PELLOW OR POOLOO

Pellows are purely Hindoostanee dishes. There are several kinds of pellow, but some of them are so entirely of an Asiatic character and taste that no European will ever be persuaded to partake of them. It is therefore considered useless to offer instructions how to prepare such as the ukhnee pellow, in which are introduced cream, milk, butter-milk, garlic, and lime-juice; or the sweet pellow, in which almonds and raisins are introduced, in addition to sugar, &c.

The following are the pellows in general use:—

12.—Chicken Pellow

Take a good-sized chicken; clean, truss, and boil it with one pound of beef in two cupfuls of clean water, seasoning it with onions, ginger, and salt. When sufficiently cooked, but yet quite firm, remove the chicken, and set it and the gravy aside. Cut up twelve onions lengthways into fine slices. Warm your pot; then melt in it two chittacks or four ounces of ghee, and, as it bubbles, throw in the sliced onions and fry to a light brown; remove and set aside. Then put in half a pound, or a coonkee, or the best bassmuttee or cheeneesuckur, having drained away all the water in which it was washed, and fry. On the rice absorbing the ghee, throw in a few cloves, four or five cardamoms, half a dozen small sticks of cinnamon, some peppercorns, a blade or two of mace, and one dessertspoonful of salt. Mix up the whole, and pour over it the gravy in which the chicken and beef were boiled, or as much of it only as will entirely cover the rice; close the pot immediately with a close-fitting cover, and set on a slow fire. As the gravy continues to decrease or to be absorbed, so keep reducing the fire, shaking up the pot occasionally, or stirring its contents, to prevent the pellow from burning. Brown the boiled chicken in a pan with ghee or butter, and serve up as follows:—

Place the chicken, either whole or cut up, on the centre of a dish, covering it with the pellow; strew over it the fried onions, garnishing it besides with two hard-boiled eggs, cut into halves, or in some device, and with half a dozen bits of finely-sliced and fried bacon, to suit the taste of those who like the latter.

13.—Beef, Mutton, or Kid Pellow

Take two pounds of beef, and cut up as for a curry, or take a small but good leg of mutton, or two legs of a kid, rejecting the loin.

Make a good, strong gravy with seasoning of sliced onions, ginger, and salt, with water, which when cooked down will be reduced to about sufficient only to cover the rice. Then proceed to make the pellow in all respects as directed in the foregoing recipe. The beef is not further used for the table, but treat the legs of the kid, or the mutton, the same as the chicken, and serve up with fried onions, hard-boiled eggs, and fried bacon, like the chicken pellow.

14.—Prawn Pellow

Instead of a chicken, provide yourself with eight or ten good-sized “bagda prawns,” and a good hard cocoanut. After frying and setting aside the sliced onions, as directed above, the rice is to be fried, but, instead of using chicken or any other meat broth, cook it in the milk of the cocoanut (vide recipe No. 54), observing in all particulars the instructions given for the chicken pellow, recipe No. 12, and serve up as follows:—Dish up the pellow, strew over it the fried onions, and garnish with the prawns finely boiled, and two hard-boiled eggs cut in halves or in some other device.

The cocoanut milk will impart a sweetish flavour to the pellow, but it is not disagreeable; and its sweetness may be subdued, if required, by reducing the strength of the cocoanut milk.

15.—Lobster or Fish Pellow

Take out the centre bones or one or two hilsa or beckty fishes, which are procurable fresh and good in the market, and eight or ten large long-legged lobsters with the roe or coral; thoroughly wash in several waters with salt, and boil with plenty of seasoning of onions, sliced ginger, peppercorns, a dozen bay-leaves, a tablespoonful of unroasted dhuniah or coriander seed, and salt, with water sufficient to give the required quantity of gravy. When ready, remove and shell the lobsters, reserving the roe or red coral in the heads, which bruise down with a little unroasted coriander seed, and mix with the fish gravy. Make the pellow in all other respects the same as prawn pellow, using the gravy of the fish instead of cocoanut or other gravy, and garnish with the lobsters, &c.