Food Blog:
Cook In.
Eat Out.
Miss Tenacity.
New Mexico.
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Saturday, October 16
Mulligatawny
When I first started cooking for myself I used a cookbook 'written by' Reader's Digest entitled "Great Recipes for Good Health". It featured items that were low in sugar, fat, sodium or all 3. I used some of the recipes in there (baked fish, frittatas) but many I flagged for future cooking and then never got around to. One of those items was Mulligatawny Soup, which means "pepper water". It was supposedly invented around a hundred years ago when the British who were occupying India wanted a soup course, but none was forthcoming in the typical Indian meal. So pepper water was invented.
Its basically curry lentil soup, with some key traits - the base of the soup is pureed, so the back drop is a luscious orange color from the carrots and the tumeric. Any additional ingredients (there can be none if you choose) float in this thick, aromatic sludge. And I mean that in the best way, of course.
Here's how to make it:
Start with 1 chopped onion (I used half each of red and white), a few small chopped hot peppers, and 2 cloves of pressed garlic (not shown).
Sweat those gently in 1T fat (I used bacon fat) with 1/2 to 1 teaspoon each of the following spices:
(that would be: tumeric, ground coriander, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, cumin and a few pods of cardamom, smooshed)
After it has started to make the whole house smell great, it will look like this:
Next add your thickeners (1 carrot, 1 potato, 1 apple; all cut small):
At this time also add about 3 cups of chicken stock and 1/4 cup red lentils. Bring to a simmer and cook until the veg are softened. They will have also turned very yellow:
Remove the cardamom pods, add a knob of tamarind paste, and puree to desired consistency. Add some coconut milk to taste (I used a little, but some recipes call for 1 or 2 cups):
Once heated through, add any other non-puree worthy accoutrements. I added some more diced apple, a crumbled slice of bacon, and a spoonful of ginger preserves, for a little sweetness:
Stir it all in, and enjoy. This recipe makes 4 "normal" servings, or 2 big ones. Mmmm.... big ones.
Time posted: 21:45 [permalink]
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CONTACT ME: tenacity -at- gmail.com
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