Mulligatawny Soup

 

 Serves 8 to 10. 

I am delighted to see that this recipe has an earlier origin in my family, long before Mom and Dad met Shani in NYC. Shani went on to give me his favorite Mulligatawny Soup recipe, found here: Shani's Mulligatawny. Let's see how this one compares!

Ingredients

3 quarts water

3 onions, finely cut

1 Tablespoons flour

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1/2 pound sliced mushrooms

1/2 cup cream

4 or 5 pounds chicken, cut in pieces

1 pod garlic, minced

4 Tablespoons butter

3 stalks celery, sliced

1 Tablespoon curry powder

2 Tablespoons parsley

salt and pepper to taste

Process

"Place chicken in soup kettle, add water, salt, pepper, onions, garlic, celery and carrots and cook until tender, about two hours. Melt fat in skillet and mushrooms and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Add mushrooms to the soup. Brown flour in the fat in which the mushrooms were cooked and add 1 cup soup stock to make a smooth sauce. Pour into soup and continue cooking until the chicken falls off the bones (about 1 hour). Remove bones and skin from soup (maybe this isn't a recipe for me) and skim off excess grease. Dissolve cury powder in a few Tablespoons of soup and allow to simmer for 1 minute before adding cream. When soup is ready to remove from the stove, stir in parsley. When plated st the table, add a heaping Tablespoon of cooked rice. "

Mulligatawny soup

 This recipe was my beloved Shani's favorite version of this Indian classic. Serves 4 to 6 people.

Ingredients

1 cup red split lentils, picked washed and drained

7 cups chicken stock

3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 medium potato

7 cloves garlic, peeled

2" cube fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 

1.5 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

freshly ground black pepper

3 Tablespoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

Process

1. Combine the lentils, chicken stock, and turmeric in a heavy, medium sized pot and bring to a boil. 

2. Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, turn heat to low, and simmer gently for 30 minutes. 

3. While the soup simmers, peel the potato and cut it into 1/2 inch dice. 

4. When the soup has cooked for 1/2 hour, add the cut potato and cover slightly ajar again, and continue simmering for another 30 minutes. 

5. During the second simmer, put the garlic and ginger into a blender, adding 5 Tablespoons water and blend until smooth. 

6. Once the soup base has finished simmering, add the contents of the blender to the soup and the spices and then blend using an immersion blender. 

7. Add the lemon juice and adjust seasonings according to taste. 

 

 

Serve as a first course to any Indian meal or enjoy this hearty soup any other time!

Shani's Mulligatawny

I will type this recipe out later, but for now, here's a picture of Shani's recipe. I hope you can see it!