Shrimp Chatney

Ingredients

• 1 quart fresh shrimps
• 2–3 spoonsful salad oil
• young green chilies
• young onions
• salt
• vinegar or strained lemon juice
• ½–1 or more saltspoonful powdered ginger

Instructions

1. Shell the shrimps with care.
2. Mince them quickly upon a dish with a large sharp knife.
3. Turn them into a mortar and pound them to a perfectly smooth paste.
4. Mix with the shrimp paste the salad oil of the best quality, adding it very gradually.
5. Add the young green chilies chopped small (or cayenne pepper as a substitute), young onions finely minced, and a little salt if required.
6. Add as much vinegar or strained lemon juice as will render the sauce pleasantly acid, ensuring the oil proportion is about double the vinegar.
7. Add half a saltspoonful or more of powdered ginger if desired.
8. Separate the chilies and other additions well with a fork as they are added.
9. Ensure the finished chatney is quite thick, almost of the consistence of mashed turnips, stewed tomatoes, or stiff bread sauce.