degrees a wine-glassful of the eocoanut milk, and then also by degrees the breakfast-ctLpfnl of broth. The effect of this when simmered for a quarter of an hour will be a rich, thick, cui'ry gravy, or sauce. The stew-pan should now be placed en hain-marie while we proceed to prepare the chicken. Take a frying-pan : melt in it an ounce of butter, or clarified beef suet, add a shallot cut up small, and fry for a couple of minutes. Next put the pieced of chicken into the saute-^2iD., and lightly fry them. As soon as slightly coloured, the pieces of chicken should be transferred to the stew-pan in which they should rest for at least half an hour, marinading, as it were, in the curry gravy. After that, the stew-pan should be placed over a gentle fire, and if the liquid be found insufficient to cover the pieces of chicken, stock, if available, or water, should be added. A gentle simmering process should now be encouraged, during which the bay-leaf, chutney, and sweet-acid should be added. If powder without fresh paste has been used, the pounded almond and cocoanut must now be put in, with a little spice and grated green ginger. The curry gravy should at this period be tasted, and if a little more acid or sweet be found necessary, the proper correction should be made. As soon as the pieces of chicken have become tender, thoroughly stewed, that is to say, a coffee- cupful of cocoanut " milk," (the infusion I previously mentioned), should be stirred in, and in three minutes the operation will be complete. If a semi-dry or dry curry be required, the gravy must be still further reduced by simmering with the lid off, the pieces of meat being continually stirred about with a wooden spoon to prevent their catching at the bottom of the pan. When the proper amount of absorption has been attained, remove the pan and serve. Now, those to whom the slipshod method of curry- 296 CULINARY JOTTINGS FOR MADRAS, making, ordinarily followed by native cooks, is familiar, will, perhaps, think, that the process I have recommended is needlessly tronblesome. The separate frying of the chicken, the period of rest in the hain-marie, ^x., may seem to them unnecessary. I am, however, perfectly con- fident that in order to produce a dish of a superior class, we must be prepared to take all this trouble, bringing an enlightened system of cookeiy to bear upon the condi- ments and ingredients which, so to speak, provide the curry flavour. 1 look ujwn a chicken curry as a fricasseey or hlanquette d, V Lidienne, and consider that it should cer- tainly Ix) treated accoi'ding to the principles of scientific cookery. The soaking of meat in the liquid curry-stuff is an im- portant point, especially when previously cooked meat is to be curried. Remember how much better a salmis or a hash tastes if the meat of which it is composed has been marinaded for an hour or so, before being finally heated up, in the carefully-made gravy or sauce composed for it.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

degrees a wine-glassful of the cocoanut milk, and then also by degrees the breakfast-cupful of broth. The effect of this when simmered for a quarter of an hour will be a rich, thick, cui'ry gravy, or sauce. The stew-pan should now be placed en hain-marie while we proceed to prepare the chicken. Take a frying-pan : melt in it an ounce of butter, or clarified beef suet, add a shallot cut up small, and fry for a couple of minutes. Next put the pieced of chicken into the sauté-pan., and lightly fry them. As soon as slightly coloured, the pieces of chicken should be transferred to the stew-pan in which they should rest for at least half an hour, marinading, as it were, in the curry gravy. After that, the stew-pan should be placed over a gentle fire, and if the liquid be found insufficient to cover the pieces of chicken, stock, if available, or water, should be added. A gentle simmering process should now be encouraged, during which the bay-leaf, chutney, and sweet-acid should be added. If powder without fresh paste has been used, the pounded almond and cocoanut must now be put in, with a little spice and grated green ginger. The curry gravy should at this period be tasted, and if a little more acid or sweet be found necessary, the proper correction should be made. As soon as the pieces of chicken have become tender, thoroughly stewed, that is to say, a coffeecupful of cocoanut " milk," (the infusion I previously mentioned), should be stirred in, and in three minutes the operation will be complete. If a semi-dry or dry curry be required, the gravy must be still further reduced by simmering with the lid off, the pieces of meat being continually stirred about with a wooden spoon to prevent their catching at the bottom of the pan. When the proper amount of absorption has been attained, remove the pan and serve. Now, those to whom the slipshod method of curry- making, ordinarily followed by native cooks, is familiar, will, perhaps, think, that the process I have recommended is needlessly tronblesome. The separate frying of the chicken, the period of rest in the hain-marie, ^x., may seem to them unnecessary. I am, however, perfectly confident that in order to produce a dish of a superior class, we must be prepared to take all this trouble, bringing an enlightened system of cookeiy to bear upon the condiments and ingredients which, so to speak, provide the curry flavour. 1 look ujwn a chicken curry as a fricasseey or blanquette à l'Ancienne, and consider that it should certainly be treated according to the principles of scientific cookery. The soaking of meat in the liquid curry-stuff is an important point, especially when previously cooked meat is to be curried. Remember how much better a salmis or a hash tastes if the meat of which it is composed has been marinaded for an hour or so, before being finally heated up, in the carefully-made gravy or sauce composed for it.

Culinary jottings