Banquets of the nations

Wash three cupfuls of rice and plunge into boiling water, and boil fiercely for twenty minutes till rice cooked but firm. Drain off the water very thoroughly and put back into the pot with a good piece of butter, first rubbing the pot with butter before returning the rice. Place in the oven or at the side of the fire to dry. Turn over the rice occasionally very lightly, so that each grain may be separate. Kaurmah-i-Ahu. (Stewed Venison.) Cut two pounds of vension into small pieces and fry in half a pound of butter in which you have first fried a couple of minced onions. Place the whole into a pan with six stoned peaches, a cupful of raisins, twelve sweet prunes (stoned), a cupful of pine cone seeds, a teaspoonful each of ground cinnamon, green ginger, sugar, two sliced green chillies, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix all well together, and pour in three cupfuls of sour milk and one of melted butter, and stew very slowly for at least four hours. Serve with buttered beetroots and brown bread. Buttered Beetroots. Wash two pounds of beetroots very carefully, taking care not to break the skin, or they will bleed. Boil in salted water with some corriander leaves and a couple of bay leaves and a teaspoonful of whole peppers. When tender, take them out of the water and skin very carefully. Cut them into nice pieces, heat a pound of butter, and put them into it, and stew for half an hour. When for European cookery, cut them into thin slices, place in a jar and pour boiling spiced vinegar over, and in a couple of days you have pickled beetroot. Pillau-i-Habate. (Pillau of Vegetables.) Boil any kind of vegetables in season, such as potatoes, artichokes, cauliflower, cucumbers, carrots, pumpkins, and vegetable marrows. Strain the vegetables and put to one side. AFGHANISTAN Melt, say, three ounces of butter, and, when boiling, fry two onions sliced very fine, and when brown, but not charred, make the following into a paste, and fry in the butter, viz. : — A teaspoonful each of mustard seeds, turmeric, and chillies, a quarter of a teaspoonful of garlic, and three corriander leaves. When smoothly made into a paste and fried, put in a cupful of milk curd, 6 ounces of butter, and when all is amalgamated pour the whole over the vegetables, which you have first put into another pan. Mix thoroughly, and simmer for twenty minutes. Dish up and surround with rice. Kaurmah-i-gusht-i-Gusfand. (Curried Mutton.) Fry a couple of minced onions in butter. Cut up two pounds of mutton into small pieces and fry in the butter. Place the whole in a stewpan with a teaspoonful each of ground corriander, cummin, cardamoms, green ginger, a point of garlic, and two large red chillies sliced, a dozen stoned sour plums, a handful of raisins, and half a teaspoonful of salt. Stew very slowly for four hours, and eat with new bread, boiled rice, and buttered parsnips. Buttered Parsnips. Thoroughly clean the roots and cut into pieces of about two inches long and half-an-inch thick, boil in salted water, and, when tender, drain and put them into another pot with plenty of butter and stew for half an hour. For European cookery they must be mashed and beaten up with a good bit of butter and some cream. Season with pepper and salt to taste. Kaurmah-i-Chuchai Murgh. (Stewed Chicken.)