Banquets of the nations

to brown pour in a small quantity of hot second white stock, and so on until the rice is nearly cooked. Put about two tablespoonfuls of powdered biscuit over the rice, and the pistachios, and two tablespoonfuls of wellwashed currants ; add a tablespoonful of pounded bacon which has been fried till quite brown and brittle, and season with soy and mixed spices. Stir the mixture till all the ingredients are well incorporated, then take the pan from the fire, and leave it till the contents are nearly cold. Drain the egg plant fruit, stuff them with the mixture, replace their tops, only upside down. Lay some mutton bones at the bottom of a saucepan, put in the egg plant fruit, pour in sufficient water to cover them, and boil gently till getting soft, then drain, put them in a frying pan with lard, and fry till browned ; drain the fat and serve. Chia hsien kao (Bean Curd Dumplings.) Beat three eggs in a large bowl for about five minutes, and then stir into them one breakfastcupful of sugar, one teaspoonful of salt, half a pint of bean curd, and one-third of a grated nutmeg, two breakfastcupfuls of haricot beans which have been soaked till quite soft, and passed through a sieve, and one teaspoonful each of cream of tartar and carbonate of ammonia, and stir the mixture quickly into the ingredients already mixed in the bowl. Just sufficient ground beans to make a dough only is required. If more than two breakfastcupfuls are needed, stir it into the dough, but remember to make it ioo CHINA (North-West) only stiff enough to roll out. Handle the dough very quickly and lightly and as little as possible. As soon as it is mixed turn it from the bowl on to a floured paste board and make it into balls about the size of a walnut. Set them in a warm place to rise again, but not too much or they will be spongy and absorb the fat. Have ready a frying kettle half full of smoking hot fat, put into it as many balls as will float without pressing against each other, and fry a light brown; then take them out of the fat with a skimmer, and lay on a sieve or paper to drain. When all are fried roll them in powdered sugar, and serve either hot or cold. [illustration: Bean Curd.] Wash some haricot beans and steep over night. Grind them quite fine and boil for two hours in the water in which they were soaked. Strain through a fine sieve and add a small quantity of gypsum. When the liquid has set, work up the same as you would do sour milk. If to be kept, add salt. Yu Sai. (Fish Gills and Stomachs). Take a slice of ham, pour boiling water over it, and let it soak for half an hour, then cut it up small and put it over the fire in a saucepan with the strained liquor of three pints of good fish stock made from the gills and bellies of white fish; when the latter are cooked put them in a separate pan; add to the fish stock one pint of good strong chicken broth, an onion chopped fine, a small