More on The Orient.

 The author of our source from yesterday (Domestic economy, and cookery, for rich and poor, by A Lady) was quite prolific on the topic of “The Orient”. She includes dishes from India, Turkey, Persia, Syria, Egypt, The Levant, and Africa as well as recipes from the Tartars, Russians, and Cossacks. We have had several recipes from the book previously, but it still has lots of delights in store.

 

There are in the book, nine different recipes for Curry Powder, and one for Cayenne Pepper. She also gives both Molukatanee (Mulligatawney) and Curry Soup, several recipes for Cubbubs (Kebabs), Indian Pillau and Cutcheree (Kedgeree), and the delighfully named Caldomuchocaldo (“hotveryhot”) which I promised to give you once before, and still have not done. I am not giving it today either, because I was waylaid and captivated by this idea of Curried Snow-balls.

Curried Snow-balls, Lemons, and Oranges.

Make curry farce* as above; acidulate it, according to the form it is to be made into, with a full quantity of lemon or orange-juice; make it into balls about the size and shape of a large egg or apple; fry them, and have ready rice cooked with top-pot and a little salt, and when the balls are cold, mould the rice nicely over them, and cover them with papers, that they may not take any colour, or colour the rice, or roll the balls in yolk of egg and a little saffron, and shape them as lemons, or add a little cochineal to the saffron, and shape them as oranges : they may sometimes be served up on parsley, or a clean curry sauce, such as molukatanee, or in a dish of rice, thickened vegetable curry sauce, or upon a napkin.

*The author describes this farce is in the previous recipe for Curry in Disguise. It is a masterpiece of kitchen recycling. The skin of a chicken after the flesh has been used for another dish, is retained. Scraps of any available ‘soup meat’ or tripe or ‘meats that would otherwise not be presentable’ are pounded together, ‘highly seasoned as a cream curry’, mixed with vegetables if wished, and put back into the chicken skin which is then roasted or stewed and ‘dished over a nice simple curry or sauce, and served with plain boiled rice.’

Quotation for the Day …

This curry was like a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony that I'd once heard … especially the last movement, with everything screaming and banging 'Joy.' It stunned, it made one fear great art. My father could say nothing after the meal.
Anthony Burgess