Mulligatawny Soup
Serves 4–6
Ingredients
1 ½ tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp ginger, very finely chopped
1 tsp garlic, very finely chopped
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp chickpea flour (also known as besan*)
1 to 1 ½ tbsp curry powder
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp turmeric powder
1 green apple (such as Granny Smith), peeled,
cored and diced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 bay leaf
4 cups (1 litre) chicken stock, preferably home-made
125g boneless chicken breast, left whole
1 to 2 tbsp cooked rice (optional)
Salt to taste
Sprigs of coriander to garnish (optional)
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Method
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan, and sauté the ginger, garlic and onion over medium heat until the onions are translucent.
Add the chickpea flour, curry powder, pepper, turmeric powder, apple, tomatoes, bay leaf and chicken stock. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring several times.
- Lower the heat after the soup comes to a boil and simmer – covered – on low heat for 30 minutes.
- Add the chicken breast and simmer for another 15 minutes.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Remove the chicken and shred. Set aside.
- Transfer the soup in batches to a food processor and blend until smooth, before returning the soup to the pot.
- Add rice, if preferred, and the shredded chicken.
- Heat through then add salt to taste.
- Serve the soup in individual bowls, each garnished with a sprig of coriander and lemon wedges. Add lemon juice to taste.
* Besan can be found in Indian specialty stores or the spice or flour aisle in supermarkets.
Recipe reprinted from The Food of Love – Four Centuries of East-West Cuisine by Wendy Hutton, with permission from Marshall Cavendish Cuisine.
The Origins of ‘Pepper Water’
BY Wendy Hutton
Wendy Hutton, hailed as ‘the diva of Southeast Asian cuisine’, has been working in the Asian region as a writer and editor since the end of 1967. She has written countless articles and almost 20 books on cooking throughout Asia, as well as books on tropical herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables.
Mulligatawny is a well-known Anglo-Indian soup – very popular in Victorian Britain – that is believed to be derived from a southern Indian soup known as moologoo thani or ‘pepper water’, a traditional ‘peasant’ dish of spiced peas and lentils.
Adopting it for their own, the English combined an unlikely mix of chicken, tomatoes and apple with traditional chickpea powder, curry powder, turmeric and pepper.
This unusual mix results in a complex melange of flavours that is an excellent starter to a Western, Eurasian or Indian meal.
