Thursday, August 18, 2011

Mulligatawny



From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Mulligatawny is an English version of an Indian soup that is usually made with curry and a small amount of chicken. The name literally means "pepper water". Although Bob and I had many soups while we were in India, we were never served this one, and, to my great embarrassment, I had never made it. Several weeks ago, I was introduced to the cooking of Madhur Jaffrey and her recipe for the soup caught my attention. I promised myself to try it once the activity in my kitchen moved from mazurka to waltz time and that opportunity presented itself last night. I was so excited about the results that I almost bumped my scheduled post. I stopped only because I wanted to see how this soup aged. I had it again for lunch today and I'm really happy to report my socks are still going up and down. This recipe is a treasure, especially for those who like food with a little bite. The predominant flavors here are garlic and ginger but they are perfectly balanced and neither will overwhelm the palate. I know the recipe looks involved but better than half the ingredients are spices and the soup is really easy to make. I have made very few changes to the original version. I did find the soup to be very thin, so I doubled the amount of potatoes used to thicken it and I used chicken thighs rather than the breast called for in the original recipe. I served the soup with rice for those who wanted something a bit more substantial. I really hope you will try this. I found it to be extraordinary and it will appear often on my table. Here's the recipe.

Mulligatawny...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Madhur Jaffrey

Ingredients:
12 ounces red split lentils
2 quarts chicken stock
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 or 2 medium russet potatoes (8 to 16 ounces)
10 cloves garlic, peeled
3 inch piece of ginger, peeled and coarsely grated
9 tablespoons water + 2 cups
14 ounces chicken breast or thigh, boned and skinned
2-1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions:
1) Combine lentils, chicken stock and tumeric in stock pot or large saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, leaving lid slightly ajar, turn heat to low and simmer 30 minutes.
2) While soup is simmering, peel potatoes and cut into 1/2 in dice. After 30 minutes of cooking, add potatoes and continue simmering another 30 minutes with lid slightly ajar.
3) Put garlic and ginger in electric blender or food processor with 9 tablespoons water and blend into a smooth paste.
4) Remove all fat from chicken and cut into 1/2 inch dice. Put chicken in a bowl. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper over it and toss to mix.
5) After soup has cooked for 60 minutes total, puree. Add remaining 2 teaspoons salt and mix.
6) Pour oil into empty skillet or saucepan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add garlic/ginger spice paste, the cumin, coriander and cayenne. Fry, stirring continuously until spice mixture is slightly browned and separates from oil. Put in chicken pieces. Stir and fry another 2-3 minutes, until chicken pieces become opaque. Add reserved 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover, turn heat to low and simmer for 3 minutes or until chicken is cooked. Add to pureed soup. Stir in lemon juice and taste for seasoning. Simmer soup very gently for another 2 minutes. Yield: 10 servings.

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Chilled Yogurt Mint and Nut Soup - eCurry
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Mulligatawny Soup - Las Vegas Food Adventures



47 comments :

Y said...

I can eat it, but I can't pronounce it to save my life.

They Call Me Hypo said...

This sounds delicious! I'm actually excited for soup weather now :)

Pondside said...

It's one of my favorites - and I'll be trying this recipe just to see how it stacks up.

Anonymous said...

Looks delicious. Can't wait to try it since I'm on a huge Indian food (any version) kick right now!

Priya Sreeram said...

hey nice post- it is indeed milagu thanni (pepper water) ; mulligatwny looks real appetizing !

Priya Suresh said...

Mulligatawny looks super inviting,fabulous soup..

Maris (In Good Taste) said...

Can't wait for the cooler temps and all the wonderful soups. This is definitely going to be on my to do list

Sanjeeta kk said...

Love the color of the soup, sounds so yum, Mary!

Anonymous said...

Sounds very peppery thsi blog:)

Shireen said...

Wow Mary, you have quite a lovely collection of Indian recipes. Being an Indian, I haven't yet tried the Mulligatawny!...Bookmarking this :) thanks for sharing!

Martha said...

I've seen it forever and like you have never fixed it. When autumn comes to the prairie, it will definitely be on the menu!

Actually, I've never eaten it either -- but so many recipe books have this soup and why I've avoided it, I don't know!

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

I have heard of this, but never tried it. I didn't even know what it was. The list of ingredients and your description is helpful - I love these spices and flavors and will give this a try.

Sue/the view from great island said...

You beat me to it, Mary! I also bookmarked it to make after the Madhur Jaffrey week. My husband and I spent a year in London, where we were introduced to this soup, but usually it was chunkier, not pureed. I love love love the flavors in the soup. can't wait to try it. I bet this was delicious.

Tanna said...

You know I get excited when your socks are going up and down!! LOL! Thank you so much, Mary. I love 'bite'! blessings ~ Tanna

retete- ina said...

yummy,yummy,good soup

StephenC said...

I'll certainly keep this in mind for soup weather (which is definitely not what it is in DC at the moment). Looks lovely.

Unknown said...

lol.. love the comment about making your socks go up and down! Cute :)
The soup looks and sounds wonderful!

From the Kitchen said...

Another one for my "Mary's S.G.U.D." file! I have made a version of this--year's ago in Charleston. When I told the little boys the name, one looked at the other and muttered "time to call for help"!! Have I mentioned the word "yuck" was not allowed at our table? = ) In the end, they liked it but wouldn't say so.

Best,
Bonnie

June said...

Mulligatawny is one of our very favorite soups and this one looks delicious.

Clint said...

Is this a relative of Mulligan stew?

Debs @ DKC said...

I've never had muligatawny despite being familiar with it for years. The recipe looks and sounds delicious. thanks for sharing.

koralee said...

Oh my goodness..I love your blog..amazing images....this looks yummmy. xoxo

Victor said...

The soup looks so inviting, thanks for introducing some foreign dishes. I learnt a lot from your blog.

Kim said...

Love this soup!

Valérie said...

Once again, I learnt something thanks to you. I've been eating a lot of cold soups lately, but will try this one as soon as the weather cools down.

That Girl said...

I love mulligatawny with rice.

Banana Wonder said...

Mmmmm I love the lentils and pepper! Do you think this soup could be served chilled?

Joanne said...

If this was good enough for you to consider posting it ASAP then it's definitely something I need to try!

SweetSavoryPlanet said...

I always thing of that Seinfeld episode with the soup nazi when I see this soup. This is an awesome soup. Really, Really good.

Sprigs of Rosemary said...

I'm with Y -- I have trouble pronouncing it, too! And I've never made it either. Indian cooking fascinates me and I've been loading up my pantry with the right spices. I'm spurred to try this now!

Anonymous said...

Mmm, I love spicy, Indian and soup, so I do believe I'm up for giving this a (vegan) go. Although that spread this post links to looks pretty darn intriguing as well...

Big Dude said...

When I read the title, I couldn't wait to discover what it was - I would not have guessed a soup - it sounds very good.

Ginny Hartzler said...

I have heard of this soup a lot, but never was quite sure what it is. The word sounds Irish to me!

Alessandra said...

I remember this from when I was living in London, they even sold it in cans. And I had completely forgotten about it, especially the spelling of it ;-).

Have a good day Mary

ciao
Alessandra

Chiara said...

Sounds really tasty!I love this soup mary! have a good day....

Madeleines and Marathons said...

This soup is beautiful! Thank you for your nice comment!

Inspired by eRecipeCards said...

First, wonderful photo. I have such a tough time making soup look appealing.

And with that heartfely recommendation, Can;t wait to see if I can make my socks go up and down

;)

polwig said...

Ever since the Sinefeld soup natzi episodes I wanted to make Mulligatawny soup but never did. Now I have no excuse.

Ellen Whyte said...

Madhur Jaffrey! Now there's a name I haven't heard in a while. I gave her book to a friend last year for just the same reason: easy recipes!

mia xara said...

I've never even heard the name but it sounds very spicy!I'm saving the recipe for winter!!

Soma said...

This soup is a delight; sparky, delicious and substantial. But like you said not every restaurant in India would serve this :( The reason could be that the food is so region specific in India.
Mary yours look fantastic!

and Thank you for adding my link. really appreciate.

Claudia said...

I adore this soup - will keep your version handy because mine is so time-consuming (but delicious).

Lucie said...

Looking forward to giving this recipe a try--I love a good mulligatawny and your version sounds extremely tasty!

Cooking Creation said...

This sounds delicious. I will definitely be trying this out! :)

Becki's Whole Life said...

This sounds delicious. I have never had Mulligatawny before, but whenever I see a recipe for it I always think it sounds so good. I love all of the spices combined with the lentils and potatoes.

kellypea said...

I'm very new to Mulligatawny and have been looking at a variety of recipes -- this one sounds delish! Adding it to my list to try.

Unknown said...

I made this last night and it was perfect. Mildly spicy, creamy, filling. My hubby added truffle oil to his, just a drop or two, and pronounced it wonderful.

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