Indian Mulligatawny Soup
It’s a whopping 16 degrees here in Colorado! There’s a solid 6 inches of snow on the ground and all the schools across the front range are cancelled. If that doesn’t scream “soup weather!”, then I don’t know what does. And I’m all about the Indian flavored soups this week. Just check out this recipe for Indian Mulligatawny soup!
A couple of weeks ago, I found a bunch of bags of lentils on clearance for $.50 a bag. I’ve made both my recipe for Dhal and Coconut Curry Lentil Soup. They’re similar in taste, just one is smoother and creamier than the other (and the soup has more vegetables in it). Making those recipes got me on an Indian food kick. Hence, the Mulligatawny!
Indian Mulligatawny Soup
If you’ve never heard of Mulligatawny, you’re not alone! It’s traditionally another lentil soup recipe that the English stole and reinvented by adding meat. Mulligatawny translates to “pepper water”, and that definitely describes this spicy soup! Though the green apples and coconut milk mellow it out and add a sweetness to an otherwise pungent soup. If you’re looking for the traditional recipe, which just happens to be vegan, check out this RECIPE by the Wanderlust Kitchen! Yum 🙂
I first had Mulligatawny in a hospital cafeteria, go figure. As a high schooler, I did an internship with one of our local hospitals and this soup was on rotation. Every Wednesday, they served this with a serving of Naan bread and I fell in love! It’s the perfect blend of spicy and sweet and oh, so comforting in this chilly winter we’re still experiencing. While my recipe (and the hospital’s) does not contain lentils, you could easily replace the rice in this recipe for lentils if you would prefer. Take out both the rice AND lentils, and you’ve got a great Paleo/Whole30/21-day Sugar Detox recipe to add to your repertoire!
Need some more Indian inspiration? Check out these recipes from the blog!
Indian Mulligatawny Soup
Ingredients
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup sweet onion chopped
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1/2 cup baby carrots diced
- 1 green apple chopped
- 1 cup cauliflower rice or sub white rice if not Paleo
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 tbsp tapioca or cornstarch
- 1 tbsp yellow curry powder
- 1 tbsp chopped garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 can coconut cream I used Thai Kitchen
- 2 tbsp olive oil for saute
Instructions
-
Heat olive oil in large stock pot over medium-high heat.
-
Add all vegetables and saute for 10 minutes, until tender.
-
Add tapioca to veggies and stir to combine.
-
Place chicken breasts on top of veggies. Cover with chicken stock and simmer for 40 minutes. Remove chicken breasts from pot, chop or shred, and return to pot.
-
Add in curry, rice, coconut cream, garlic, salt and pepper to pot. Simmer an additional 5 minutes or until coconut cream is melted and combined. Top with a dollop of Kite Hill Greek yogurt and cilantro. Serve hot.