Curried Oysters
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the base
Open a hundred large sea oysters into a basin, keeping all their liquor.
Put a lump of fresh butter into a good-sized saucepan and bring to a boil.
Add a large onion cut into thin slices and fry until a rich brown color.
Add a bit more butter and two or three tablespoons of curry powder; mix over the fire with a wooden spoon.
Gradually add hot water or broth from the stock pot, cover, and let the mixture boil.
Grate or rasp finely the meat of a coconut and put it into the stewpan with a few sour tamarinds (or a chopped sour apple if tamarind is unavailable).
Simmer until the apple dissolves and the coconut is very tender.
Thicken and add the rest
Add a cupful of strong thickening made of flour and water, and sufficient salt; boil for five minutes.
Prepare a vegetable marrow or part of one, cut into bits, and boil until it requires little or no further cooking.
Add the marrow bits with one or two tomatoes (optional).
Add the oysters with their liquor and the milk of the coconut (if sweet); stir well with the previous ingredients.
Let the curry stew gently for a few minutes, then add the strained juice of half a lemon.
Stir the curry occasionally with a wooden spoon.
Serve
When the oysters are done, serve with rice.
Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)
Counts 2 of 3 ingredients. The other 1 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.
What these numbers assume: 2 portions
| Ingredient | Portion assumed | kcal |
|---|---|---|
| Flour | 1 cup (125g) all-purpose | 455 |
| Salt | 1 tsp (6g) | 0 |
| Liquor | not in our table | 0 |
One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures. See the original page.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Oysters (in the method)
- Provide the main protein and a briny flavor that the curry sauce carries.
- Curry powder
- Supplies the spiced aroma and color that define the dish.
- Flour
- Thickens the liquid into a stew-like sauce as it heats.
- Coconut (in the method)
- Adds richness and body to the sauce, softening as it simmers.
- Onion (in the method)
- Browning in butter builds a sweet, deep base for the curry.
The step that matters
Thicken with the flour mixture before adding the oysters. Flour needs to be boiled for several minutes to cook out its raw taste and to thicken fully. Adding the oysters only after this keeps them tender, since prolonged boiling toughens seafood.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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