A little bit Indian, a little bit mom’s chicken soup, a whole LOT of delicious.
Mulligatawny Soup
Adapted from a recipe on Serious Eats
1/2 teaspoon whole mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound (about 3 large) boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 cup finely chopped onion
¾ cup finely chopped carrot
½ cup finely chopped celery
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tbsp fresh minced garlic
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 apple, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 small handful of cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters, or a tsp of tomato paste (optional)
1/2 cup dry red lentils
6 cups homemade or store-bought chicken broth, or water
Toast whole spices, then crush into a powder. Meanwhile, generously salt and pepper your chicken thighs.
In a good sized pot, add your vegetable oil and heat over medium heat. Brown chicken on both sides, 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from pot. Into remaining fat and fond, add in onions, carrots and celery. Sauté until translucent and starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic, ginger, crushed spices and curry powder and sauté until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add sweet potato, apple, chicken stock and chicken (with any accumulated juices), lentils and tomatoes. Simmer on low heat until lentils break apart and sweet potato is soft, from 30-45 minutes.
Remove chicken, let cool slightly and shred. Return to pot.
Garnish bowls with fresh cilantro, yogurt and chili oil if desired. Serve.
Link to my blog post on DIY spice mixes: https://milesawayfarmww.com/2010/12/12/sugar-and-spice-and-everything-nice/