My recent appearance on Global TV News helped to remind me that any time of year is a great time for soup.
I demonstrated one of my favorite soup recipes and the feedback I received was tremendous.
Soup is great because just one pot is a blank canvas waiting for you to unleash your culinary imagination.
One of my all-time favourites is Mulligatawny soup. The name for this curry based soup is derived from the words “milagu” (meaning pepper) and “thanni” (meaning water). It is also a great recipe for using up any leftover cooked chicken from the night before.
When using lentils, salt is typically added at the end of the cooking time as it could slow down the cooking of the lentils, and I have followed that rule here.
However, keep in mind that there is typically salt in chicken broth, so leaving the salt to the end probably doesn’t make too much difference in this instance. Happy Cooking...
Mulligatawny Soup
1/4 cup butter
1 medium onion, diced small
2 celery stalks, diced small
1 medium carrot, diced small
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp flour
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp dried thyme
4 cups chicken broth/stock
1/4 cup dried green lentils
2 bay leaves
1 apple, peeled and diced
2 cooked chicken breasts, cubed (preferably grilled)
1 - 400 ml can of coconut milk
1.5 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Add butter to a pot over medium heat. Once the butter foams, add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Stir to combine and cook for 2 to 3 minutes stirring occasionally until soft.
Add the flour, curry powder, garam masala, and thyme and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, stirring frequently.
Slowly add the chicken broth and stir to combine while adding to prevent lumps. Add the lentils and bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then simmer over low heat uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in the apple, chicken, and coconut milk. Continue to simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes to ensure that the lentils are cooked and to let the flavours come together.
Season with the salt and pepper, discard the bay leaves, and serve immediately.
Makes approximately 8 cups
Chef Dez is a Food Columnist, Culinary Instructor & Cookbook Author. Visit him at www.chefdez.com
Write to him at [email protected] or P.O. Box 2674, Abbotsford, BC V2T 6R4
The next “Chef Dez on Cooking” column will appear in approximately two weeks.
