Rice (east Indian Method) Recipe

Instructions

1. Wash 1/2 a pound of Patna rice in 2 or 3 waters.
2. Drain it, and throw it into plenty of cold water, bring it slowly to the boil, keeping the saucepan uncovered, and let it boil gently until the grains are tender when pressed between the thumb and finger, but are still quite distinct from one another.
3. The rice will need to boil about 1/4 of an hour.
4. Drain and dry it on a sieve before the fire.
5. Take 2 pounds of undressed meat of any kind, or of rabbit, chicken, or fish, and cut this up into neat pieces convenient for serving.
6. Slice 2 large onions, and fry them in butter till they are lightly browned without being at all burnt.
7. Take them up, and fry the meat in the same fat, moving it about to keep it from burning.
8. Mix 1 dessertspoonful of curry paste, 1 dessertspoonful of curry powder, and 1 teaspoon of ground rice very smoothly with 1 cup of milk.
9. Pour this over the meat, and add 1/2 a pint of good stock made from bones, the fried onions, a little salt, and 1 clove of garlic, if this is liked, but the curry will be more generally acceptable if the garlic is omitted.
10. Stir the sauce till it boils, and simmer all gently together till the meat is tender.
11. The time required will vary with the nature of the meat.
12. Put the pieces of meat on a dish.
13. Lift out the pieces of onion, and stir into the curry the juice of 1/2 a lemon.
14. Pour the sauce over the meat, and serve.
15. Send the rice to table on a separate dish.
16. It should be arranged that the curry and the rice shall be done enough at the same time.
17. Time, altogether, about two hours.
18. Sufficient for six or eight persons.