Mulligatawny Recipe

Mulligatawny is a curry flavored soup that has its origins in India during the time of the British occupation. It is similar to rasam but it has a chicken as opposed to a tamarind base. The first time that I had ever heard this soup mentioned was on the famous "Soup Nazi" episode of Seinfeld.

Translated from the Tamil language, mulligatawny means "pepper water." This recipe for mulligatawny includes three types of pepper and is about a 5 out of 10 on the heat/spice scale. In addition to the cilantro and lemon juice garnish, you may also want to add rice to this dish.

Recommended Equipment:
Large pot or Dutch oven
Food processor

Ingredients:
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 carrot, finely diced
1 rib celery, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1/2 eggplant
1/2 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
32 oz. box chicken stock
3 large red skin potatoes, skinned and quartered
1 15 oz. can yellow corn, whole kernels
4 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tspn fresh ginger, diced
1/2 tspn ground cumin seeds
1 tspn cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tspn thyme
3/4 tbsp sugar
1/2 tbsp curry powder
1/2 cup coconut milk
pinch of turmeric
pinch of cardamom
pinch of ground coriander
pinch of cinnamon
lemon juice
cilantro

Preparation:

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat.
2. Cut the flesh of the eggplant from the skin and cut it into small cubes. Discard the skin.
3. Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, and eggplant to the pot and cook until onions become clear and translucent.
4. Add the white wine (I used Pinot Grigio) and the bay leaf to the pot and continue cooking at medium heat for another 5 minutes.
5. Add the 32oz. of chicken stock plus 2 cups of water.
6. Place the 4 chipotle peppers in a food processor and pulse them 5 to 6 times until the peppers are ground into small pieces and have combined with the adobo sauce.
   
7. Add the potatoes, corn, chipotle peppers, and tomato sauce to the pot.
8. Add the ginger, cumin, cayenne pepper, thyme, sugar, curry, and coconut milk.
9. Add a pinch each of turmeric, ground cardamom, ground coriander, and cinnamon.
10. Turn heat down to low and let simmer for 3 to 4 hours.
11. Serve hot and garnish with lemon juice and chopped cilantro.
    

India