Housekeeping in the Tropics

Conducted by “Dorothea ”

It Happened One Day

(With Acknowledgments to “Tiaki,”

Tulagi, Solomon Islands) ONE morning before leaving home in the cutter, I told “cookie” to kill a fowl ready for to-morrow’s dinner, but not to kill it before sundown. I arrived home a few hours earlier than I expected and was surprised to see a fowl already plucked hanging by its legs from a beam in the kitchen.

I called the boy and asked why he had killed it before sundown. He grabbed it off the hook, saying, “Me no kill ’im yet, master,” and prodding, “Look, him ’e live yet.” To my horror the fowl flapped its wings.

He had plucked it without killing it.

Tropical Fare

HAVING lived in the East for a year, I learned while there to make the real “Pucca” curry, writes “Tabian.” of Ocean Island. Living in the South Seas now, and not being able to get the proper fresh curry powders, I have worked out from experience the nearest thing with tinned curry powder.

Ingredients; . ' . , Hb. mutton (cut into small pieces), four peeled onions, half a lime.

One heaped tablespoon tinned curry powder.

Two cloves of garlic (chopped up).

One small teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

One dessertspoon of butter, pinch of salt.

Six old coconuts containing milk.

First prepare the coconut milk, by husking the nuts, split open, and pour the liquid into a basin- Next have a native servant scrape the nuts on a proper scraper into a large dish. Into this pour the coconut liquid and three large breakfast cups of cold water. Mix all well together and squeeze through a potato squeezer or a few folds ot butter muslin. When all the grated coconut has been used, strain the milk through a coffee strainer into another large basin. .

Now place the butter in a saucepan, bring to the boil. Drop in cut-up onions and cook for a few minutes. Stir often and do not let brown. Add. cut-up mutton and cook for a few minutes more- To this add curry powder, garlic, cayenne, salt, and juice of half a lime. Stir well together and heat over fire. Add a cup of coconut milk and stir well, then pour in remainder of the milk and bring to the boil for a few minutes. .

Place a little to the side of stove and simmer gently for four hours (without lid) stirring now and again so that it does not catch. When the curry has become very thick and the meat is tender, serve with hot rice on hot dishes.

Banana Pudding

As bananas are so plentiful in the Islands, I am sending along a recipe for a pudding in which this fruit is the main ingredient, says Bititamboa, of Tulagi, Solomon Is.

One cup flour, one tablespoon sugar.

One tablespoon butter, four ripe bananas.

One teaspoon cream of tartar.

Half-teaspoon of carb. soda.

Rub butter into flour sifted with cream of tartar and soda. Add sugar and bananas well mashed.

Steam for two hours. Serve with coconut sauce, made from milk extracted from grated coconut- Add a little sugar and thicken with corn flour or custard powder. Or if preferred, serve with custard or cream.