, 12
Lobster or fish pellow, 13
Prawn pellow, 13
PERFUMERY, COSMETICS, AND DENTIFRICE.
Bandoline for the hair, 111
Bears' grease, imitative, 109
Dentifrice, 111
Eau-de-Cologne, 112
Lavender-water, 112
Lemon-peel, essence of, 112
Lip salve, rose, 112
Perfumed oils, Indian mode of preparing, 109
Pomade divine, 110,111
————— for hair that is falling off, 110
Pomatum, 113
Roses, essence of, 112
Scurf in the head, remedy for, 109
RICE OR CHOWL.
SOUPS.
THINGS WORTH KNOWING.
VEGETABLES.
Boiled rice, 10
Rice conjee, 10
——— kheer, 10
Pish pash, 11
Kitcheerees, 11
Bhoonee kitcheeree, 11
————————————— of green peas, 12
————————————— of the gram or chunna dal, 12
————————————— of the moong or small-grain yellow dal, 11
————————————— of the mussooor or red dal, 11
Geela kitcheeree, 12
Jurrud or yellow-tinted kitcheeree, 12
SOUPS.
Bridal soup, or soup elegant, 37
Bright onion soup, 36
Curry soup, 36
Macaroni soup, 35
Mulligatawny soup, 35,36
Shin of beef soup, 35
———————— with forcemeat and egg balls, 35
Soup elegant, 37
——— royal, 37
Vermicelli soup, 35
THINGS WORTH KNOWING.
Bed linen, to protect from burning, 116
Bread, stale, to make fresh, 115
Coffee, how to select and keep, 115
Cream, substitute for, in tea or coffee, 115
Curtains, to protect, from burning, 116
Lamp, to prevent the smoking of a, 116
Leaves, to take impressions of, 116
Salad, lettuce, 115
Transparent paper, 116
VEGETABLES.
Artichokes, to boil, 54
Asparagus à la Français, 54
——————– , to boil, 53
Beans (French), to boil, 53
Broccoli, to boil, 54
Cabbages (young green), to boil, 54
Carrots, Flemish way, 55
—————, to boil, 55
Cauliflowers, to boil, 53
Cucumbers, to stew, 54
Green peas stewed, 55
———————, to boil, 55
Mushrooms, to stew, 54,55
Onions, plain boiled, 55
—————, to roast, 55
Peas, to steam, 56
Peas for a second-course dish, à la Français, 56
Peas (young) and lettuce, to stew, 56
Potatoes (boiled), to broil, 52
——————, to boil, 52
——————, under meat while roasting, to brown, 52
Potato ribbons, 52
Spinach, to boil, 53
Turnips, to boil, 52
—————– (young), to dress, 52
Vegetable mash, 56
Notes:
These are not part of the original book, but are intended to inform the modern reader.
Bael
(also spelled 'bail')
Beal fruit, showing the ripe fruit (left) and split open fruit, right
The fruit typically has a diameter of between 5 and 10 cm (2 and 4 in). It is globose or slightly pear-shaped with a thick, hard rind and does not split upon ripening. The woody shell is smooth and green, grey until it is fully ripe when it turns yellow. Inside are 8 to 15 or 20 sections filled with aromatic orange pulp, each section with 6 (8) to 10 (15) flattened-oblong seeds each about 1 cm long, bearing woolly hairs and each enclosed in a sac of adhesive, transparent mucilage that solidifies on drying.
The fruit takes about 11 months to ripen on the tree, reaching maturity in December. It can reach the size of a large grapefruit or pomelo, and some are even larger. The shell is so hard it must be cracked with a hammer or machete. The fibrous yellow pulp is very aromatic. It has been described as tasting of marmalade and smelling of roses (thus accounting for the marmelos in the species' binomial name).
Rich in vitamin C, the fruits can be eaten either fresh from trees or after being dried[20] and produced into candy, toffee, pulp powder or nectar. If fresh, the juice is strained and sweetened to make a drink similar to lemonade
Bæl pana, a drink made of the pulp with water, sugar, and citron juice, is mixed, left to stand a few hours, strained, and put on ice. One large bael fruit may yield five or six litres of sharbat. If the fruit is to be dried, it is usually sliced and sun-dried. The hard leathery slices are then immersed in water. The leaves and small shoots are eaten as salad greens. Bael fruits are of dietary use and the fruit pulp is used to prepare delicacies like murabba, puddings and juices.
Ceylon Moss
Gracilaria spp. a red alga from which agar-agar is exctracted
Agar (/ˈeɪɡɑːr/ or /ˈɑːɡər/), or agar-agar, is a jelly-like substance consisting of polysaccharides obtained from the cell walls of the Gracilaria algae (amongst other plants). It is a vegetable equivalent of animal-based gelatine. As found in nature, agar is a mixture of two components, the linear polysaccharide agarose and a heterogeneous mixture of smaller molecules called agaropectin. t forms the supporting structure in the cell walls of certain species of algae and is released on boiling. These algae are known as agarophytes, belonging to the Rhodophyta (red algae) phylum.
Agar has been used as an ingredient in desserts throughout Asia and also as a solid substrate to contain culture media for microbiological work. The name 'agar' is ultimately derived from agar-agar, the Malay name for red algae (Gigartina, Eucheuma and Gracilaria) from which the jelly is produced.
Other names for Celyon moss include: Kanten (Japanese), Japanese isinglass, China grass or Jaffna moss. Ceylon moss is also specifically referred to as agal-agal or Ceylon agar.
Hilsa Fish
The Bengali hisla fish, Tenualosa ilisha
The fish is found in 11 countries: Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. Bangladesh is the top hilsa-producing country in the world, followed by Myanmar and then India.
It has no dorsal spines but 18–21 dorsal soft rays and anal soft rays. The belly has 30 to 33 scutes. There is a distinct median notch in the upper jaw. Gill rakers fine and numerous, about 100 to 250 on the lower part of the arch and the fins are hyaline. The fish shows a dark blotch behind gill opening, followed by a series of small spots along the flank in juveniles. Colour in life: silver shot with gold and purple. The species filter feeds on plankton and by grubbing muddy bottoms. The fish schools in coastal waters and ascends up the rivers (anadromous) for around 50–100km to spawn during the southwest monsoons (June to September) and also in January to April.
86 percent of the total hilsa catch is taken in Bangladesh. The fish is popular food amongst the people of South Asia and in the Middle East, but especially with Bengalis, Odias and Andhras.[citation needed]Bengali fish curry is a popular dish made with mustard oil or seed. The Bengalis popularly call this dish Shorshe Ilish. It is very popular in Bengal (Bangladesh and India's West Bengal), as well as in Odisha, Tripura, Assam, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. It is also exported globally.
Tipparee
Fruit of the cape gooseberry, Physalis peruviana known as tipparee in India
The plant was first domesticated by the Inca, It has been cultivated in England since the late 18th century (since 1774 to be precise), and in South Africa in the Cape of Good Hope since at least the start of the 19th century (at least prior to 1807) and was introduced into the bay of Bengal in the early 19th Century. Cultivated and weedy species have been introduced worldwide. A defining feature of Physalis is a large, papery husk derived from the calyx, which partly or fully encloses the fruit.[4] Many species bear edible fruit, and some species are cultivated.
The typical Physalis fruit is similar to a firm tomato in texture, and like a sweet, tangy grape in flavor.[5] Some species, such as the Cape gooseberry and tomatillo, have been bred into many cultivars with varying flavors, from tart to sweet to savory. Nations including Colombia, India, and Mexico have a significant economic trade in Physalis fruit.
Knok-khole
This is the Bengali name for the Kholrabi.
Kochoo
Alocasia fornicata, the edible spadix, top and the whole uprooted plant, bottom
Alocasia fornicata is a plant species of many-nerved, broad-leaved, rhizomatous or tuberous perennials from the family Araceae, native to Indochina and to the Indian Subcontinent. It characteristically grows 5-7.5cm (2'-3') in height with slightly pink petiole, triangular wide shaped leaves and a horizontally growing stolon.
The plant's spadix (in botany, a spadix is a type of inflorescence having small flowers borne on a fleshy stem. Spadices are typical of the family Araceae, the arums or aroids.) is collected and cooked in North East Indian states of Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura where the plant is known locally as Baibing in Mizo. The sister species, Alocasia affinis is also consumed. Both are a much favoured seasonal vegetable.
Note that all parts of the Alocasia plant contain needle-shaped calcium oxalate crystals which need to be removed before the plant is safely edible.
White Beet
This is the white cultivar of the beetroot which is typically red/purple but also comes in golden and variegated forms.
Beckty
Bhekti, the native Bengali barramundi Lates calcarifer
This species has an elongated body form with a large, slightly oblique mouth and an upper jaw extending behind the eye. The lower edge of the preoperculum is serrated with a strong spine at its angle; the operculum has a small spine and a serrated flap above the origin of the lateral line. Its scales are ctenoid. In cross section, the fish is compressed and the dorsal head profile clearly concave. The single dorsal and ventral fins have spines and soft rays; the paired pectoral and pelvic fins have soft rays only; and the caudal fin has soft rays and is truncated and rounded. Barramundi are salt and freshwater sportfish, targeted by many. They have large, silver scales, which may become darker or lighter, depending on their environments. Their bodies can reach up to 1.8 m (5.9 ft) long, though evidence of them being caught at this size is scarce. The maximum weight is about 60 kg (130 lb). The average length is about 0.6–1.2 m (2.0–3.9 ft).
Barramundi are demersal, inhabiting coastal waters, estuaries, lagoons, and rivers; they are found in clear to turbid water, usually within a temperature range of 26−30 °C.
Barramundi have a mild flavour and a white, flaky flesh, with varying amount of body fat. In Bengali cuisine it is a popular fish, mainly served in festivities such as marriages and other important social events. It is cooked as bhetki machher paturi, bhetki machher kalia, or coated in suji (semolina) and pan fried. It is very popular among people who are usually skeptical about eating fish with a lot of bones. Bhetki fillets have no bones in them. In Bengali cuisine, therefore, fried bhetki fillets are popular and considered to be of good quality. The dish is commonly called “fish fry".
Rowe
Rohu, the native Bengali cyprinid (carp) Labeo rohita
The rohu is a large, silver-colored fish of typical cyprinid shape, with a conspicuously arched head. Adults can reach a maximum weight of 45 kg (99 lb) and maximum length of 2m, but average around 50cm.
The rohu occurs in rivers throughout much of northern and central and eastern India, Pakistan, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar, and has been introduced into some of the rivers of Peninsular India and Sri Lanka.
Rohu is very commonly eaten in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and the Indian states of Tripura, Nagaland, Bihar, Odisha, Assam, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Uttar Pradesh. A recipe for fried Rohu fish is mentioned in Manasollasa, a 12th-century Sanskrit encyclopedia compiled by Someshvara III, who ruled from present-day Karnataka. In this recipe, the fish is marinated in asafoetida and salt after being skinned. It is then dipped in turmeric mixed in water before being fried.
Moonjee
Species not identified yet.
Cutlah
Blotched Croaker, the native Bengali Sciaenidae (Drums or croakers) Nibea maculata
At maturity it reaches 22cm in length. This is a marine fish that typically found in coastal waters. An important foodfish, it is typically sold fresh and dried salted in markets.
Like other croakers, this species has its first pair of pores on the chin set closely together, immediately to the rear of the symphysis of the lower jaw, and connected by a crescent-shaped groove. The teeth in the lower jaw are not uniform in size. The swim bladder has a shape like a carrot and has branched appendages along the whole of both its sides and the most forward of these goes through the transverse septum.
Quoye
Quoi, the Short-nosed Halfbeak, the native Bengali Hemiramphidae (Halfbeaks) Hyporhamphus quoyi.
Description: Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 14-17; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 13 - 17; Vertebrae: 51 - 56. Prolonged, beak-like lower jaw, shorter than head length, its length contained in 4.7-8.6 times in SL and 1.2-2.0 times in head length; upper jaw short, scaly, blunt and rounded, its width contained in 0.5-0.6 times in its length; preorbital bone 1.75-2.15 times in diameter of orbit and 0.9-1.15 times in length of upper jaw; preorbital ridge present; posterior branch to preorbital lateral line canal present. Total number of gill rakers on first arch 26-39; dorsal fin rays 14-17, usually 16; anal fin rays 13-17, usually 15 or 16. Caudal fin forked, with lower lobe longer than upper.
This species prefers more estuarine and turbid water habitats. It is mainly fished from the shores and is sold mostly fresh and dried salted. Today it is of only minor commercial importance.
Sowle
Shol, the Snakehead murrel, the native Bengali Channidae (Snakeheads) Channa striata.
It is a bony fish with endoskeleton ribcage, grows up to a meter in length, though because of fishing, this size is rarely found in the wild. It has a widespread range covering southern China, Pakistan, most of India, southern Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and most of Southeast Asia. It is an important food fish in its entire native range, and is of considerable economic importance. Adults are dark brown in colour with faint black bands visible across its entire body.
A curry made with this fish and tapioca is a delicacy in Kerala. In Indonesia, common snakeheads are a popular type of salted fishes in Indonesian cuisine. In the Philippines, they are commonly served either fried, grilled, paksiw (poached in a water-vinegar mix), or with soup (commonly cooked with rice washing). Dishes using this fish eaten with rice are very popular among Bengalis of West Bengal and Bangladesh. The fish is also an esteemed delicacy in other parts of India, including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Selliah
Species not identified yet.
Bhola
Bhola Bhetki, the Soldier Croaker, the native Bengali Sciaenidae (Drums or Croakers) Nibea soldado.
Dorsal spines (total): 10-11; Dorsal soft rays (total): 27-33; Anal spines: 2; Anal soft rays: 7. Snout rounded, but not swollen or projecting; upper jaw length 38-44% of head length, lower jaw length 44-53% of head length. First pair of mental pores close together, united by a crescent-shaped groove just behind symphysis. Teeth differentiated into large and small in both jaws. Second anal spine long, stiff, 39-59% of head length. From 8 to 13 scale rows above lateral line to origin of dorsal fin, 12-17 scale rows below lateral line to origin of anal fin (total 21-29 scale rows).
This is an important commercial fish in the Bay of bengal.
Banspattah
Bansh-pata, the Bengal danio, the native Bengali Danionidae (Danios) Devario devario..
The name 'Devario' derives from Bangla/Bengali:‘debari’, which is the local name for these fish; it also has the meaning ‘brother in law’.
It inhabits rivers, canals, ponds, beels and inundated fields. Feeds on annelid worms, small crustaceans and insects. In the wild, the Bengal danio is found in rivers, ponds, and fields in a subtropical climate; it prefers water with a pH of 6.0–8.0, a water hardness of 5.0–19.0 dGH, and an ideal temperature range of 15–26°C.
D. devario lacks maxillary barbels and possesses 16-17 branched dorsal-fin rays, 16-17 branched anal-fin rays, 44-46 scales in the lateral series and 16 circumpeduncular scale rows.
Because of its importance in the aquarium trade, its is now mainly caught for live sale rather than as an edible fish.
Bengal Eel
Bamush-Bengal, the Bengal eel, the native Bengali Synbranchidae (swamp eels) Ophisternon bengalense.
Ophisternon bengalense has an eel-like body with a flattened head with a single slit-like gill opening at the bottom of the back of its head and small eyes which can be seen through its skin. The dorsal and anal fins are reduced and form folds of skin on the rear half of the body, the pectoral and pelvic fins are absent. It can grow to 55cm but is more usually 20cm. The colour is blackish-green to rufous with a purplish tinge and dark spots.
Ophisternon bengalense is recorded from South Asian countries like India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to south-eastern Asia, Indonesia, Philippines and New Guinea. The fish may also found in Australia and Palau islands.
Today, Ophisternon bengalense has only a minor interest in terms of fisheries and is typically locally caught and is sold and eaten fresh.
Goonteah
Goonteah, the dwarf goonch catfish, the native Bengali Sisoridae (Asian catfish) Bagarius bagarius
The species is known by many names throughout its range in the Indian subcontinent. It is known as the goonch in Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi, baghar or baghair in Bengali and Bihari (these names being the origin of the genus name Bagarius), gauns in Rajasthani, gorua (গৰুৱা) and baghmas (বাঘমাছ) in Assamese and bodh in Chhattisgarhi
The species is frequently taxonomically confused with B. bagarius. B. bagarius has – perhaps in error – been reported as reaching the same size as B. yarrelli,[6] while others consider B. bagarius to be a dwarf species that only reaches about 20 cm (7.9 in).[1] A study published in 2021 found B. yarrelli to be a junior synonym of B. bagarius, likely necessitating a merge of B. yarrelli into B. bagarius.
Bagarius species are marketed fresh, and are important as a food fish, but the meat spoils rapidly and can cause illness.
Loquat
Loquat, the fruit of Eriobotrya japonica shown on the tree and split open.
E. japonica is a large, evergreen shrub or small tree, with a rounded crown, short trunk, and woolly new twigs. The tree can grow to 5–10 m (16–33 ft) tall but is often smaller, about 3–4 m (10–13 ft). The fruit begins to ripen during spring to summer, depending on the temperature in the area. The leaves are alternate, simple, 10–25 cm (4–10 in) long, dark green, tough and leathery in texture, with a serrated margin, and densely velvety-hairy below with thick yellow-brown pubescence; the young leaves are also densely pubescent above, but this soon rubs off
Loquats are unusual among fruit trees in that the flowers appear in the autumn or early winter, and the fruits are ripe at any time from early spring to early summer. The flowers are 2 cm (3⁄4 in) in diameter, white, with five petals, and produced in stiff panicles of three to ten flowers. The flowers have a sweet, heady aroma that can be smelled from a distance. Loquat fruit, growing in clusters, are oval, rounded or pear-shaped, 3–5 cm (1+1⁄8–2 in) long, with a smooth or downy, yellow or orange, sometimes red-blushed skin. The succulent, tangy flesh is white, yellow, or orange and sweet to subacid or acid, depending on the cultivar.
The loquat has high sugar, acid, and pectin contents. It is eaten as a fresh fruit and mixes well with other fruits in fresh fruit salads or fruit cups. The fruit is also commonly used to make jam, jelly, and chutney, and is often served poached in light syrup. Firm, slightly immature fruits are best for making pies or tarts,[citation needed] while the fruits are the sweetest when soft and orange.
Country Almonds
Country almonds, the fruit of Terminalia catappa shown at various stages of development with the edible seeds.
he tree grows to 35 metres (115 feet) tall, with an upright, symmetrical crown and horizontal branches. The fruit is corky and light and dispersed by water. As the tree gets older, its crown becomes more flattened to form a spreading, vase shape. Its branches are distinctively arranged in tiers. The leaves are large, 15–25 cm (6–9+3⁄4 in) long and 10–14 cm (4–5+1⁄2 in) broad, ovoid, glossy dark green, and leathery. They are dry-season deciduous; before falling, they turn pinkish-reddish or yellow-brown, due to pigments such as violaxanthin, lutein, and zeaxanthin.
The tree has been spread widely by humans, so the native range is uncertain. It has long been naturalised in a broad belt extending from Africa to northern Australia and New Guinea through southeast Asia and Micronesia into the Indian subcontinent. More recently, the plant has been introduced to parts of the Americas. Until the mid-20th century, the tree had been used extensively in Brazilian urban landscaping, since being a rare case tropical deciduous, their fallen leaves would give a “European" flair to the street.
The fruit is edible, tasting slightly acidic. The seeds are edible raw or cooked when ripe and the source of its 'almond' common names, but are small and difficult to extract.
Custard apple
Custard apple, the fruit of Annona squamosa showing a whole fruit and a fruit split open.
Annona squamosa is native to the tropical Americas and West Indies, but the exact origin is unknown. It is now the most widely cultivated of all the species of Annona, being grown for its fruit throughout the tropics and warmer subtropics, such as Indonesia, Thailand, Taiwan, and China as far north as Suzhou; it was introduced to southern Asia (including Bengal) before 1590.
It is quite a prolific bearer, and it will produce fruit in as little as two to three years. A five-year-old tree can produce as many as 50 sugar apples.
Amrah
??Spondias dulcis
Amra, the fruit of Spondias mombin showing a cluster of green uripe and yellow ripe fruit
on the tree.
However, the tree was introduced by the Portuguese in South Asia in the beginning of the 17th century. It has been naturalized in parts of Africa, India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, The Bahamas, Indonesia, and other Caribbean islands. It is rarely cultivated except in parts of the Brazilian Northeast.
Spondias mombin is a small deciduous tree up to 20 m (66 ft) high and 1.5 m (4.9 ft) in girth, and is moderately buttressed. Its bark is thick, corky, and deeply fissured. When slashed, it is pale pink, darkening rapidly. Branches are low and branchlets are glabrous. The leaves are pinnate, with 5-8 leaflets opposite pairs with a terminal leaflet, 10 cm × 5 cm (4 in × 2 in), oblong or oblong lanceolate, broadly acuminate, glabrous. The flowers bloom January to May and are sweet-scented, in large, lax terminal panicles of small white flowers. Fruits appear July to September and are nearly 4 cm (1.5 in) long, ovoid yellow, acid, wrinkled when dry. The fruits have a sharp, somewhat acid taste and are edible. Their flesh surrounds a single spiny kernel.
Note that as a member of the sumac family (Anacardiaceae), exposure to the sap of this species may result in an identical allergic reaction to that of the poison ivy plant. Those with a known sensitivity to urushiol should exercise caution in consuming or handling this species.
The mature fruit has a leathery skin and a thin layer of pulp. The seed has an oil content of 31.5%. The fruit pulp is either eaten fresh or made into juice, concentrate, jellies, and sherbets.
Saag
Saag, the leaves of amaranth plants Amaranthus spp. with a whole plants shown (left) and a bunch of leaves from a red cultivar (right).
Amaranth is a herbaceous plant or shrub that is either annual or perennial across the genus. Flowers vary interspecifically from the presence of 3 or 5 tepals and stamens, whereas a 7-porate pollen grain structure remains consistent across the family. Species across the genus contain concentric rings of vascular bundles, and fix carbon efficiently with a C4 photosynthetic pathway. Leaves are approximately 6.5–15cm and of oval or elliptical shape that are either opposite or alternate across species, although most leaves are whole and simple with entire margins.
Different species and/or cultivars are grown as leafy greens, pseudocereals and as ornamental plants.
Originally native to the New World, Amaranth's cosmopolitan distribution makes it one of many plants providing evidence of pre-Columbian oceanic contact, with the earliest archeological evidence for amaranth in the Old World was found in an excavation in Narhan, India, dated to 1000–800 BCE.
Amaranthus parganensis is a species endemic to West Bengal, and Amaranthus bengalense is specific to India and the Bay of Bengal. The red cultivar of amaranth is also popular as a leaf vegetable in Bengal.
Kerella
Karela, the fruit of the bitter melon plant Momordica charantia with the immature (green) and mature (yellow) fruit shown.
Bitter melon originated in Africa where it was a dry-season staple food of ǃKung hunter-gatherers. Wild or semi-domesticated variants spread across Asia in prehistory, and it was likely fully domesticated in Southeast Asia. It is widely used in the cuisines of East Asia, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.
This herbaceous, tendril-bearing vine grows up to 5 m (16 ft) in length. It bears simple, alternate leaves 4–12 cm (1.6–4.7 in) across, with three to seven deeply separated lobes. Each plant bears separate yellow male and female flowers. In the Northern Hemisphere, flowering occurs during June to July and fruiting during September to November. The fruit has a distinct warty exterior and an oblong shape. It is hollow in cross-section, with a relatively thin layer of flesh surrounding a central seed cavity filled with large, flat seeds and pith. The fruit is most often eaten green, or as it is beginning to turn yellow. At this stage, the fruit's flesh is crunchy and watery in texture, similar to cucumber, chayote, or green bell pepper, but bitter. The skin is tender and edible. Seeds and pith appear white in unripe fruits; they are not intensely bitter and can be removed before cooking.
Bitter melon is generally consumed cooked in the green or early yellowing stage. The young shoots and leaves of the bitter melon may also be eaten as greens. The fruit is bitter raw and can be soaked in cold water and drained to remove some of those strong flavours. Bitter gourd is commonly eaten throughout India. In North Indian cuisine, it is often served with yogurt on the side to offset the bitterness, used in curry such as sabzi, or stuffed with spices and then cooked in oil.
Mahagoor
Magur, the Walking Catfish, the introduced Bengali Clariidae (Air-breathing catfish) Clarias batrachus.
The walking catfish has an elongated body shape and reaches almost 0.5 m (1.6 ft) in length and 1.2 kg (2.6 lb) in weight. Often covered laterally in small white spots, the body is mainly coloured a grey or greyish brown; though colour can vary all the way from white to black. This catfish has long-based dorsal and anal fins, as well as several pairs of sensory barbels. The skin is scaleless, but covered with mucus, which protects the fish when it is out of water.
This fish needs to be handled carefully when fishing it due to its embedded sting or thorn-like defensive mechanism hidden behind its fins (including the middle ones before the tail fin, similar to the majority of all catfishes) It is a good eating fish and this book indicates that it was much more commonly consumed in the past in Bengal than it is today.
Mango-fish
Topshe, the Mango-fish, the native Bengali oreochromine cichlids Sarotherodon melanotheron heudelotii.
A brief description follows: Dorsal spines (total): 15-17; Dorsal soft rays (total): 10-12; Anal spines: 3; Anal soft rays: 8-10; Vertebrae: 26-28. Diagnosis: length of caudal peduncle 0.6-0.9 times in its depth (Ref. 53405). Melanic areas in adult usually present on lower parts of head, on cleithrum and on apices of caudal and soft dorsal fins; occasional irregular and asymmetrical spots on flanks probably representing vertical bars; median spot or transverse bar on nape rather constant.
Its native habitat is brackish water, but it can tolerate high salinity. It is fished both in the wild and is grown in aquaculture systems.
Caraunda
Caraunda, the fruit of Carissa congesta, shown as a fruit spray with leaves.
Carissa carandas is the most common in the Bengal region and its berry-sized fruits that are commonly used as a condiment in Indian pickles and spices. It is a hardy, drought-tolerant plant that thrives well in a wide range of soils. Common names in English include Bengal currant, Christ's thorn, Carandas plum, Karonda, Karanda and Kanna.
In India, the mature fruit is harvested for Indian pickles. It contains pectin and accordingly is a useful ingredient in chutney. Ripe fruits exude a white latex when severed from the branch. As indicated in this book, the Colonial British in India also made jelly, jams and syrups from it.
Musk Melon
The musk melon (খরবুজ; খরমুজ) is a form of canteloupe, also known as nutmeg melon and can represent any of several varieties of netted-rind melons in the gourd family (Cucurbitaceae), noted for their musky-scented sweet juicy orange flesh.
Rose apples
Rose Apple, the fruit of Syzygium spp., shown red (left) and yellow (right) forms with one fruit split open.
The rose apple is an egg-shaped tropical fruit that's pale yellow with a touch of pink when ripe. The rose apple has different varieties with different colours, like dark red, purple, and white. Before the fruits grow, sweetly scented tree flowers grow in clusters. Fruit shape can vary from pear-like to guava-like in form
Rich in vitamin C, the fruit can be eaten raw or cooked in various regional recipes. In South-East Asian countries, rose apple fruit is frequently served with spiced sugar.
Maldah Mangoes
Malda Mangoes, the fruit of the Langra mango Mangifera indica, shown as ripe fruit with one sliced open.
It was grown in the Malda region of Bengal, hence its historic Bengali name, It remains one of India's more flavoursome mango cultivars.
Like all mangoes, they represent the fruit of Mangifera indica, the mango tree; a species that is believed to have originated in southern Asia, particularly in eastern India, Bangladesh, and the Andaman Islands. M. indica has been cultivated in South and Southeast Asia since ancient times resulting in two types of modern mango cultivars: the ‘Indian type' and the ‘Southeast Asian type' and malda mangoes are clearly of the ‘Indian type'.
Mangoes are generally sweet, although the taste and texture of the flesh vary across cultivars. It is eaten as a fruit when ripe, but the unripe fruit is also used as a pickle, a condiment and as an ingredient in curries. Over-ripe mangoes are often pulped into juices and unripe mangoes are dried to make the acidic spice, amchoor. The skin of unripe, pickled, or cooked mango can be eaten, but it has the potential to cause contact dermatitis of the lips, gingiva, or tongue in susceptible people.
Chingree
Chingri, the Bengali hairy river prawn, the native Bengali freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rude.
It remains of seasonal importance as a target fished species and remains commercially important.
Macrobrachium rude is also known as the hairy river prawn.
Changra/Bhengri
Bhangra, the Indian mackerel, the native Bengali Scombridae (Mackerel/Tuna) Rastrelliger kanagurta.
The Indian mackerel is found in warm shallow waters along the coasts of the Indian and Western Pacific oceans. Its range extends from the Red Sea and East Africa in the west to Indonesia in the east, and from China and the Ryukyu Islands in the north to Australia, Melanesia and Samoa in the south.
These fish have thin dark longitudinal bands on the upper part of the body, which may be golden on fresh specimens. There is also a black spot on the body near the lower margin of the pectoral fin. Dorsal fins are yellowish with black tips, while the caudal and pectoral fins are yellowish. The remaining fins are dusky
The Indian mackerel is generally found in shallow, coastal waters, where the surface water temperature is at least 17°C (63°F).
Chunah
Chuna, the Honey Gourami, the native Bengali Osphronemidae (Gourami) Trichogaster chuna.
They have orange-colored bodies. This species can reach a length of 5.5cm (2.2 in). Male specimens of this fish, typical of many gouramis, are generally more colourful than their female counterparts. They exhibit bright orange colouring around the throat region, which at breeding time becomes much brighter and is used to court the female. The undersides of the males become black when breeding. Males also exhibit somewhat of an orange tinge in their fins, with the exception of the caudal fin. The male also has longer fins, with a pointed dorsal fin and extended anal fin rays.
These have become prized aquarium fish and comercial fishing is now aimed more at the aquarium trade rather than for the table.
Dessy Tangra
Dessi Tengara, the Tyangra, refers to native Bengali catfish Batasio batasio (top) and Mystus vittatus (bottom).
Batasio is a genus of catfish of the family Bagridae. These small fish are found in fast-flowing hillstreams throughout South and mainland Southeast Asia.
Batasio batasio is a member of the Bagridae (Bagrid catfishes) family that is native to India, Bangladesh and Nepal. It grows maximally to 10cm in length and is typically found in streams. It is of minor, local, commercial importance.
Mystus is a genus of fish in the family Bagridae native to Asia. Phylogenetic relationships within this genus are poorly understood, though it has been suggested that there are two major lineages.
Mystus vittatus, the striped dwarf catfish, is a species of catfish of the Bagridae (Bagrid catfishes) family. It is found in brackish water systems with marginal vegetation in lakes and swamps with a mud substrate of Asian countries Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh and probably Myanmar. It grows, maximally, to a length of 21cm.
This species has been exploited for commercial fishing and the aquarium fish trade and the population is known to be decreasing.
Mystus tengara, the Tengara catfish is a member of the Bagridae (Bagrid catfishes) family. It is native to Pakistan, India, Nepal and Bangladesh. At maturity it reaches a maximal length of 18cm. Adults inhabit rivers and ponds in plains and submontane regions in flowing and standing waters. It is fished locally for food.
Gonteah
Gong Tengra,the Gagata, refers to three native Bengali catfish Gagata cenia (top), Gogangra viridescens (centre) and Nangra nangra
(bottom), all members of the catfish (Sisoridae) family.
Gagata cenia; Gogangra viridescens and Nangra nangra.
Gagata cenia, known as the Indian Gagata is a species of sisorid catfish (Sisoridae) found in the Ganges Delta and the Indus River. It has also been reported as occurring in Thailand and Burma. This species grows to a length of 15cm. This is a freshwater fish widely distributed in the Ganges basin, the Indus River system, and the Mahanadi River. This is a species of commercial importance.
Descrition: Dorsal soft rays (total): 6; Anal soft rays: 9-12; Vertebrae: 35-36. Matures at less than 7cm SL. Dorsal with dark saddles extending ventrally only to lateral line. Caudal fin with transverse black bar across peduncle and round or square black spot on middle of each lobe. Dorsal fin with black spot on distal part of anterior rays. Anal fin with 4-5 simple rays, 9-11 branched rays. Upper jaw and 4th ceratobranchial toothless; lower jaw with few conical teeth in pocket or depression near symphysis. Snout tip acutely pointed in lateral view, with tip separated from the rest of the snout by distinct notch.
Gogangra viridescens is a species of sisorid catfish (Sisoridae) family found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Pakistan. This species grows to a length of 8.5cm. This is a freshwater fish native to Indus drainage in Pakistan and Ganges-Brahmaputra drainage in India and Bangladesh. It grows to a maximal length of 11cm. This is a commercially fished species.
Description: Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 6; Vertebrae: 33-34. Body pale greenish or grayish overall, with vivid, almost iridescent, horizontal silvery mark in the membrane connecting the opercle to the side of the cranium. Mesethmoid not greatly expanded, its dorsal profile slightly convex, Y-shaped anteriorly. Barbels short, slender; nasal barbel very short, extending posteriorly only to end of posterior naris; maxillary and mental barbels not reaching posteriorly beyond head; maxillary-barbel membrane absent or greatly reduced; maxillary bone inside maxillary barbel very short; outer and inner mental barbels evenly and widely separated. Paired lateral cranial fontanel absent. Branchiostegal membranes free from isthmus. Anal fin with 4-6 simple rays, 7-9 branched rays (typically 5 + 8)
Nangra nangra is a member of the Sisoridae (Sisorid catfishes) that is found in Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal and grows to a maximum length of 6.5cm. It typically inhibits the upper reaches of rivers. Today it is typically not commercially fished.
Description: Dorsal spines (total): 1; Dorsal soft rays (total): 7-9; Vertebrae: 35-37. Dorsal fin typically with 8 branched rays. Anal fin with 3-4 simple rays, 9-11 branched rays. Snout moderately projecting; anterior naris origin close to snout tip (distance between anterior naris and snout tip less than eye diameter). Nasal barbel reaching at least to end of head, sometimes reaching dorsal-fin origin; maxillary barbel reaching past to adipose-fin origin; maxillary barbel membrane small, with narrow attachment to cheek only; maxillary bone long, reaching posteriorly to end of head. Vent and genital papillae near middle of pelvic fins
Gontorah
Species not identified yet.
Kwetoonte
Species not identified yet.
Pyrah Chanda
Loma chanda, the Elongate glass-perchlet, a member of the Ambassidae (Asiatic glassfish) family Chanda nama.
The species inhabits canals, ponds, streams, and flooded rice paddies, in both fresh and brackish water, and is found in particular abundance during the rainy season. The species feeds on mosquito larvae and worms and also eats the scales of other fishes (lepidophagy), the species may have potential use in controlling malaria and guinea worm parasites. The fish are harvested and sold for food in local markets.
Description: Body is strongly compressed and laterally almost flat. Dorsal and ventral profile of this fish is almost equally convex. Lateral line is partly distinct, partly absent. Second dorsal spine is longest. Spines of first dorsal and rays of second dorsal gradually decrease in height. Scales are minute and rounded. Caudal fin forked. Body is transparent yellowish white with numerous tiny black dots. First dorsal and tip of second dorsal is deep black. Caudal fin is black and orange. A small black spot is found at the origin of the base of anal fin. Lower jaw is longer than upper jaw.
As well as being caught for food, this is also an important fish in the aquarium trade.
Bagda Chingree
Bagda Chingree, the Bangladeshi tiger prawn, a member of the Penaeidae (panaeid prawn) family Penaeus monodon.
It is native to the Indo-Pacific: From Pakistan to Japan, the Malay Archipelago and Australia.
Description: Uniformly glabrous body; carapace with well-developed antennal and hepatic spines. Horizontal and straight hepatic carina. Rostrum armed with 7 or 8 dorsal and 3 ventral teeth. Colour: body is reddish with darker bands. Brown to blue pleopods and reddish fringing setae.
This is a species of great commercial value and is both wild caught and farmed in aquaculture.
Kisutbail (fruit)
Species not identified yet.
Jacks
Jackfruit, the edible fruit of the jack tree, Artocarpus heterophyllus, shown as hanging from the tree and as one fruit sliced open.
The word jackfruit comes from Portuguese jaca, which in turn is derived from the Malayalam language term chakka (ചക്ക), when the Portuguese arrived in India at Kozhikode (Calicut) on the Malabar Coast (Kerala) in 1499.
Artocarpus heterophyllus grows as an evergreen tree that has a relatively short trunk and dense treetop. It easily reaches heights of 10 to 20 m (33 to 66 feet) and trunk diameters of 30 to 80 cm (12 to 31 inches). It sometimes forms buttress roots. The bark of the jackfruit tree is reddish-brown and smooth. In the event of injury to the bark, a milky sap is released. The leaves are alternate and spirally arranged. They are gummy and thick and are divided into a petiole and a leaf blade. The petiole is 2.5 to 7.5 cm (1 to 3 inches) long. The leathery leaf blade is 20 to 40 cm (7 to 15 inches) long and 7.5 to 18 cm (3 to 7 inches) wide and is oblong to ovate in shape.
The flavour of the ripe fruit is comparable to a combination of apple, pineapple, mango, and banana. Varieties are distinguished according to characteristics of the fruit flesh. In Indochina, the two varieties are the “hard" version (crunchier, drier, and less sweet, but fleshier), and the “soft" version (softer, moister, and much sweeter, with a darker gold-coloured flesh than the hard variety). Unripe jackfruit has a mild flavour and meat-like texture and is used in curry dishes with spices in many cuisines. The skin of unripe jackfruit must be peeled first, then the remaining jackfruit flesh is chopped into edible portions and cooked before serving. The final chunks resemble prepared artichoke hearts in their mild taste, colour, and flowery qualities. It is commonly cooked with potato to make green jackfruit and potato curry in West Bengal.
Cumrunga
Cumrunga is an archaic name for the carambola or star fruit Averrhoa carambola the fruit of a tree species native to tropical Southeast Asia.
Pumplenose
Pomelo, the edible fruit of the Pomelo tree, Citrus maxima, shown as a whole fruit and one fruit sliced open.
The pomelo tree may be 5–15 meters (16–50 feet) tall, possibly with a crooked trunk 10–30 centimeters (4–12 inches) thick, and low-hanging, irregular branches. Their leaf petioles are distinctly winged, with alternate, ovate or elliptic shapes 5–20 cm (2–8 in) long, with a leathery, dull green upper layer, and hairy under-leaf. The flowers — single or in clusters — are fragrant and yellow-white in colour.
The fruit is large, 15–25 cm (6–10 in) in diameter, usually weighing 1–2 kilograms (2–4 pounds). It has a thicker rind than a grapefruit, and is divided into 11 to 18 segments. The flesh tastes like mild grapefruit, with a little of its common bitterness (the grapefruit is a hybrid of the pomelo and the orange). The enveloping membranes around the segments are chewy and bitter, considered inedible, and usually discarded.[4] There are at least sixty varieties. The fruit generally contains a few, relatively large seeds, but some varieties have numerous seeds.
Its botanical name, Citrus maxima, means “the biggest citrus". The English term used in this book, pumplenose originates from the Dutch pompelmoes. And the English or Dutch form is probably the origin of the modern word 'pomelo' (also spelt pummelo, pumelo, pomello, pommelo) has become the more common name, although "pomelo" has historically been used for grapefruit. After introduction into Barbados by 'Captain Shaddock' of the East India Company (apparently Philip Chaddock, who visited the island in the late 1640s), the fruit was called shaddock in English.
The pomelo is one of the original citrus species from which cultivated citrus fruits have been hybridized, others being citron, mandarin, and to a lesser extent, papedas and kumquat. In particular, the common orange is presumed to be a naturally occurring hybrid between the pomelo and the mandarin, with the pomelo as larger and firmer of the two. Modern genetic analysis has now revealed that the grapefruit is actually a backcrossed hybrid between a pomelo and a sweet orange which is why 63% of the grapefruit's genome comes from the pomelo.
Danta
Moringa drumsticks, the edible fruit pods of the maringa tree, Moringa oleifera, shown bundled for sale at market.
M. oleifera is a fast-growing, deciduous tree that can reach a height of 10–12 m (33–39 ft) and trunk diameter of 45 cm (18 in).[8] The bark has a whitish-grey colour and is surrounded by thick cork. Young shoots have purplish or greenish-white, hairy bark. The tree has an open crown of drooping, fragile branches, and the leaves build up a feathery foliage of tripinnate leaves.
The fruit is a hanging, three-sided, brown, 20–45cm (8–17+1⁄2 in) capsule, which holds dark brown, globular seeds with a diameter around 1 cm. The seeds have three whitish, papery wings and are dispersed by wind and water. In cultivation, it is often cut back annually to 1–2 m (3–6 ft) and allowed to regrow so the pods and leaves remain within arm's reach. The genus name Moringa derives from the Tamil word, murungai, meaning “twisted pod", alluding to the young fruit.
The young, slender fruit, commonly known as “drumsticks", are often prepared as a culinary vegetable in South Asia. They are prepared by parboiling, commonly cut into shorter lengths, and cooked in a curry or soup until soft. Their taste is described as reminiscent of asparagus, with a hint of green beans, though sweeter due to the immature seeds contained inside. In India and Bangladesh, drumstick curries are commonly prepared by boiling immature pods to the desired level of tenderness in a mixture of coconut milk and spices (such as poppy or mustard seeds).
As well as the immature seed pods, the leaves, mature seeds, seed oil, flowers and roots are also edible.
Avigato pear
This is a corruption of alligator pear, an alternate name for the Avocado.
Muckun-seam
Seam/Sheem, the edible fruit pods of the Bengali flat bean vine, Lablab purpureus, shown growing on the vine.
The plant is variable due to extensive breeding in cultivation, but in general, they are annual or short-lived perennial vines. The wild species is perennial. The thick stems can reach 6 m (20 ft) in length. The leaves are made up of three pointed leaflets, each up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long. They may be hairy on the undersides. The inflorescence is made up of racemes of many flowers. Some cultivars have white flowers, and others may have purplish or blue. The fruit is a legume pod variable in shape, size, and color. It is usually several centimetres long and bright purple to pale green.
The hyacinth bean is an old domesticated pulse and multi-purpose crop. L. purpureus has been cultivated in India as early as 2500 BC. The fruit and beans are edible if boiled well with several changes of the water. Otherwise, they are toxic due to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides, glycosides that are converted to hydrogen cyanide when consumed.
In Bangladesh and West Bengal, the green pods along with the beans, known as sheem (শিম), are cooked as vegetables or cooked with fish as a curry.
Kurreah Fool
Curry leaves, the edible leaves of the curry tree, Murraya koenigii, shown as a sprig of leaves.
It is a small tree, growing 4–6 metres (13–20 ft)) tall, with a trunk up to 40 cm (16 in) in diameter. The aromatic leaves are pinnate, with 11–21 leaflets, each leaflet 2–4 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄2 in) long and 1–2 cm (1⁄2–3⁄4 in) broad. The plant produces small white flowers which can self-pollinate to produce small shiny-black drupes containing a single, large viable seed. The berry pulp is edible, with a sweet flavour.
The word curry derives from Tamil word kari, the name of the plant associated with the perceived blackness of the tree leaves.[8] The records of the leaves being utilized are found in Tamil literature dating back to the 1st and 4th centuries CE. British had spice trades with the ancient Tamil region. It was introduced to English in the late 16th century.
The fresh leaves are an indispensable part of Indian cuisine and Indian traditional medicines. They are most widely used in southern and west coast Indian cooking, usually fried along with vegetable oil, mustard seeds and chopped onions in the first stage of the preparation.
Though the leaves are sold dried, the curry leaves actually get their special fragrance from a complex mixture of at least 22 odouriferous chemicals. However, the key compound is 1-phenylethanethiol. In the case of dried curry leaves and the leaf powder, their flavour isn’t as strong because the concentration of 1-phenylethanethiol decreases rapidly. If you can't get fresh curry leaves, try to get frozen as the flavour is much better than dried.
Torrie
Ridge Gourd (Jhinga or Titorai), the edible fruit of the luffa vine, Luffa acutangula, shown growing on the vine
Luffa acutangula is a cucurbitaceous vine that is commercially grown for its unripe fruits as a vegetable. Mature fruits are used as natural cleaning sponges. Its fruit slightly resembles a cucumber or zucchini with ridges. It ranges from central and eastern Asia to southeastern Asia. It is also grown as a houseplant in places with colder climates. English common names include angled luffa, Chinese okra, dish cloth gourd, ridged gourd, sponge gourd, vegetable gourd, strainer vine, ribbed loofah, silky gourd, silk gourd, and sinkwa towelsponge.
L. acutangula is found wild in India where it is probably indigenous, but it has been taken by man throughout the world and is found widely in the West African region.
The young fruit of some Luffa cultivars are used as cooked vegetables or pickled or eaten raw, and the shoots and flowers are sometimes also used. However, the fruit must be harvested at a young stage of development to be edible. Ridge gourd is a popular vegetable used in Indian cooking. It comes in two variants — one with a smooth surface and other with a ridged surface.
In Bengali-speaking Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, it is known as dhudhul (ধুঁধুল) and a popular vegetable. It is eaten fried or cooked with prawns (shrimp), fish, or meat.
Pulwal
Pulwal or pointed gourd, the edible fruit of the vine, Trichosanthes dioica, shown growing on the vine
Colloquially, in India, it is called parval or green potato. It is widely cultivated in the eastern and some northern parts of India, particularly in Northeastern Andhra, Odisha, Bengal, Assam, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh. It is used as an ingredient for soup, stew, curry, sweet, or eaten fried and as potoler dorma or dolma with fish, roe or meat stuffing. Parval is also used to make kalonji, a deep fried cuisine filled with spices.
In Bangladesh and West Bengal, pointed gourd is provincially known as potol in both of these Bengali-speaking regions. It is a vital summer vegetable in Bangladesh and in West Bengal. It is cultivated and consumed in every part of Bangladesh and West Bengal. It is a perennial crop and sold at the end of October when there is a shortage of other alternative vegetables.
Mallie (Malai)
Malai is a type of clotted cream, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent, especially, in regards to sweets from the Indian subcontinent. It is made by heating non-homogenized whole milk to about 80°C for about one hour and then cooling it.
Long Plum (nar kollee bhyar)
Ber or Indian Jujube, the edible fruit of the Indian Jujube tree, Ziziphus mauritiana, various cultivars shown, including the long plum type, top
Ziziphus mauritiana is a spiny, evergreen shrub or small tree up to 15 m high, with trunk 40 cm or more in diameter; spreading crown; stipular spines and many drooping branches. The fruit is of variable shape and size. It can be oval, obovate, oblong or round, and can be 1-2.5 in (2.5-6.25 cm) long, depending on the variety. The flesh is white and crisp. When slightly underipe, this fruit is a bit juicy and has a pleasant aroma. The fruit's skin is smooth, glossy, thin but tight.
The species is believed to have originated in Indo-Malaysian region of South and South-East Asia. It is now widely naturalised throughout the Old World tropics from Southern Africa through the Middle East to the Indian Subcontinent and China, Indomalaya, and into Australasia and the Pacific Islands. While the Rhamnaceae family are considered nitrogen fixing trees, Ziziphus mauritiana can form dense stands and become invasive in some areas, including Fiji and Australia, and has become a serious environmental weed in Northern Australia. It is a fast-growing tree with a medium lifespan, that can quickly reach up to 10–40 ft (3 to 12 m) tall.
Ziziphus mauritiana is one of the two Ziziphus species that have considerable horticulture importance, the other being Chinese jujube (Z. jujuba). Indian jujube (Z. mauritiana) is more tropical, whereas Chinese jujube is a more cold hardy species.
In India, there are 90 or more cultivars, varying in the habit of the tree; leaf shape; fruit form, size, color, flavor and keeping quality; and fruiting season. The skin of most is smooth and greenish-yellow to yellow.
The major production regions for Indian jujube are the arid and semi arid regions of India. From 1984 to 1995 with improved cultivars the production was 0.9 million tonnes on a land of 88,000 ha. The crop is also grown in Pakistan, Bangladesh and parts of Africa.
Cullungee
These are onion seeds, also known as nigella or kalonji. They are not the seeds of onions, but actually the seeds of Nigella sativa (black caraway, also known as black cumin, nigella, kalonji, charnushka) a member of the Ranunculaceae family.
Tyre or Dhye
These are the same thing home-made thick yoghurt or curd. Tyre being 'curd' in Malayayam and dahi is the same in Hindi. The recipe for making tyre or dhye is the method for making home-made yoghurt. Rather than 'stale butter' you need a starter culture ie active yoghurt or curd.