CHAPTER XXIX.
CURRIES.
CURRIES have gradually worked their way into English
kitchens, and are nowadays much more in request than
they formerly used to be. Nevertheless, the majority of our
cooks have something yet to learn before they can consider
themselves adepts at this branch of their work. Setting aside
mistakes which can be traced to erroneous instruction, there is
unfortunately a too common tendency to look upon a curry as
a means whereby the insipidity of cold meat two or three days
old can be cloaked. This is unfair and misleading, for while it
must be allowed that very fair curries can be made out of
cooked meat, as I presently hope to show, there can be no
disguising the fact that if we desire to produce the Indian dish
at its best it must be made of fresh materials.
The proper process is not by any means one that can be
scamped or performed in a hurry. It takes time, patience, and
considerable attention. Not that the actual cooking of a curry
presents any special difficulty—a cook who can stew well and
has mastered the art of very slow simmering will easily manage
that part of the task—the knotty points are the various acces-
sories, and the order and method in which they should be
introduced. A good curry powder or paste is of course an
important factor in the case, but it is only a part of a rather
elaborate combination.