Hard boil six eggs, and put in cold water till wanted. Now place a stew-pan on fire, and add half teaspoon of saffron powder (yellow); half-pint of milk; one large onion, sliced; one tablespoon finely chopped ham or corned beef; one green capsicum, cut in quarters; one potato, mashed up (the potato left from last meal will do). Now simmer this for quarter of an hour; don't let it burn. When serving, take eggs out of the shell; cut in halves; place the eggs on a vegetable dish (the cut part up). Now add a tablespoon of cream, and a few drops of lemon juice; salt to taste, and pour over the eggs, and send to table with a brown Curry to accompany the rice (boiled). Samball and fried herring may be sent with these above Curries and rice. Poppadoms[7] and Bombay ducks will be a good accompaniment if could be procured.
[No. 22.]—EGG CURRY (Brown).
Boil the eggs same as No. 21, and put in cold water till wanted. Now prepare Curry sauce (brown) as No. 26, pour over the eggs cut in halves, as egg Curry (yellow). Egg Curries always called in Ceylon “a rest-house Curry,” because in several rest-houses in Ceylon usually not many visitors pass that way, beside these rest-house keepers cannot get fresh beef, etc. They always have plenty of eggs, fowls, native vegetables, etc., but egg Curry only can be made quick. When a gentleman is going from one planting district to another, a box cooly or a horse-keeper (groom) runs in front to a certain place, by order of his master. When he gets into the rest-house, the rest-house keeper knows that a gentleman is coming. At once he will order to kill a chicken and grill it in Scotch form? and boil two eggs; when this is doing the kitchen mate[8] will squeeze half of a cocoanut, with little water mix some saffron, salt green chillie, Maldive fish, etc., now he boils this for five minutes. There is the breakfast ready! The bill of fare may be thus:—Grilled chicken; boiled pumpkin or beans, sometimes potatoes; boiled rice; egg Curry; samball; tea, coffee, or beer, etc. The dinner might be similar to above with addition of soup. Sometimes the Curries are made from native vegetables, as there is plenty of nice and wholesome vegetables in Ceylon (I mean) besides the English vegetables. The rest-houses are in place of refreshment rooms and eating-houses are in England.
[No. 23.]—EGG CURRY (Omelet).
Make a savoury omelet with chopped ham, parsley, etc. When done, cut in one-inch squares, and pour over the Curry sauce, brown or yellow, as Nos. 21 and 22.
N.B.—The omelet should only be made just before serving, as it will get tough, etc. The Curry sauce may be made beforehand.