A MIXED BAG FROM THE DAISY CHAIN

New Zealand Listener, Volume 25, Issue 634, 24 August 1951, Page 22

A MIXED BAG FROM THE DAISY CHAIN

O many and so varied are the recipes sent in lately by Links in the Daisy Chain who have discovered ways of ignoring the recent shortages of sugar, eggs, flour and fuel, that my mailbag is bursting its seams. I must therefore make these our feature column this week. : ‘Mock Malt Bread The sender says: "This is a great sugar saver. We used to make it a lot in England during the war, and found it good and wholesome. I may add that I am handicapped where sugarsaving is concerned, as my family do not like honey." MHalf-pound self-raising flour (or ¥2 Ib. flour and 1 heaped teaspoon baking powder, not phosphate), pinch salt, 4% teaspoon baking powder, 1 egg, 2 or 3 oz. sultanas. Mix dry ingredients. Gently warm the following: 1 tablespoon golden syrup, 1 tablespoon extract of malt (as bought at the chemist), rather less than 42 cup milk. When the syrup, malt and milk are warmed, add 1% teaspoon bicarbonate of soda. Mix into dry ingredients and finally add the well-beaten egg. It sHiould be a fairly wet dough; if it isn’t, add a little warm water. Pour ‘into loaf tin and bake gently about an hour. Leave 24 hours hefore cutting. Slice and butter. The original recipe was made with dried egg and the amount of milk was 42 cup, therefore, rather less than 42 cup milk should be used with a shell egg. A dessertspoon of custard powder could be substituted for the egg, mixed in with the dry ingredients. Pan-fried Rice This uses soy sauce, which can be cbteained from Chinese merchants in Auckland and probably in other centres -a beautiful sauce with a flavour all its own, which may be used with grills, braised steak, and so an. Soya bean ogi! is generally available, too, «et health shaps. Ingredients: One cup rice, 3 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon curry powder, about 12 teaspoon sugar, 1 onion, 2 rashers bacon, 1 teaspoon genuine Chinese soy sauce. Boit rice until well cooked and all water absorbed. Seperate and make very sure it is not glutinous or sticky. Fry the beaten eggs in soya bean oil. Have the oil boiling in frying pan end just pour them in. When cooked on one side, turn and cook other side. Do not brown. It is like a large pancacke. Take up and place on chopping board in one piece. Cut into thin strips to be added to the pan-fried rice when ready to serve. Fry next the onion cut small, and the bacon cut into small pieces. and the curry; these are fried in oil after the eggs have been removed. Add to them the cooked dried rice, and fry. Add the soy sauce. Add the thin strips of fried egg and serve hot. Simpler Fried Rice Boil sufficient rice till cooked. It may be steamed to finish off so that the grains are dry and separate, or washed thoroughly with cold or hot water to remove all stickiness, and then heated in oven, or over steam, stirring, but the

grains must be separate. Now fry chopped onion, in butter preferably, otherwise in bacon-fat or any good cook-ing-oil. Fry also some chopped bacon and a little of almost anything else you like that is flavoursome (say a clove of garlic, or some shrimps), and then put in the dried rice and fry all togetherjust faintly brown--with a dash of peppet, or cayenne, and curry. It may be served with a fried egg on top for each person; and is very nice with stuffed peppers. Fruit and Nut Loaf One heaped cup each of wholemeal and flour, 1 large cup dates or raisins cut in half and soaked in boiling water with 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, 2 tablespsons butter, golden syrupy honey nn re ne er ris re

(melted together), 42 cup-milk, 2 eggs, vanilla essence and pinch of salt, 42 cup chopped nuts if liked. Put all dry ingredients into basin, add dates or raisins, eggs, essence, milk, and melted butter, golden syrup and honey. Mix well, pour into loaf tin and bake in moderate oven 3% to 1 hour. Christchurch Steamed Pudding Two ounces butter, 2 eggs, 2 oz, sugar (er use honey and golden syrup), 1 heaped cup flour, 2 tablespoons raspberry jam, pinch salt, 1 small teaspoon baking soda dissolved in a little boiling water; add a little milk, vanilla essence. Cream butter and sugar (or honey, etc.), add .the eggs, beat well, stir in remaining ingredients, adding raspberry jam last. Mix well. Steam 2 hours. Shredded suet may be added instead of butter if ‘liked, in which case put all dry ingredients into basin and mix well, adding beaten eggs, milk and soda, lastly jam, and stir well. Steamed. Sago Pudding The recipe says to soak sago overnight, but it is not necessary if given a good wash with very hot water. Three tablespoons sago (well washed and soaked in a cup of milk until ready); add to this % cup flour, 1 cup breadcrumbs, 4 cup sugar (or half honey and golden syrup), 1 egg, 1 cup mixed fruit, or any fruit liked, a little peel, 1 teaspoon baking soda, any essence liked, 2 tablespoons melted butter (if not moist enough, the soda may be dissolved in boiling water). Steam 214 hours. It is really a nice pudding made with shredded suet, and better than ever with honey and golden syrup.