Unfortunately the depot is largely patronized by London grocers, who, over-wise in their generation, use the condiments they purchase as mere stock wherewith to flavour some miserable concoction of their own manufacture. Two parts of arrowroot coloured with saffron, and one part of Barrie, for instance, is a mixture that can hardly with justice be called "genuine Madras curry-powder," notwithstanding its being bottled in a very pretty bottle, and priced two and six.

I detected the presence of Barrie's excellent mulliga-tunny paste at several places at home, especially at Mutton's at Brighton, where a basin of the potage Indien for lunch on a frosty day used to be a thing worth recording in a pilgrim's diary with red letters.

Assuming that we have procured, or made, a really good stock powder, the accessories next present themselves for our consideration. These are very important, for, with their aid, a clever cook can diversify the flavour, and style of his curries; without them - be the powder or paste never so well composed - the dish will certainly lack finish, and the true characteristics of a good curry.

Prominently among them stands the medium to be used for the frying of the onions, with which the process commences. This most assuredly should be butter. The quantity required is not very great, and surely it may be assumed that people who want to have a good curry will not ruin it for the sake of a "two ounce pat of Dosset!" for be it noted, that tinned butter of a good brand is admirably adapted for this work.

Among other adjuncts that may be written down as indispensable are the ingredients needed to produce that suspicion of sweet-acid which it will be remembered, forms a salient feature of a superior curry. The natives of the south use a rough tamarind conserve worked, sometimes, with a very little jaggery or molasses, and a careful preparation of tamarind is decidedly valuable. Why, however, should we not improve upon this with red currant jelly and if further sharpness be needed, a little lime or lemon juice ? In England, and I daresay in India also, chopped apple is sometimes used, and perhaps chopped mango, in the fool-days of the fruit, would be nice. A spoonful of sweetish chutney and a little vinegar or lime juice can be employed, but I confess that I prefer the red currant jelly as aforesaid.

There are also certain green leaves which are undoubt-edly not to be despised as flavouring agents. By their means flavours can be effectively changed. I will speak of them again when discussing the process of curry-making step by step.

Then there is that most important item the cocoanut. This, everyone knows, is added to a curry in the form of "milk," i.e., an infusion produced by scraping the white nutty pari of the cocoanut. and soaking the scrapings in boiling water. This, strained, is the "milk" required in curry-making. The quantity to be used depends upon the nature of the curry. Malay curries, for instance, require a great deal of "milk." The point in connection with this adjunct, however, that must not be missed, is the period at which it should be added. If put in too soon, the value of the nutty juice will be lost, - cooked away, and overpowered by the spicy condiments with which it is associated. So we must reserve the "milk," as we do cream or the yolk of an egg in the case of a thick soup or rich sauce, and stir it into our curry the last thing just before serving.

The strained milk extracted from pounded sweet almonds can be put into a curry very advantageously : it may be used alone, or be associated with cocoanut milk. One ounce of the latter, to twelve almonds, will be found a pleasant proportion. When cocoanuts cannot be got, almond milk makes a capital substitute.

Curries cannot afford to dispense with the assistance of some stock or gravy. It is not uncommon to hear people say that they have eaten far better curries in England than in India, the chief reason being that Mary Jane will not undertake to make the disk without at least a break-fast-cupful and a half of good stock.

Let us now consider attentively the actual details of curry-making, and since we cannot proceed to work without a good powder or paste, we can hardly do better than commence operations by studying the recipe for a household curry-stuff, concerning which I have already spoken. If faithfully followed, it will, I am sure, be found most trustworthy. It runs as follows :-

4 lbs. of turmeric ... ... Hind, huldi.

8 lbs. of coriander-seed ... ,, dhunnia.

2 lbs. of cummin-seed ... ,, jeera.

1 lb. of poppy-seed... ... ,, khush-khush.

2 lbs. of fenugreek ... ... ,, maythi.

1 lb.. of dry-ginger... ... „ sont.

1/2 lb. of mustard-seed ... ,,. rai.

1 lb. of dried chillies ... ,, sooka mirrch.

1 lb. of black pepper corns. ,, kala mirrch.

Do not be alarmed at the quantity, remembering my previous statement that curry-powder improves by keeping, if carefully secured. The amount when finally mixed will fill about half a dozen bottles of the size in which tart fruits are imported. Accordingly, if disinclined to lay in so large a stock at a time, the obvious alternative of sharing some of it with a friend can easily be adopted.

The lady who gave me the receipt accompanied her kind action with a little good advice:- "Weigh everything," said she, "most carefully, and even after the various ingredients have been cleaned, weigh them again, and also weigh the husks, etc., that have been removed. In this way alone will you be able to guard against the disappearance of half an ounce of this, or an ounce of that, - petty pilferings that take from the curry-powder that which it cannot get again, and leave it poor indeed."

Inasmuch, therefore, as short weight can be more easily detected in fairly large than in small quantities, an additional reason presents itself for making up the entire recipe.