Mulligatawny Soup

Ingredients

For the soup:
2 tablespoons butter
1 white onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, finely diced
1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely diced
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon chili flakes
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 parsnip, peeled and diced
2 celery ribs, finely diced
1 apple, cored, peeled and finely diced
½ cup golden yellow raisins
1 cup red lentils
8 cups chicken broth or stock
½ cup basmati or jasmine rice
½ cup raw cashews
1 can coconut milk
juice of a lemon
For garnish:
½ cup yogurt or sour cream
chopped cilantro
chopped cashews
squeeze of lemon

Takes 60 Minutes, serves 8.

Instructions

Prepare soup: Melt butter in 8-quart soup pot on moderate heat.
Stir in onion, garlic and ginger. Cover and cook for about 2 minutes until vegetables soften.
Add the chicken and stir frequently until fully cooked.
Add the spices and stir them in to coat and cook with the chicken.
Add the vegetables, apple and raisins stirring them in to combine then cover and cook for about 3 minutes until soft.
Stir in lentils followed by the chicken stock. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and cook for 45 minutes.
Prepare thickening mixture: Place cashews into the canister of an immersion or conventional blender. Add coconut milk and soak for 45 minutes. Purée and reserve.
Cook rice: While the soup is simmering and cashews are soaking, follow package directions, cooking off rice until light and fluffy. Reserve.
Finish soup: Stir and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the rice followed by the lemon juice and then the cashew-coconut milk mixture.
Garnish with yoghurt or sour cream, chopped cilantro and cashews.

One bite is all it takes to fall in love with MULLIGATAWNY SOUP!

This recipe for MULLIGATAWNY SOUP has been on our must-make list for quite some time. It’s always a welcome treat whether for lunch or dinner, but especially on cold days. If you’ve never tried this beloved staple of East Indian cuisine, let this easy version be the one you make.

I better mention two things at the outset. One, it’s totally fine for you to say things like “No way”, “Are you kidding me?” and “Oh, come on Nik!” as you’re making it. The recipe certainly has quite a few head-scratching moments. When it comes to MULLIGATWANY SOUP RECIPES, this one has so much flavour! More about that in a bit.

Second thing, this recipe is included as part of our SOUPS AND STEWS collection on the website. Click HERE to see other soup options, we have lots.

Ready to get started? Here’s the deal on MULLIGATAWNY SOUP:

WHAT’S IN STORE

Don’t let the number of ingredients in this photo make you nervous. Yes, there are a number of different veggies, spices, liquids and secret flavour boosters, but not a single one is hard to find. You’ll be able to collect everything at your local supermarket or a favourite grocer.

Our one suggestion, and we do say this often, is to use organic ingredients whenever possible, especially locally grown fruits and veggies. Doing so will bring this homemade soup’s overall flavour up a notch. Since we’re talking organic, look for organic chicken as well. Whether you use chicken thighs or breasts, you’ll love the flavour.

Curry powder, cinnamon, cumin and chili flakes

SPICE ROAD

A big part of the magic of MULLIGATAWNY SOUP comes from the combination of spices used to flavour it and create its memorable aroma. Frequent visitors to Weekend at the Cottage know we’re big fans of recipes that push the spice envelope, so to speak. In this case, cinnamon, curry powder, cumin and chili flakes work in unison to build a warming soup you won’t soon forget. If you’re feeling spice-shy, use only 1 tablespoon curry powder.

All of the ingredients sautéed in a large soup pot

One thing worth mentioning is the call for a 1/2 teaspoon of chili flakes. We went with this measurement after testing the heat level. I often make the soup using one whole teaspoon and find the heightened heat more to my liking. More or less, it’s up to you.

FRUITY

The addition of the apple and raisins into this soup might be your first “No way” moment in the recipe, but why not? Diced apple adds both texture and sweetness to the soup and those raisins become plump little pops of honey-like flavour. The fruit and spices partner really well together.

GRAINS & PULSES

Our take on MULLIGATAWNY SOUP has us incorporating two brilliant add-ins. Traditional recipes often call for the inclusion of red lentils while modern versions suggest adding rice. We couldn’t decide which we liked more, so we added both. The lentils go in right before the chicken stock to soften during the slow simmer. We cooked the rice off in a separate pot and stirred it into the finished soup right before serving to prevent it from tasting starchy.

Coconut milk and cashews creamed together to thicken the soup

THICKENING AGENT

Even I think “Are you kidding me?” when I soak raw cashews in coconut milk before zipping them up to use as a nutty, creamy thickening agent. For sure it gives our MULLIGATAWNY SOUP a rich flavour, but we also noticed how perfect that double hit of nuttiness blends with the chicken, veggies, fruit and spices. It sure does seem exotic!

GARNISH

I suppose you can skip adding our suggested garnish for this soup if you’re pressed for time – actually, forget I said that. Adding a drizzle of yoghurt or sour cream, some chopped cilantro and chopped cashew is just the thing to take this spectacular soup somewhere really special. I also like having extra lemon at the ready too; this MULLIGATAWNY SOUP loves the zing that citrus delivers.

YOUR SERVE

Although you’re going to serve this soup soon after it finishes cooking, try not to be too surprised if any leftover portions get an additional “Man, is this soup ever delicious!” on day two. The flavours almost get better after a safe cool down and reheat.

Even though this soup is filling and can be a meal in and of itself, we do have a few suggestions for things that go really well with it. Serving it with our GRATED CARROT SALAD or KALE AND PARMESAN SALAD works, but we like the thought of following it with something sweet. Ending your meal with a slice of our spiced ZUCCHINI BREAD is quite heavenly.