Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/1328

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Ingredients.—1 quart of good vinegar, 4 ozs. of shallots.

Method.—Remove the skins, chop the shallots finely, and put them into a wide-necked bottle. Pour in the vinegar, cork securely, and put the bottle aside for 10 days, during which time it must be shaken at least once a day. At the end of this time strain the vinegar through fine muslin, put it into small bottles, cork closely, and store for use.

This sauce is usually bought ready prepared. It is imported from China and Japan, where it is made from a small bean, the produce of Dolichos Soja. Japanese soy is usually preferred to that of China, because it is free from the sweet treacly flavour which distinguishes the latter. When well made it has a good brown colour, thick consistence, and is clear.

Ingredients.—An equal weight of beans, coarse barley meal, and salt.

Method.—Wash the beans well, boil them in water until tender, and pound them in a mortar, adding the barley meal gradually. Put the mass into an earthenware bowl, cover with a cloth, and let it stand in a warm place for several days, until it is sufficiently fermented, but not mouldy. To each lb. of salt add 4 pints of water, stir until the salt is dissolved, then stir it into the fermented mass. Keep the bowl or pan closely covered for 3 months, during which time it must be daily stirred for at least 1 hour. At the end of this time strain through fine cloths, pressing the insoluble portion well, in order to extract as much of the moisture as possible. Let it stand again until quite clear, then drain off, and bottle for use.

In making Chinese soy, the liquid extracted is boiled and re-boiled with a varying amount of sugar, mace, ginger and pepper, until it acquires the desired consistency.

Ingredients.—Tarragon, vinegar.

Method.—Tarragon leaves intended for this purpose should be gathered on a dry day about the end of July, just before the plant begins to bloom. Remove the stalks, bruise the leaves slightly, put them into a wide-necked bottle, and cover them with vinegar. Cover closely so as to completely exclude the air, and let the bottle stand in a cool, dry place for 7 or 8 weeks. Now strain the liquid through fine muslin until it is quite clear, put it into small bottles, cork tightly, and store them in a cool, dry place.