Banquets of the nations

Put a spring chicken in a pan, pour over enough water to cover, boil for half-an-hour, then add half a tumblerful of soy, one quarter tumblerful of Chinese wine (Lao Chu or Sam Shu) with a little green ginger and onions cut very fine. Boil over a gentle fire for twenty minutes. Madeira is a good substitute for Chinese wine. Chinese soy is the same as made in Japan. Tsu-lue-Wohung. (Ningpo Yellow Fish.) Fry in lard until both sides are well browned and crisp, then add a quarter tumblerful of vinegar, quarter tumblerful of wine, and half a tumblerful of soy. Boil for ten minutes. Trout or salmon may be cooked in this way. Haw-jeu. (Shrimp Balls.) Boil some shrimps in salted water, shell and mince very fine. Make a batter of flour, oil, and water, seasoned with a little soy, sugar, and spices ; mix with the shrimp paste ; make some balls and fry in hot lard till nicely browned. Haw-tze-hai-sung. (Sea Slugs.) Cut the slugs in two and wash them thoroughly, and steep for half-an-hour. Give them another rinse through cold water. To every six ounces of slugs take one ounce of shrimp spawn ; boil in chicken soup for fifteen minutes, add one spoonful of sugar and a quarter tumblerful of soy, with a little Chinese wine (Madeira will do), then boil for another five minutes. Chun-cheu. (Stuffed Chitlings.) Thoroughly clean pig's chitlings (the thick end of gut), stuff them with three parts minced fat pork and one part ham, with a liberal seasoning of spices (hot and sweet) and soy. Fry in lard. Ching Tung Hoo-ta. (Boiled Ham.) Take a knuckle of ham, boil it in chicken soup over a gentle fire till quite tender. CHINA (South-East) Sau-tszu. (Roast Pig.) Moisten some cooked pounded chestnuts and chopped clams with a little soy, and stuff a sucking pig. Roast before the fire, basting it very often ; quarter of an hour before taking from the fire, dust the pig with flour so as the pig will take a light brown colour. Saw-Ah. (Roast Duck.) Cut a roasted duck in very thin slices ; serve with thin batter wafers made of flour, oil, soy, and water. Ching Tun Dee-pon. (Boiled Pork) . Boil a knuckle of young pork in water, with a little so}', a small piece of ham, a few slices of green ginger, and some spring onions. When soft, dish and eat, first dipping the pieces in soy. Leang-bu-che. (Chicken Salad.) Only breast of chicken should be used. Cut into small and exceedingly thin slices, which steep in boiling water for three minutes, then remove from water ; allow the chicken to cool, and cut up with a lettuce and watercress as fine as possible. Dress with soy and serve. Tsau-che-pea. (Fried Chicken.) Cut a chicken in thin slices, fry in lard, and add a little Sam-shu and soy, then mix with half a pound of fresh green peas. Stew for twenty minutes. E Woo-ku-day. (Pigeons' Eggs.) Wash one ounce of birds' nests thoroughly, then plunge in boiling water and steep for forty-eight hours. Strain and steep in cold water, seeing that all foreign matters are removed. Boil in a little well-seasoned chicken broth for an hour. Just before serving add twenty-four hardboiled pigeons' eggs (shelled) and heat up. Tsau-yue-pea. (Fried Sliced Fish.)