Who doesn’t like rich, hearty soup?

I made this traditional and very elegant Indian soup for the day after Christmas. It is warm, fragrant with spices, and rich with a bit of heavy cream. The recipe assumes you know how to cook by the seat of your pants as I do.  Adjust to your taste. Serve with crusty, buttered bread. Better yet, a slightly sweet pumpkin loaf and ice-cold beer.

Get a big pot.  If you’re going to get ALL of these ingredients then please make a LOT and enjoy some for later.  Serves 10, with leftovers for later or to freeze.  Serve it in beautiful bowls!

Rosie’s Mulligatawny

In a large soup pot, melt butter and saute all these for a few minutes.

Vegetables
2 tsp peeled and finely minced fresh ginger root
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 cups diced carrots
One small onion, finely chopped
½ stick real butter

Then add all these:

Spices
1 TBS Curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika (not smoked)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp dried thyme
I small bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped
(about ½ cup…reserve some for garnish)

Then add these:

1 cup red or green lentils (washed and drained)

Then create/add basic broth

Two jars Williams Sonoma Turkey Gravy Base CLASSIC  (or other Williams Sonoma beef or chicken gravy base)
If you use another gravy: WSTG is thick, rich and slightly tart, and needs to  be diluted, so any substitute should also be thick and rich.
For tartness, add  juice ½ to 1 whole lemon or so OR sprinkly a little citric acid (sold in packs on Amazon)

1 14.5 oz can fire-roasted diced tomatoes (don’t drain)
1 ½ -2 cups HERDEZ salsa verde MILD
(1 24 oz jar or other that is mostly tomatillo based (not green chile); this has a tiny kick to it and is nice and TART; if the substitute has no “heat”, use dash red pepper flakes or several shakes of Frank’s Red Hot sauce). This soup will be hot enough with the curry.
2 cups applesauce
1 cup coconut milk (unsweetened)
Better than Bouillon – chicken stock paste (1 TB)

Water
How thick is it now? Add just enough water to make a soup-like consistency (not too thin…)  and cook on low to medium heat until the lentils are soft and cooked (30 minutes?). It will thicken up after the lentils cook

Stir occasionally to get lentils off the bottom of the pot

Final Adjustments
Now how does it taste?
* Need more salt? Rather than salt add some more Better than Bouillon – chicken paste
* Too thick? Add a little more water|* Too thin? Thicken with some instant potato flakes
* Not tomatoey enough? Add another can fire-roasted diced tomatoes.
* Not tart enough? More Herdez or dash of Franks

Cream
1 cup or so heavy cream  to taste ( do NOT add until the end on low heat)
Only when you have it just right, and are ready to serve, add and stir in the cream.
OMG.

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Ingredient Shopping List

Vegetables
2 tsp peeled and finely minced fresh ginger root
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 cups diced carrots
One small onion, finely chopped
Lemon or citric acid
½ stick real butter

Spices
1 TBS Curry powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika (not smoked)
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp dried thyme
I small bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Lentils
1 cup red or green lentils (washed and drained)

Basic broth
Two jars Williams Sonoma Turkey Gravy Base
1 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes (don’t drain)
1 ½ -2 cups HERDEZ salsa verde MILD
2 cups applesauce
1 cup coconut milk (unsweetened)
Better than Bouillon – chicken stock paste (1 TB)
Heavy cream 1 cup
Instant potato flakes (to thicken only if needed)

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Download .pdf print version Mullligatawny