Take a pair of fine fowls, and having cut them in pieces lay them in
salt and water till the seasoning is ready. Take two table-spoonfuls of
powdered ginger, one table-spoonful of fresh turmeric, a tea-spoonful
of ground black pepper; some mace, a few cloves, some cardamom seeds,
and a little cayenne pepper with a small portion of salt. These last
articles according to your taste. Put all into a mortar, and add
to them eight large onions, chopped or cut small. Mix and beat all
together, till the onions, spices, &c. form a paste.
Put the chickens into a pan with sufficient butter rolled in flour, and
fry them till they are brown, but not till quite done. While this is
proceeding, set over the fire a sauce-pan three parts full of water,
or sufficient to cover the chickens when they are ready. As soon as
the water boils, throw in the curry-paste. When the paste has all
dissolved, and is thoroughly mixed with the water, put in the pieces of
chicken to boil, or rather to simmer. When the chicken is quite done,
put it into a large dish, and eat it with boiled rice. The rice may
either be laid round on the same dish, or served up separately.
This is a genuine East India receipt for curry.
Lamb, veal, or rabbits may be curried in the same manner.
_To boil Rice for the Curry._
Pick the rice carefully, to clear it from husks and motes. Then soak
it in cold water for a quarter of an hour, or more. When you are ready
to boil it, pour off the water in which it has soaked. Have ready a
pot or sauce-pan of boiling water, into which you have put a little
salt. Allow two quarts of water to a pound of rice. Sprinkle the rice
gradually into the water. Boil it hard for twenty minutes, then take
it off the fire, and pour off all the water that remains. Set the pot
in the chimney corner with the lid off, while dinner is dishing, that
it may have time to dry. You may toss it up lightly with two forks, to
separate the grains while it is drying, but do not stir it with a spoon.