The last time I was up in the hills of Mukuteshwar, I chanced upon a hidden jewel of a book called The Raj at Table. The book jots down the culinary history of The Raj(Britishers) when they ruled India. Not only does it have some delightful Anglo-Indian recipes of that era but also gives trivia based insights on pantry staples like Worcestershire sauce that make for an interesting read. When I was not busy exploring the beautiful well aged property perched atop a mountain offering unobstructed view of the rolling hills, or distracted by the shadow-play cast of the clouds ambling over the valley, I’d make myself comfortable under the shade of a mulberry tree with a tall mug of beer and flip through pages of this book while making a mental note of recipes I’d go back home and cook. Mulligatawny soup is one such stumbled-upon discovery from those pages.
Raj at table, by David Burton, jots down the culinary history of The Raj(Britishers) when they ruled India.
Mulligatawny soup is a lentil based soup and therefore makes an instant connect with an Indian palate. It has a rich velvety texture. The chunks of apples add a delighful surprise and the garnish of golden fried onion and cashew lends richness to the dish. Flavours of the spices are completely under played and “subtlety” is the true hero of the dish. It’s traditionally made with chicken stock and topped with chicken chunks, although you can make a vegetarian version to suit your preference. It makes for a comforting bowl at an end of a trying day.
Mulligatawany Soup with chicken strips, crispy fried onion and cashews.
Ingredients-
Half cup red lentils (Masoor Dal), washed
2 small firm red apples or 1 large grammy smith apple, peeled, cored, chopped in chunks
10 small cloves garlic, finely minced
1 inch ginger, finely grated
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 jalapeno, deseeded and diced
Half tsp cumin powder
Half tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilly powder
half tsp curry powder
4 cups chicken / vegetable stock (you can use chicken cube)
Half cup coconut milk
Handful of coriander leaves
Crsipy fried onion and golden fried cashews for garnish
Boiled chicken strips for topping (optional)
1 cup cooked basmati rice
2 tbsp oil or clarified butter (ghee)
Salt to taste
Here’s how I made it-
1) In a heavy bottomed pan heat oil, add garlic and grated ginger, saute till aromatic but do not let them brown. Tip in onion, saute till translucent. Add apple chunks, jalapenos, carrots, give it a minute and add masala powders. Let it cook on gentle heat for a minute till fragrant and then add washed masoor dal, mix well. Add chicken stock and season with salt. Let the broth come to a rolling boil. Reduce the flame and let it simmer for 45 minutes.
2) Take the broth off the heat and let it cool. Once it has sufficiently cooled down, blend half the quantity to a smooth consistency in a blender jar and let the other half remain chunky. Chunky bits add a great texture to the overall soup. Add the blended velvety broth back to the chunky broth and return to the heat. Adjust water, if required, for soupy consistency of your liking. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat and add coconut milk and half the chopped coriander leaves, simmer for a minute and take it off the heat.
3) For serving, in a large bowl add a generous helping of basmati rice, ladle pipping hot soup on the rice making sure to add chunky bits from the bottom of the soup pot. Garnish with crispy fried onions, cashews, chicken strips, coriander and a wedge of lime on the side. Enjoy!
FooDooF 