CEYLON PRAWN CURRY

Common-sense cookery for English hous... · Kenney-Herbert, A. R. (Arthur Robert), 1840-1916 · 1905
Source
Common-sense cookery for English households : with twenty menus worked out in detail
Status
success · extracted 5 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (29)
Instructions (31)
(a) Cucumber Preparation
  1. Take a good-sized cucumber, or two small ones, cut them lengthwise into quarters, remove the seeds, and peel off the green skin.
  2. Divide the quarters into pieces two inches long and one inch thick.
  3. Put them into a stew-pan with plenty of boiling water, half an ounce of butter, and a teaspoonful of salt.
  4. Blanch for three minutes and simmer them until three-parts done.
  5. Drain the liquid off, and turn the pieces of cucumber out upon a clean dish, and cover them up.
(b) Prawn Preparation
  1. Shell the prawns, removing their heads completely.
  2. Pass the point of a small knife down the line that runs down the centre of the back of each prawn, slightly open the groove, and pick out of it any black, gritty dirt that you may find there.
  3. Carry out a similar process with the inner line.
  4. Cast the cleaned prawns into a basin of spring water.
  5. Wash them again thoroughly, pick them out, and dry them on a cloth.
  6. Dust them over with flour, and put them on a dish.
(c) Cocoanut Preparation
  1. Choose a large cocoanut, extract the water from it, saving it in a cup.
  2. Break the nut in half, and, with a cocoanut scraper, remove the whole of the white flesh, rasping it into a bowl.
  3. Upon the raspings thus obtained pour a breakfast-cupful of boiling water, leave it for a quarter of an hour, and then strain the liquid off. This is the first infusion, which must be put away, and not added to the curry till the last thing before serving.
  4. Return the raspings to their bowl, and pour over them a pint of boiling water, stir well, and let the liquid stand for half an hour.
  5. Strain the liquid, and squeeze the nutty atoms dry in muslin, so that every drop of the cocoanut essence may be secured. This is the second infusion.
(d) Curry Base
  1. Put two ounces of fresh butter into a stew-pan, and mix into it, as it melts over a low fire, three ounces of shallots or onion, shred into rings, and a clove of garlic finely minced.
  2. Lightly fry, but do not allow the onions quite to turn colour before adding a dessertspoonful of rice-flour, a teaspoonful of turmeric powder, a teaspoonful of salt, and a scant one of sugar, a teaspoonful of mixed cloves and cinnamon powder, and, by degrees, the second infusion.
(e) Finishing the Curry
  1. Add a breakfast-cupful of strong fish broth (made by simmering half a pound of plain fish cuttings, the pounded prawn shells, and any scraps of fish in water, or milk and water, with an onion cut up, a sprig of parsley and seasoning).
  2. Add a good dessertspoonful of sliced green ginger, and the skin of three green chillies, from which all the pith and seeds have been picked out, cut into julienne-like strips.
  3. Remove the stew-pan from the fire, and place it in a bath of boiling water, to keep warm, while you add the prawns and the slices of partly cooked cucumber.
  4. Permit the curry—now all but ready—to rest for about half an hour.
  5. Place the pan over a moderate fire, and bring its contents to simmering point.
  6. Stir in the first or strongest infusion.
  7. Stir in a teaspoonful of lemon juice.
  8. Simmer for five minutes.
  9. Dish up, and serve.
Variations and Additional Cooking Times
  1. Fillets of any firm-fleshed fish, or even neat fillets of chicken, may be treated precisely in the manner described.
  2. For raw fillets (boiled prawns, crabs, lobsters, shrimps, &c.), a somewhat longer process of simmering (twenty-five minutes for chicken and ten or twelve for fish) will be necessary.
  3. The pieces of chicken should be lightly tossed in butter in a sauté-pan with a finely-shred onion, before being put into the curry sauce.
  4. Scallops may be cooked in the same manner.
Original Text
CEYLON PRAWN CURRY. (a) Take a good-sized cucumber, or two small ones, cut them lengthwise into quarters, remove the seeds, and peel off the green skin. Divide the quarters into pieces two inches long and one inch thick, and put them into a stew-pan with plenty of boiling water, half an ounce of butter, and a teaspoonful of salt. Blanch for three minutes and simmer them until three- parts done; then drain the liquid off, and turn the pieces of cucumber out upon a clean dish, and cover them up. (b) The prawns should be prepared very carefully; and here permit me to observe that if prawns are fresh, and properly cleaned, no evil effects need be dreaded by those who look upon them as dangerous. Shell them, removing their heads com- pletely. Next pass the point of a small knife down the line that runs down the centre of the back of each prawn, slightly open the groove, as it were, and pick out of it any black, gritty dirt that you may find there. Carry out a similar process with the inner line, and cast the cleaned prawns into a basin of spring water. Having washed them again thoroughly, pick them out, and dry them on a cloth. Dust them over with flour, and put them on a dish. They are now ready. (c) Choose a large cocoanut, extract the water from it, saving it in a cup: break the nut in half, and, with a cocoanut scraper, remove the whole of the white flesh, rasping it into a bowl. Upon the raspings thus obtained pour a breakfast-cupful of boiling water, leave it for a quarter of an hour, and then strain the liquid off. This is the best or first infusion, which must be put away, and not added to the curry till the last thing before serving. Return the raspings to their bowl, and pour over them a pint of boiling water, stir well, and let the liquid stand for half an hour. It should then be strained, and the nutty atoms squeezed dry in muslin, so that every drop of the cocoanut essence may be secured. The liquid thus obtained is the second infusion. Our preparations are now complete. (d) Put two ounces of fresh butter into a stew-pan, and mix into it, as it melts over a low fire, three ounces of shallots or onion, shred into rings, and a clove of garlic finely minced. Lightly fry, but do not allow the onions quite to turn colour before adding a dessertspoonful of rice-flour, a teaspoonful of turmeric powder, a teaspoonful of salt, and a scant one of sugar, a teaspoonful of mixed cloves and cinnamon powder, and, by degrees, the second infusion. (e) A breakfast-cupful of strong fish broth, made by simmering half a pound of plain fish cuttings, the pounded prawn shells, and any scraps of fish in water, or milk and water, with an onion cut up, a sprig of parsley and seasoning, should now go in to assist the composition, together with a good dessertspoonful of sliced green ginger, and the skin of three green chillies, from which all the pith and seeds have been picked out, cut into julienne-like strips. The liquid is now ready for the prawns, so remove the stew-pan from the fire, and place it in a bath of boiling water, to keep warm, while you add the prawns and the slices of partly cooked cucumber. It will be found an excellent plan, as in the previous cases, to permit the curry—now all but ready—to rest for about half an hour, at the expiration of which the pan may be placed over a moderate fire, and its contents brought to simmering point. When this takes place no further cooking is necessary, the first or strongest infusion may be stirred in, and with it a teaspoonful of lemon juice. Five minutes' simmering will now complete our task, and the curry can be dished up, and served. Fillets of any firm-fleshed fish, or even neat fillets of chicken, may be treated precisely in the manner I have described. As, however, it is customary to use boiled prawns, crabs, lobsters, shrimps, &c., a somewhat longer process of simmering (twenty- five minutes for chicken and ten or twelve for fish) will be necessary for raw fillets. The pieces of chicken should be lightly tossed in butter in a sauté-pan with a finely-shred onion, before being put into the curry sauce. Scallops may be cooked in the
Notes
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