This dish comes originally from South India, where it was loved by British sailors. Mulligatawny actually comes from two words — mulliga thhani — meaning "pepper water," referring more to its spicy flavor rather than its ingredients, which don't contain pepper at all (though the recipe does have chile peppers). By some stroke of genius or luck (more likely the latter), I happened to make a fantastic mulligatawny soup. The balance between spices was great, and though it was perhaps a tad salty it was unnoticeable when eaten with bread. Pictures to follow.
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 onion, chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp preserved ginger (I used sweet sushi ginger)
2 green chile peppers, chopped
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground turmeric (curiously I've never seen unground turmeric)
4 cardamom pods, bruised
1 tbsp lime juice
1 carrot, chopped
1 apple, chopped
3 small white potatoes or 1 large, diced (remember to boil 15 mins in saltwater first, or this could become tedious!)
1 c red lentils (masoor)
8 c chicken broth
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp tamarind concentrate or jelly
1 can coconut milk (14.5 or 16 oz)
The great thing about this recipe is that you can do it all in one stockpot, so you don't end up with a lot of cleaning to do. I started by boiling my potatoes for about 15 minutes in salted water. The potatoes I used were rather small, so I didn't bother with peeling them; you can if you prefer.
After removing the potatoes and draining and rinsing the pot, return to heat, this time adding the coconut oil, onion, garlic, ginger, chile peppers, dry spices, and lime juice, and sautéing until the onion is just starting to brown uniformly. At this point I know you'll feel tempted to lean in and savor the aroma from the spices, so I should warn you: do not, repeat, DO NOT stick your face directly over the pot. Aside from the steam being scalding hot, the intense spice aroma could well knock you out. As you learned in chemistry, just waft the steam in your general direction — you'll get a pretty good idea of how your spice blend is.Once the onions are lightly browned, add the carrot, potato, apple, red lentils, and chicken broth. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the veggies/fruit are tender. At this point you have an option: you can either blend this mix in a food processor for a soup, or not for a stew. I just kept mine as stew so I wouldn't have to clean my blender as well. After this, add the tamarind, lemon juice, coconut milk, and fresh cilantro, and stir until heated through (just under a gentle boil). Ladle out and serve hot!
