Mary Kennedy Core

“ She dare not even visit her own cook-house without coughing and making a noise, for fear that she will have a case of discipline on hands that may leave her without a cook. Verily, she is not deceived by the fact that when she enters the cook-house the cook and half a dozen other men who have been playing cards and smoking are respectively standing around like little tin soldiers. ”

“ Pullao is the most festive dish in India. It stands for all that roast turkey does in this country. At weddings, feasts, and holidays it is the chief dish. Among the Hindustani Christians it is the Christmas dinner. Sometimes it is served with rivers of hot curry flowing over it, but often it is eaten without the curry. In India it is usually made with chicken, but any kind of meat does nicely.
For chicken pullao, take a good fat hen, not too old, cut up and stew until almost tender. Put a little bag of "mixed spices," such as are used in making pickles, on to cook with the fowl. ”

“ But even knowing this, all she can do is to meekly transact her business with the cook and go out without saying a word.
However, in spite of all this, the Indian cook is a great comfort. He grows on one. It is surprising how equal he is to emergencies and what really fine things he can make with very few conveniences and often a very stinted allowance of material. There are very few of them who do not take pride in their cooking, and they are never happier than when there are guests in the home and they are having a chance to show off. ”

“ Onions are always used in making curry, but do not let this discourage any one who does not like onions. One reason that onions are so unpopular is that so often they are improperly cooked. In making curry onions should be cooked until they are perfectly soft. Indeed they should be reduced to a pulp. This pulp helps thicken the curry gravy, and many people who claim that they cannot eat onions really enjoy them without realizing what they are eating. ”

“ She cooks with her nerves and brains. She has to train up the cook in the way he should go, and after he has gotten into the way, she has to walk along by his side, for she must be brains for him for ever and ever. ”

“ Cut a chicken up any way you like and fry it with one thinly-sliced onion and the curry powder. The amount of curry powder will of course depend on the size of the chicken. Fry together until the chicken is nicely browned, then add water and simmer until chicken is tender. Remember always to reduce the gravy by slow cooking until it is somewhat thickened by the onion pulp. A couple of sliced tomatoes fried with the chicken, onion, and curry powder is much liked by some—not only in chicken curry, but in all curries. ”

“ Although India is one of the greatest wheat countries in all the world, the great majority of people in India do not eat wheat bread. They [58] are too poor for that. They eat bread made from the flour of coarser grains. Some of these grains, such as millet and rye, we are familiar with; others are quite unknown to us. Corn and oats are but little used in India.
The bread made from these coarse grains is hard to digest. It is made by simply mixing the flour with water. The dough is then patted into little cakes. ”

“ Take a pound of meat. Mutton, chicken, or beef may be used. It must be cut in bits. If the meat has not sufficient fat, add crisco or butter, or whatever one uses. Stew until meat is very tender. Into this soup add a cup of tomato sauce or a cup of boiled and strained tomatoes highly seasoned. Then stir in enough cornmeal to thicken it as for mush. Cook for a few minutes and then turn all into a rice boiler or steamer, and cook until the cornmeal loses its raw taste. When a little cool, add a few raisins, ripe olives, almonds, or peanuts, the latter cut up fine. ”

“ Perhaps she might do some of it if she had an up-to-date little kitchen, with linoleum on the floor, if there were a sink and a gas range, and all sorts of lovely pots and pans, but alas! in India there is not even a kitchen. It is a cook-house, and is quite detached from the rest of the house. ”

“ Even in small places, if there happens to be a large Mohammedan population, good beef and mutton can be obtained in the cold weather, and in many larger places where there are few [7] Mohammedans no meat of any kind is to be found excepting chicken, and one usually has to raise them himself.
Meat is cheap in India. Indeed, in some places beef can be bought for two cents a pound. However, it is not so good as is the beef in America. In the hot weather, as it has to be eaten almost as soon as it is killed, it is tough and tasteless.
Vegetables differ, too, according to the locality. ”

“ The Indian cook-house is always dark and smoky. There is no little gas range; just a primitive cooking place made of bricks plastered together. This contains a number of holes in which are inserted grates. Charcoal fires are burning in these little grates. Charcoal has to be fanned and fanned with a black and grimy fan to get it into the glowing stage. Of course a clean fan would do as well, but one never sees a clean fan in an Indian cook-house. ”

“ A lady in India once had an ayah, who from morning until night sang the same sad song as she would wheel the baby in its little go-cart up and down the mandal or driveway; as she would energetically jump it up and down ”

“ Curry, as usually made in India, is not made with curry powder at all. Every Indian cook-house is provided with a smooth black stone about a foot and a half long and a foot wide. There is also a small stone roller. On this large stone, by means of the small stone, daily are crushed or ground the spices used in making curry. The usual ingredients are coriander seeds and leaves, dried hot chilies or peppers, caraway seeds, turmeric, onions, garlic, green ginger, and black pepper grains. ”

“ You may smile at this and feel sorry for the poor benighted Hindu, who has such a low ideal of the meaning of life, but after all we cannot ignore the fact that we must eat, and that much as we dislike to acknowledge it, we are compelled to think a great deal about filling our stomachs. ”

“ Meat can be had almost every place. The kind of meat differs much in locality. Chickens can be obtained anywhere. The Indian cock is small of head and long of leg, shrill of voice and bold in spirit. The Indian hen is shy and wild, but gives plenty of small, delicately-flavored eggs. On the whole, aside from a few idiosyncrasies, the Indian fowl is very satisfactory.
In large cities like Bombay, Calcutta, Lucknow, Madras, etc., where there is a large English population, any kind of meat may be obtained. In other places only goat meat can be obtained. ”

“ Slice an onion [20] very thinly, and fry together in a dessert-spoonful of fat of any kind, the meat, onion, and two teaspoonfuls of curry powder. When they are nicely browned add several cups of water and simmer gently until the meat is very tender and the onion has become a pulp, thereby thickening the curry gravy. This requires long, slow cooking. More water may be added from time to time. If one has a fireless cooker, it should always be used in curry making. Serve with rice prepared according to taste. In India, curry and rice are always served in separate dishes. ”

“ Make two pounds of white sugar into a syrup. Boil until it reaches the fondant stage, then add the cream of wheat starch, and keep boiling and stirring until it forms into a lump. Then add about half a pound of butter. Crisco will [78] do as well if salt is used with it. Go on cooking the hulwa until it begins to get so hard that you can hardly manage it. Then add a wineglass of rose water, some blanched and shredded almonds and the little inside seeds of half a dozen cardamons. Delicious and nourishing, but rather expensive. ”

“ Fresh Cocoanut is another ingredient frequently used in making curries. This gives a delicious flavor and also adds greatly to the nutritive value. A cocoanut paste is prepared by a very elaborate process in the Indian cook-house, but in this country we are not only confronted by the problem of living on our so many dollars a month, but also by the equally great one of living on twenty-four hours a day. ”

“ When rice and peas are soft, place a layer of meat in a dish and cover with a layer of the rice and peas. Repeat until all are used, being careful to have the rice and peas on top. Steam together and serve with cocoanut and fried onions sprinkled over the top.
51. Dal Bhat.
Dal Bhat is the universal breakfast dish all over India. Prepare as for split pea curry (No. 23) , but omit the curry powder, if desired.
Often it is prepared by frying minced meat with the onions before the peas are added.
No food known gives as much real value for the cost as do lentils. ”

“ Then take equal parts of fruit pulp and sugar, with as much butter as you feel you dare use. If you feel that you dare not use any, use crisco with salt. Cook down until it becomes a paste that can be cut with a knife. It must cook very slowly. Sometimes when nearly finished nuts are added. In apricot cheese the kernels are used. They must be blanched and minced. Guava cheese is perhaps the finest, as the flavor improves much with cooking.
92. "Fools."
A fool is a drink made of fruit pulp and milk. Mango fool is perhaps the most popular. Fools are always best made of tart unripe fruits. ”

“ Equal parts of mashed potatoes and flour, mixed to a paste and rolled very thin. Make each puri about as large as a saucer. Fry as you would fritters. These sound rather expensive, and they do take a good deal of fat; but they are to be eaten without butter. Eat with curry. Nothing else will be needed at a meal where these puris and curry are served, for they are very satisfying. ”

“ The simple reason is that missionaries are employed by the missionary society to do other things. It isn't a question of giving eight hours a day to mission work, but it's a question of giving all the time. ”

“ Cook until fruit is tender, but not broken. For every cup of fruit allow a cup of sugar. Cook rapidly and not too much at a time. It finishes up very quickly. A good plan is to cook only partially, turn onto platters, and expose to the sun as one does any other sun preserve. ”

“ Roselles can be grown any place as easily as tomatoes or cabbage or any vegetable. It would certainly pay any one to make the experiment. The fruit is very rich in pectin, and not only gives a beautiful color when combined with any other fruit, but also adds much to the flavor. ”

“ All vegetables such as peas, beans, potatoes, carrots, etc., make excellent curry. They may be either freshly prepared or left-overs.
Fry them all together with plenty of onions in a little crisco; add as much curry powder as is desired. If tomatoes are not used, acidulate a combination of tomatoes, eggplant, and peppers. Makes a fine curry. ”

“ Acidulate with lemon juice. If six oranges have been used, add the juice of two lemons. To each cup of juice take a cup of sugar. Boil about four cupfuls at a time and boil quickly. It will soon become jelly. A cup of roselle juice diluted is better to acidulate with than the lemon juice. A beautiful ruby jelly is the result.
88. Candied Grapefruit Peel.
Cut the grapefruit peel in sections. About eight pieces to a grapefruit is a good size. Prick [72] each piece and soak for three days. If the weather is very hot, better scald the fruit instead of soaking it. ”

“ Now of course no American housewife would want to squat on the floor and grind up curry stuff on a stone, as do the women of India. So I hasten to say that very good curry may be made from curry powder. Curry powder may be obtained from almost any grocer. ”

“ Some are so hot that the consumer thereof may feel that he is the possessor of an internal fiery furnace. Some are mustard-colored, some are almost black, some are thin and watery, some are thick, some are greasy, and some would be quite impossible for America. ”

“ Then later we read of the Hebrew children refusing to eat the king's meat, and growing rosy and fat on their daily portion of lentils.
Lentils are rich in protein. About twenty-five per cent of their food value is protein. They are richer in protein than beans, and are more digestible. ”

“ This is especially true these days, when prices have soared and soared and taken along with them, far out of the reach of many of us, certain articles of food which we heretofore have always felt were quite necessary to us. ”

“ These are much prized in India, and they really are a fine fruit, which can be grown any place and will more than repay the little time spent in their cultivation. In India the seeds are sown annually. ”

“ This is not really a curry, but is an excellent way of preparing tough round steak.
Mix two teaspoonfuls of curry powder into a half cup of flour, and pound by means of a saucer into a pound of round steak. Fry the steak with a sliced onion until quite brown. ”

“ A pound of meat will require about two teaspoons of this mixture. If not hot enough add more red pepper.
Coriander.—You will note that coriander is the chief ingredient of curry powder. Coriander is used extensively in flavoring throughout the East. It can be grown any place, however. The seed can be obtained from any large florist. It grows rank like a weed. The leaves are delicious as a flavoring for meats and vegetables. ”