quantities under the eye of the mistress of the house, or that of a really trustworthy head-servant. It should then be bottled, and corked secui*ely down. I shall presently give a very valuable receipt for a stock household powder, one that was surrendered to me by an accomplished chatelaine, on the eve of her departure from India, as a token of the sincerest friendship. But for those who wish to avoid trouble and yet to have good curries, I strongly advocate the use of Barrie's Madras curry-powder and paste. I am not employed as an adver- tising medium. My advice is not the advice of a " gent" travelling for Messrs. Barrie and Co., it is the honest exhortation of one, my friends, who has the success of your curries very closely at heart. After more than twenty years' experience of Barrie's condiments, I say boldly, that I am aware of no prepara- tions in the market that can equal them. At the " Orien- tal Depot," on the southern side of Leicester Square, — a sanctuary known, I fear, to too few Anglo-Indians at home — you can see, or coidd see, (for the little place may have been swept away for aught I know with Northum- berland House, Temple Bar and other structures of re- nown), sundry casks of Barrie's curry-stuffs, chutneys, &c. I discovered the place by a mere accident, and the smell and the order-book convinced me that I had not made a mistake. The former was that of my friend Barrie, and the latter contained names of such high degree in connection with India that I immediately removed my hat. Unfortunately the depot is largely patronized by Lon- don grocers, who, over-wise in their generation, use the condiments they purchase as mere stock wherewith to flavour some miserable concoction of their own manufac- ture. Two parts of arrowroot coloured with saffron, and one part of Barrie, for instance, is a mixture that can OUR CURRIES. 289 hardly witli justice be called " genuine Madras curry- powder," notwithstanding its being bottled in a very pretty bottle, and priced two and six, I detected the presence of Barrie's excellent mulliga- tunny paste at several places at home, especially at Mutton's at Brighton, where a basin of the potage Indien for lunch on a frosty day used to be a thing worth recording in a pilgrim's diary with red letters. Assuming that we have procured, or made, a really good stock powder, the accessories next present themselves for our consideration. These are very important, for, with their aid, a clever cook can diversify the flavour, and style of his curries ; without them — be the powder or paste never so well composed — the dish will certainly lack finish, and the true characteristics of a good curry. Prominently among them stands the medium to be used for the frying of the onions, with which the process com- mences. This most assuredly should be butter. The quantity required is not very great, and surely it may be assumed that people who want to have a good curry will not ruin it for the sake of a " two ounce pat of Dosset !" for be it noted, that tinned butter of a good brand is admii'ably adapted for this work.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

quantities under the eye of the mistress of the house, or that of a really trustworthy head-servant. It should then be bottled, and corked securely down. I shall presently give a very valuable receipt for a stock household powder, one that was surrendered to me by an accomplished chatelaine, on the eve of her departure from India, as a token of the sincerest friendship. But for those who wish to avoid trouble and yet to have good curries, I strongly advocate the use of Barrie's Madras curry-powder and paste. I am not employed as an advertising medium. My advice is not the advice of a " gent" travelling for Messrs. Barrie and Co., it is the honest exhortation of one, my friends, who has the success of your curries very closely at heart. After more than twenty years' experience of Barrie's condiments, I say boldly, that I am aware of no preparations in the market that can equal them. At the " Oriental Depot," on the southern side of Leicester Square, — a sanctuary known, I fear, to too few Anglo-Indians at home — you can see, or could see, (for the little place may have been swept away for aught I know with Northumberland House, Temple Bar and other structures of renown), sundry casks of Barrie's curry-stuffs, chutneys, &c. I discovered the place by a mere accident, and the smell and the order-book convinced me that I had not made a mistake. The former was that of my friend Barrie, and the latter contained names of such high degree in connection with India that I immediately removed my hat. Unfortunately the depot is largely patronized by London grocers, who, over-wise in their generation, use the condiments they purchase as mere stock wherewith to flavour some miserable concoction of their own manufacture. Two parts of arrowroot coloured with saffron, and one part of Barrie, for instance, is a mixture that can hardly witli justice be called " genuine Madras currypowder," notwithstanding its being bottled in a very pretty bottle, and priced two and six, I detected the presence of Barrie's excellent mulligatunny paste at several places at home, especially at Mutton's at Brighton, where a basin of the potage Indien for lunch on a frosty day used to be a thing worth recording in a pilgrim's diary with red letters. Assuming that we have procured, or made, a really good stock powder, the accessories next present themselves for our consideration. These are very important, for, with their aid, a clever cook can diversify the flavour, and style of his curries ; without them — be the powder or paste never so well composed — the dish will certainly lack finish, and the true characteristics of a good curry. Prominently among them stands the medium to be used for the frying of the onions, with which the process commences. This most assuredly should be butter. The quantity required is not very great, and surely it may be assumed that people who want to have a good curry will not ruin it for the sake of a " two ounce pat of Dorset !" for be it noted, that tinned butter of a good brand is admirably adapted for this work.

Culinary jottings