We’re in for a bunch of rain/snow this weekend. I’ve stocked up the groceries to make all sorts of cozy meals again. Can’t believe its March and we are still dealing with this freezing weather. I know its normal for many parts of the U.S and the northern hemisphere, but here in California it has been unseasonably cold. Anyway Im here to share this cozy delicious soup/stew if you need a warming bowl.
The inspiration for this recipe is a riff of an Anglo-Indian dish, called Mulligatawny. Mulligatawny is a colonial dish invented by the Indian cooks/servants during the British Raj of India. As the story goes the English colonist, who were used to having soup, asked for soup be made as a starter for their meals. The cooks made a somewhat chicken soup using locally available ingredients a.k.a spices and toned it down by adding cream and apples to suit the Colonist master’s taste who couldn’t handle the intense spices of Indian cuisine. That is the story behind this soup, or so I’ve been told. I love it because its a one pot dinner, to add heft I recommend cooking the rice separately and serving it topped with the soup. This way the rice does not soak up the broth of the soup.
Ingredient Highlights
Curry Powder: If you don’t have this spice mix its easy to make if you have well stocked pantry. Combine equal amounts of turmeric, ground cumin, ground coriander and garam masala. Use about a tablespoon of this mix in the recipe.
Relish Topping: If you stock Indian style Mango or Lemon pickle, top your soup with a teaspoon of pickle, it delicious and elevates the flavors immensely. The other option is to make an Apple relish with a combination of grated apple, cilantro, spring onions, lemon juice and a little green chillies for heat. Both do a great job elevating the flavors and add a fresh component to the soup.
Basmati Rice: A cup full of cooked rice adds some heft to make it a substantial meal. Add it to the soup while cooking or can be added later. If added during cooking you may need a little extra stock to thin out as the rice will thicken the soup.
Coconut milk: To make the soup lighter I subbed coconut milk with cooked lightly mashed lentils. This adds thickness and that creamy texture like coconut milk, but without the richness of coconut + lentils are rich in protein.
Chicken: You can use either skinless breast or thighs for this recipe. Once cooked we will shred the meat, so the pieces can be left whole of sliced in half.
Chicken Mulligatawny
Ingredients
- 1-2 tbsp ghee or any neutral oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 small leeks, chopped
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 2 medium celery, chopped
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 4 cloves garlic, about 1 tbsp minced
- 1½ inch piece ginger, minced
- 1 tbsp mild curry powder see notes for subs
- 4-6 cups veggie or chicken stock or water
- ⅓ cup precooked red lentils or yellow split lentils(yellow moong)
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, halved don't chop them as we'll shred them once cooked
- 1 medium red apple, any variety, Gala/Fuji divided
- 1 cup cooked basmati rice
- 2-3 tbsp coconut milk or any plant milk optional
- juice of one lemon
Apple Relish
- ⅓ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ apple from the soup shredded
- 2 stalks spring onions, chopped
- 1 chopped green chili for heat, deseeded if needed optional
Optional Garnish
- Mango chutney or Indian stlye Mango pickle(Achaar) optional
Instructions
- Heat ghee or oil in a large sauce pan Add the onion, carrots, celery, leeks and ginger and a pinch of salt. Cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes or until soft but not browned.
- Add the garlic, curry powder, salt and bay leaves and stir for 1 minute to cook out the rawness.
- Add the chicken pieces to the mixture to coat well with all the spices. Add the cooked lentils and stir to mix well.
- Pour the stock into the pan, cover and bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook gently for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Lift the chicken out to a plate to cool. Once the chicken is cooled enough to handle, shred the chicken with two forks. Stir back into the soup.
- Peel, core and finely chop 1/2 the apple; add to the broth along with the cooked rice, milk if using and bring back to the boil. Simmer, covered, for 15 minutes or until the rice is tender. You may need to add more broth or water to thin the consistency.
- Adjust the seasoning to taste and discard the bay leaves.
Apple Relish
- Core and finely shred the other half of the apple with the skin and mix with 2 tbsp lemon juice, green chillies for heat(optional) chopped cilantro and spring onion.
- Serve the mulligatawny topped with a spoonful of the Apple relish you just made or store-bought Mango pickle(Achaar) if you have, (this is optional).
Yum, looks very warming
Thank you, hope you get a chance to try it.
SO GOOD
Add plum tomatoes and way more coconut milk
Glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you.