Hold the Cream

Mulligatawny Soup.

Friends you can rely on are an essential part of having "the good life." If they happen to be able to cook...bonus!

Our friends that came to stay with us have gone home, but not without leaving their mark. During their visit I was introduced to Mulligatawny Soup. A south Indian dish literally meaning "Pepper Water" in Tamil. My friend, Bethany, made us a lovely rich creamy version, but after researching this soup a bit, I discovered there are MANY varieties. Some are brothy, and some thick. Colors also vary from recipe to recipe. But the key ingredients are veggies, rice, protein, and curry powder...or other Indian spice blends.

My husband has a weird hangup about cream. It's a texture thing. He doesn't like how it coats his tongue. And if it's frothy, dear Lord, we've got a real problem on our hands!

I once saw my completely precious, easy-going husband unleash full wrath on an unsuspecting coffee barrister, who forgot he had requested NO FOAM! Clearly, he was having a rough morning...poor girl!

All of that to say, hubby loved the idea of Bethany's soup, but couldn't handle the creamy consistency!

Generally, I indulge his quirky preferences, even though he knows full-well NOT to unleash wrath on me! It's just the sweet thing for a wife to do. So I took my friend's Mulligatawny Soup recipe and tweaked it, substituting lite coconut milk for heavy cream. I also added a few extra ingredients to compensate for the thinner texture.

It turned out beautifully! The spices, coconut milk, green apples, and fresh ginger created a wealth of flavor usually only found in a curry that has cooked down all day. Mulligatawny Soup makes a wonderfully quick mid-week dinner and tastes just as good, if not better, on day two and three!

Sommer

A good friend is cheaper than therapy. ~Author Unknown

A husband without faults is a dangerous observer. ~George Savile

Mulligatawny Soup

3 Tb. butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 apples, peeled and chopped
1 Tb. freshly grated ginger
3 Tb. flour
2 Tb. Madras curry powder
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
8 cups chicken stock
½ cup basmati rice
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast, chopped
¾ cup lite coconut milk
Salt and pepper

Heat the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, carrots, apples and ginger. Sauté for 5 minutes—stirring occasionally.

Mix in the flour, curry powder and cayenne pepper. Stir another 3-5 minutes, then add the chicken stock, rice chopped chicken and 1 tsp. salt.

Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes—or until the rice is tender and the chicken has cooked through.

Add the coconut milk and salt and pepper to taste.

Garnish with toasted almonds or cilantro! Serves 4-6.

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