Monday, November 28, 2011

Mulligatawny Soup

This is a curry flavoured soup from India associated with South Indian Rasam and originated by Anglo Indians. Milagu meaning pepper and thanni meaning water from Tamil gave the soup its name. As usual there are several variations like the comforting rasam.Recently I saw a thick mixed lentil chunky version from Chef Vikas Khanna in MasterChef India 2. I have adapted my version from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian and it was definitely a winter warmer. I am posting the exact quantities from the recipe though you can change as per taste and quantity.


Ingredients:

Black Pepper: 1 tsp
Coriander Seeds: 2 tsp
Cumin Seeds: 1 tsp
Fennel Seeds: 1/2 tsp

Turmeric Powder: 1/2 tsp
Cayenne/ Chilli Powder: 1/4 tsp

Chickpea Flour: 1.5 tbsp
Vegetable Stock: 1-1.2 litres (or as needed. I went for about 1/2 litre or almost 3 cups)

Potatoes: 8 oz or 225g or roughly 1 cup peeled and diced
Carrots: 1 big or 2 medium peeled and sliced
Turnips:  8 oz or 225 g or roughly 1 cup peeled and diced
Red Onion: 1 medium coarsely chopped

Fresh CurryLeaves: 12-15 or Fresh Basil: about 8
Garlic: 2 cloves peeled and coarsely chopped
Fresh Ginger: 1 tbsp peeled and finely chopped
Coconut milk: 400 ml or 14 floz or 1 and 3/4 cup

Salt: 1.25 tsp or as per taste

Lime Wedges : for garnish (optional. I did not use)


Preparation:
In a thick pan,dry roast the whole spices of pepper,coriander seeds,cumin and fennel seeds over medium heat, tilll a nice roasted aroma wafts and they turn slighly darker. Remove from heat, cool and grind to a fine powder. Add in turmeric and chilli powder and keep aside for afteruse.


Mix together chickpea flour and about 2 tbsp of stock and  stir to get a thick lump free paste.Add in another 1-2 cups of stock to this and mix well. This is also known as 'alaan' and is used as a thickener. I have seen the use of this in 'jalfrezi' type of almost solid curries and this is supposed to be a common thickener in Punjab. Corn flour paste also might work well here. 

Place all the vegetables chopped, spice mix- about 2 tsp or as per taste, curry leaves, ginger garlic,chickpea stock and bring to boil. Cover reduce to a simmer and cook till the veggies are tender .Cool and puree the soup in a blender and optionally sieve it so that you get a fine puree. 

Return the soup to the gas and add in the coconut milk and salt to taste and let it simmer gently for 2-3 minutes addding more stock or water to thin it out.

Serve hot with rice or bread with lime wedges. I simple garnish with a sprig of curry leaf. The curry leaf shine very well in this soup. Wonder why I missed this soup for long... 


 It is also perfect with bread croutons or as such. Warm and comforting thats what we need as winter has started in its full fury..

Update on 29th: A warm bowl is off to NCR: Random Soup Recipes at Tinned Tomatoes, co hosted this time (for a change) by Dom.Another bowl is off to Celebration of Indian Food at the regular NCR host Lisa where a lucky winner will get a prize of Raghavan Iyer's 660 Curries.


7 Comments:

Chitra said...

I want to make this for my hubby .. Iam sure he'll love it ..

Manju said...

I like all the added veggies in this rasam like soup! super comforting for these cold times :)

Swathi said...

Soup looks delicious and rich and creamy

ashsdelicacies.blogspot.ca said...

This is a new recipe to me..very interesting...will surely try

Priya Suresh said...

Yum yum, who will say no to this fabulous looking comforting soup,definitely not me.

Unknown said...

I have never eaten Mulligatawny but often wished I had and now I know it's so simple I must give it a go... I also grew up watching the wonderful Madhur Jaffrey on TV and I love her style and find it very comforting. Wonderful soup so thank you for entering xx

Tina said...

delicious and refreshing soup...

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