Curried Oysters

Modern cookery for private families · Acton, Eliza · 1845
Source
Modern cookery for private families
Status
success · extracted 13 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (15)
Instructions (21)
  1. Open a hundred large sea-oysters into a basin, ensuring not to lose any of their liquor.
  2. Melt a lump of fresh butter in a large saucepan over heat.
  3. Add a large onion, cut into thin slices, to the butter and fry until richly browned.
  4. Add a bit more butter and two or three tablespoonsful of currie-powder.
  5. Mix these ingredients well over the fire with a wooden spoon.
  6. Gradually add either hot water or broth from the stock-pot.
  7. Cover the stewpan and bring the mixture to a boil.
  8. Meanwhile, grate or rasp fine the meat of a cocoa-nut.
  9. Add the grated cocoa-nut meat to the stewpan along with a few sour tamarinds (or a chopped sour apple if tamarinds are unavailable).
  10. Simmer the mixture over the fire until the apple is dissolved and the cocoa-nut is very tender.
  11. Add a cupful of strong thickening made of flour and water.
  12. Add sufficient salt (note: currie should not be salted at the table).
  13. Let this boil up for five minutes.
  14. Cut a vegetable marrow (or part of one) into bits and ensure it is sufficiently boiled to require little or no further cooking.
  15. Add the prepared vegetable marrow to the stewpan along with one or two tomatoes (either vegetable can be omitted).
  16. Add the oysters with their liquor and the cocoa-nut milk (if it is perfectly sweet) to the stewpan.
  17. Stir the oysters well with the other ingredients.
  18. Let the currie stew gently for a few minutes.
  19. Stir in the strained juice of half a lemon.
  20. Stir the currie from time to time with a wooden spoon.
  21. As soon as the oysters are cooked enough, serve it up with a corresponding dish of rice on the opposite side of the table.
Original Text
CURRIED OYSTERS. “Let a hundred of large sea-oysters be opened into a basin without losing one drop of their liquor. Put a lump of fresh butter into a good-sized saucepan, and when it boils, add a large onion, cut into thin slices, and let it fry in the uncovered stewpan until it is of a rich brown: now add a bit more butter, and two or three tablespoonsful of currie-powder. When these ingredients are well mixed over the fire with a wooden spoon, add gradually either hot water, or broth from the stock-pot; cover the stewpan, and let the whole boil up. Meanwhile, have ready the meat of a cocoa-nut, grated or rasped fine, put this into the stewpan with a few sour tamarinds (if they are to be obtained, if not, a sour apple, chopped). Let the whole simmer over the fire until the apple is dissolved, and the cocoa-nut very tender; then add a cupful of strong thickening made of flour and water, and sufficient salt, as a currie will not bear being salted at table. Let this boil up for five minutes. Have ready also, a vegetable marrow, or part of one, cut into bits, and sufficiently boiled to require little or no further cooking. Put this in with a tomata or two; either of these vegetables may be omitted. Now put into the stewpan the oysters with their liquor, and the milk of the cocoa-nut, if it be perfectly sweet; stir them well with the former ingredients; let the currie stew gently for a few minutes, then throw in the strained juice of half a lemon. Stir the currie from time to time with a wooden spoon, and as soon as the oysters are done enough serve it up with a corresponding dish of rice on the opposite side of the table. The dish is considered at Madras the ne plus ultra of Indian cookery.”[98] 98.  Native oysters, prepared as for sauce, may be curried by the receipt for eggs or sweetbreads, with the addition of their liquor. We have extracted this receipt, as it stands, from the Magazine of Domestic Economy, the season in which we have met with it not permitting us to have it tested. Such of our readers as may have partaken of the true Oriental preparation, will be able to judge of its correctness; and others may consider it worthy of a trial. We should suppose it necessary to beard the oysters.
Notes
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