Curry powder

“ One tablespoon of curry powder, 1 heaping tablespoon of butter, 1 onion, 1⁄2 fresh cocoanut, juice of half a lemon, salt to taste. Curry powder to be mixed in 2 ozs. of water. Onion to be finely chopped. Cocoanut to be scraped and soaked in a teacup of boiling water, then squeezed, and the milk (or the liquid) to be put in the curry. First [54] cook the butter till it bubbles, put in the onion and let it brown, add the curry powder, and let that cook a few minutes; if it becomes too dry and sticks to the pan add a little hot water. ”

“ Fry one-half pound of meat, finely diced, with onion and curry powder. Add a little water from time to time, so that the meat will be tender and the onions soft. Then add two teacupfuls of water. As soon as water boils add a cupful of sliced radishes, potatoes, carrots, or any vegetables that will not mash. Cook slowly together until vegetables are soft. In India this curry is always acidulated, but that is not necessary. It is a good plan, however, to always serve sliced lemon with all curries, as some prefer them sour. ”

“ Cut an onion in very thin and very small slices; fry in butter, flour them while doing to thicken the butter; they must not burn. Take 1 tablespoonful curry powder, or be guided by the strength of it; place in a bowl, squeeze the juice of 1⁄2 lemon, add a pinch of salt, 1 teacupful rich gravy or stock, 1⁄2 teacupful milk or a little cream, stir all together well; boil some eggs hard, take off the shells, cut them into quarters or halves, stir your curry powder that has been mixed as before directed; let all boil together, and when boiling take off the fire and put in the eggs ”

“ But return we to our coriander seeds. There is absolutely no reason why the frugal housewife in this country should not make her own curry powder from day to day, as it may be required. Here is an average Indian recipe; but it must be remembered that in the gorgeous East tastes vary as much as elsewhere, and that Bengal, Bombay, Madras (including Burmah) , Ceylon, and the Straits Settlements, have all different methods of preparing a curry.
A few coriander and cumin seeds—according to taste—eight peppercorns, a small piece of turmeric, and one dried chili, all pounded together. ”

“ Let it simmer now till ten minutes before serving, and then mix your curry powder and flour together, a little salt and pepper, blend it with either water or milk and stir it in. While the curry is simmering, have half a cocoanut grated, and stir this in last. Let it boil ten minutes and it is ready for serving. Many people prefer the rice served with the curry in the centre, but it is not so nice as having it in a vegetable dish. The correct way is to have the curry in one covered dish and the rice in another. ”

“ There were hundreds of these preparations which were used in different dishes; each dish had its own separate powder. They are known to modern civilization as Curry powders.
To-day almost every nation has its own appropriate Curry powder and its own Curry formulas. ”

“ Still, it is very troublesome to grind the Curry stuffs without a Curry stone, which is very common to a native Cooly of India. No native houses without a Curry stone. The way the native girls, etc., grind the Curry stuffs will be an astonishment to European ladies. The best way to grind the Curry powder in England, by hard stone made mortar or pounder, but the best and easy way is to buy from your respected grocers, which, I should say, ought to be of two colours, one is brown and the other is yellow, and the red is cayenne pepper (if required hot Curries) . ”

“ Fry and chop very fine 4 onions, then moisten the curry powder with water, and put it in a stewpan, with all the above ingredients, and 1⁄4 lb. butter. Let it stew for 20 minutes, stirring all the time to prevent burning, then add 11⁄2 lb. cold meat, or fresh meat or any fowl or rabbit, cut into short thick pieces, without fat, add 1⁄2 pint milk or good stock to make the curry thick. Boil all up at once, and then let it stew gently for 3-4 hours. When ready add lemon juice or chili vinegar. ”

“ Add salt to suit your taste. This dish is best when stewed slowly. Garnish with slices of lemon.
Partridges, pigeons, rabbits, sweet-breads, breasts of mutton, lamb, and veal, are all used for curries.
There is a difference in the quality of curry powder. The [Pg 147] above measure, is for the strongest kind, and is enough for a quart of gravy. The East Indians never use flour in thickening the gravy, but depend on the curry powder.
To prepare rice for Calcutta curry, wash a pint in several waters, and put it into a kettle, containing a gallon of warm water, with salt in it. ”

“ Curried.—Mix together 1 tablespoonful mild curry powder, 11⁄2 tablespoonful dried flour, and 2 large saltspoonfuls salt; skin and cut in neat pieces the remains of cold fowl, dip them into the curry powder, pressing the powder in. Thinly slice one large onion, peel, core, and chop a sharp apple. Have in a fryingpan a piece of butter larger than a walnut; when hot, cook the onion in it, turning often. It should not be brown, and may require a little more butter. When tender, add the apple, just to make hot; then put the onion and apple into a hot stewpan, and keep warm. ”

“ Curry Sauce.—Mix one-fourth teaspoon mustard, one-fourth teaspoon salt, and a few grains paprika. Add yolk of one egg slightly beaten, one tablespoon olive oil, one and one-half tablespoons vinegar, and a few drops of onion juice. Cook over hot water, stirring constantly until mixture thickens. Add one-fourth teaspoon curry powder, one teaspoon melted butter, and one-eighth teaspoon chopped parsley. ”

“ Whether it is good for one to eat as much hot stuff as one is expected to eat in India is a disputed point. In moderation, however, curry is not harmful, and is a very satisfactory and appetizing way of preparing scrappy and inexpensive meats. If carefully prepared, everybody is sure to like it. Do not introduce it, however, to your family as a mustard-colored stew of curry powder, onions, and cold meat served in the center of a platter with a wall of gummy rice enclosing it. ”

“ Pork gives a more delicate flavor to the fish than bacon.
Fish Curries.—Cold boiled or baked fish is simply a luxury when warmed up in a delicious curry sauce. This dish may be served at breakfast or luncheon. Americans are fast learning the usefulness of curry-powders; as yet they demand a mild form of curry, and a little flour is added to the sauce to tone down the pungency of the curry.
A Plain Fish Curry.—Fry an onion quite brown in a little butter or oil, add a teaspoonful of curry-powder and half a pint of hot water. Dissolve a teaspoonful of flour in a little cold water ”

“ When making the curry mixture, take a piece of the heart of a cabbage, the size of a hen’s egg; chop it fine and add one sour apple in thin slices the size of a Keswick codlin, the juice of a medium-sized [Pg 138] lemon, a salt-spoonful of black pepper, and a tablespoonful of the above curry powder. Mix all well together; then take six medium-sized onions which have been chopped small and fried a delicate brown, a clove of garlic, also chopped small, two ounces of fresh butter, two ounces of flour, and one pint of beef gravy. ”

“ Any kind of cold meat may be made into curry. Fry onions and curry powder together until nicely browned. Then add enough flour to thicken, as in making gravy. Then add water or cocoanut milk. When gravy has thickened, add cold meat. Simmer slowly for a while. This curry is not so tasty as those made from fresh meat, and it is well to add a teaspoonful of Worcestershire sauce. ”

“ Lamb curry should always be served with hot rice, taking on your fork equal portions of both, increasing the amount of rice in case you find the curry too hot. Never drink water with curry, as it intensifies the burning sensation. The amount of curry powder used in the above recipe can be increased or decreased according to the individual taste. Cold cooked shrimps, lobster, veal or chicken may be used in place of lamb; but never beef. Personally I find that lamb produces the finest curry dish. ”

“ Indian curry powder. The samples of this compound prepared by different houses vary so greatly from each other in the proportions of the ingredients, that it is difficult to regard any one as a standard. The following are therefore merely given as examples:—
Prep. 1. Corianders, 1 lb.; turmeric, 3⁄4 lb.; black pepper, 1⁄2 lb.; scorched mustard, 1⁄4 lb.; ginger, 2 oz.; cumin seed, 1 oz.; capsicums, 3⁄4 oz.; mace, 1⁄4 oz. (all in powder) ; mix well.
2. Coriander seeds and black pepper, of each 8 lbs.; turmeric and cumin seeds, of each 4 lbs., allspice, 3⁄4 lb.; mace, 1 oz. (all in powder) ; mix. ”

“ All these things are to be placed in a cool oven, kept therein one night, and pounded in a marble mortar next morning, preparatory to being rubbed through a sieve. “Kitchener” sounds like a good cooking name; but, with all due respect, I am not going to recommend his curry-powder.
A Malay curry is made with blanched almonds, which should be fried in butter till lightly browned. Then pound them to a paste with a sliced onion and some thin lemon-rind. Curry powder and gravy are added, and a small quantity of cream. ”

“ Thorough cooking is absolutely necessary to develop the full flavour of the various ingredients comprising curry powder, the directions given in the respective recipes for preparing the curry sauce before adding to it other substances should therefore be strictly followed. ”

“ Garlic ginger (green) , used for any Meat Curry, it is very healthy and helps to digest the Curry and rice sooner, as parties think Curries are not easily digestible. The Curries must not be prepared too rich, as richness takes away all flavour, and the meat will taste like stewed Curry. The butter you add to fry the Curry stuffs will be quite sufficient to richen the Curry without using fat meat.
No. 2.—BEEF CURRY (Plain) . 1 lb. Beef (Fresh or Cooked Meat will do) . 1 Tablespoon Curry Powder (not hot) . 1 Pint good Milk or strong (Beef) Gravy. ”

“ Place the butter and stock in a stewpan, and if the stock be not already very highly flavoured, add seasonings, such as a slice of lemon, half a dozen peppercorns, a good teaspoon of curry powder, and a shalot, or if curry powder be not liked, half a teaspoonful of mixed herbs, or half a tablespoonful of Worcester sauce may be substituted. ”

“ Cold fish of any kind may be advantageously served the next day in the form of a Curry. All that is necessary is to warm up the fish in the sauce; care must be exercised, however, not to break or separate the fish into too fine pieces.
Curry of Chicken.
Unjoint the chicken and cut the large pieces in two. Put into a frying pan two tablespoonfuls of Antonini Olive Oil, and when hot fry the pieces of chicken in it until they are partially cooked; remove the chicken, add another tablespoonful of oil, and a minced Bermuda onion; when brown add two tablespoonfuls of J. P. Smith's Curry Powder. ”

“ Care must be taken not to allow the sauce to boil after the eggs have been added.
No. 161.—Curry Sauce. 1⁄2 pint soaked lentils. 1 shalot or small onion. 1 small turnip. 1 teaspoon curry powder. 1 small carrot. 1 pint water. 1⁄2 teaspoon salt. 1 ounce each flour and butter.
Slice the vegetables and boil them with the lentils for one hour, add salt and strain; mix the flour, butter, and curry powder well on a plate, place in an enamelled saucepan, pour in the liquor, and stir until it boils. ”

“ The flowers of the turmeric plant (Curcuma longa) are white, and form an ear or spike, which issues immediately from the root. The leaves are spear-shaped, and each eight or nine inches long.
This root, which has an aromatic smell somewhat resembling that of ginger, is much cultivated in the East Indies, where it is in common use as a seasoning for ragouts and other dishes. It constitutes a principal ingredient in curry powder; and, under this form, is used, in great quantities, both in India and Europe. ”