Every single time I see the word MULLIGATAWNY I think of an Irish jig. Don’t ask me why, but just do me a favour please. Can you repeat Mulligatawny over and over again while hopping from one foot to the other around the room. See what I mean?

Okay, now that you think (or know) that I’m nuts, here’s the real scoop behind the meaning of Mulligatawny. It has absolutely NOTHING to do with the IRISH. In fact, it’s as far from Ireland as it gets.

This beautiful dish is a traditional curry soup which is rich in ingredients, comforting and absolutely delicious. Contrary to what I believed, mulligatawny is not purely an Indian soup. It’s an English soup inspired by an Indian recipe. The name roughly translates from Tamil as “pepper water”. The original Indian recipe is not even a soup, it’s a sauce that is served with rice.

Anyway I look at, this is my favourite way to serve dinner – a total “meal in a bowl”. It’s mildly spicy, creamy, loaded with chicken and apples and simply fabulous!

An out of this world yummilcious, creamy yellow hued, curry soup. Chock full of goodness and my favourite soup recipe for any season.

Now, I know you may be wondering if you can skip the chicken in this recipe. YES, you can. By adding a few more vegetables and rice or orzo, you can make this meal 100% vegetarian. The key ingredients are the curry, apples and coconut milk, so as long as you don’t skip these, you’ll have yourselves a wonderful mulligatawny time!

CHICKEN MULLIGATAWNY SOUP - INSPIRED BY GOODFOOD

CHICKEN

• 4 - 6 boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite size chunks

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• ½ teaspoon turmeric

• 2 teaspoons garam masala

• 1 pinch cayenne pepper or chili powder

• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 tablespoon flour
  

  SOUP

• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

• ½ small sweet onion, sliced

• 2 celery stalks, chopped

• 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced into thin rounds

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tablespoon garam masala

• 2 teaspoons curry powder

• ½ teaspoon turmeric

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper or chili powder (if you want to kick up the heat)

• 1 tablespoon flour

• 3 cups chicken broth

• ½ cup uncooked basmati rice

• 1 tart apple, thinly sliced leaving the peel on (I used Granny Smith)

• 1 14 ounce can coconut milk, well shaken

• ¼ cup golden raisins

• Juice from one lime

• salt and pepper to taste

• Freshly chopped cilantro for garnish if desired

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium until shimmering.

2. Toss chicken pieces with the seasonings and flour and add to pot. Brown chicken on all sides — cooking through completely. Remove cooked chicken to a plate or bowl and set aside.

3. Add another 1 tablespoon oil to pot (still on medium heat). When shimmering, add onions, celery and carrots. Saute until soft. Add garlic and sauté, stirring until fragrant (about a minute).

4. Push the vegetables to one side, and add the remaining tablespoon of oil in a bare spot, heating briefly. Sprinkle the garam masala, curry powder, flour and a good pinch of salt over the oil and stir to form a fragrant paste, then mix in with the vegetables, cooking briefly to make the spices fragrant. Add a small amount of the chicken stock and stir until smooth.

5. Add the remaining chicken stock into the pot and turn heat to medium-high. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, add the rice and raisins and reduce heat back to medium-low. Partially cover the pot and to cook for 15 minutes. Add in the apple slices into the soup and stir in the cooked chicken. Cook for 5 - 10 minutes more. Taste and add salt as necessary.

6. Turn heat to low and add coconut milk, stirring to mix thoroughly. Let heat through, and add in salt and pepper to taste. Add in the lime juice and serve with chopped cilantro if desired. I made an additional bit of basmati rice to serve in the bowl as well.