FoodNet

Anglo-Indian cookery at home

1895

Page 18 · 5 recipe records on this page

Presented as published in 1895. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
How to Make Tamarind Water.— Take, say, a teacupful of the dry or preserved fruit, put it into a bowl, and pour over it a large breakfast cupful of boiling water ; break up the tamarind with a wooden spoon, and allow it to soak for five minutes. Now with your fingers mash the fruit well, pass the mixture through a coarse cloth, and use the juice. This quantity is about enough for a family curry or mulligatawny. If you have the preserved tamarind, to avoid over sweetness wash away the syrup, and scrape the fruit a little before immersing it in the hot water. How to Extraot the Milk from a Coooannt.— Break the nut. — shell and all — into halves, and, with your scraper, serape out the contents, stopping just short of the rind. Place the scrajDings into a bowl, and pour on boiling watei' sufficient to cover the mass. After letting it stand for five minutes, work it well with your fingers, and, when the water assumes the appearance and consistency of rich milk, take up “ fistfuls ” of the scrapings, squeeze well, ami l)ut aside; then strain the milk through a coarse clotli. If E 42 ANGLO-INDIAN COOKERY. you want it to be very rich let it stand for a couple of hours, when you will find the pure cocoanut milk at the top and the water beneath. Some mabe a second “ brew,” ]30uring more water over the recovered husk, but there is no strength in it, at least none to be appreciated. How to Make Madras “Apums” or Hoppers— I have never tried these in this country ; an important ingredient, viz., fresh cocoanut “ toddy, ’ being an impossibility. However, yeast, they say, is a good substitute, so with it the attempt may be made. Take, then, a pound of any rice, four cocoanuts, an ounce of white salt, and a teacupful of yeast, which, I presume, is stronger in its action than “ toddy.” Eediice the rice, half to very fine and the other half to coarse flour ; put this last in a pan, pour two teacups of hot water, and set aside for ten minutes ; then stir in the fine rice flour, half the yeast, and the salt ; sprinkle a little wheaten flour on the top. Having done all this in the evening, cover the pan containing the mixtui’e and set by for the night. Early in the morning milk the four cocoanuts, stir into the mixture, and j)our half a teacupftil at a time on a flat ]>an containing a little butter, and standing on a clear but low fire ; cover the pan with another one containing hot embers, and let cook for three minutes. The alx)ve quantities should make a dozen cakes. How to Make Madras “Apums ” or Hoppers. (Another Way ,) — These cakes make such delicious eating, especially tor “chota hazri,” or early breakfast, that I am induced to give another recipe, which, however, is not mine. “Wash ami clean a pound of rice very nicely, and lay it ujjon a MISCELLANEO US. 48 Chapaties