Kathryn's Chicken Mulligatawny Soup with Red Lentils
This recipe is a riff from the great Madhur Jaffrey's recipe by the same name in her 1982 cookbook, Indian Cooking, pg. 172. I use the red lentils (Masoor Dal) from Rancho Gordo, but you can get them almost anywhere.
Serves: 4-6
Yield: 1.25 quarts (40 oz) soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cooking time: about 1.5 hours or less
Serve with
Basmati rice on the side or as a scoop in the center surrounded by the soup in a large soup bowl
Naan (bread)
Ingredients
6 oz masoor dal—split red lentils (more orange than red) rinsed and picked over for debris
4 cups chicken stock, homemade if possible (1-2 cups more broth for thinning the soup just before serving, if needed)
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala (I like MDH brand found at Indian markets)
½ lb (1½ cup diced) potatoes (can be par-cooked)
Ginger-Garlic Mixture:
5 cloves garlic
1½ inch fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4-5 TBL water
OR
substitute ¼ cup of Ginger Garlic Paste (found in Indian Markets. I like the Laxmi brand) for the garlic, ginger and water
2 TBL oil
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp Kashmiri Mirch or Deggi Mirch chili powder (optional and/or to taste)
1 tsp black mustard seeds (can substitute yellow mustard seeds)
1 tsp tomato paste
2-3 large bone-in chicken breasts, or 4-6 chicken thighs, cooked (you want about 4 cups of cooked chicken meat in a ½ inch dice or shredded ) roasted, poached, or rotisserie from market
1-3 TBL Patak's Mixed Pickle Relish, hot (optional, to taste. Found in Indian markets or some grocery stores in the Indian food section)
1 TBL fresh lemon juice (add carefully to taste)
Additional water or broth if soup needs to be thinned.
Salt to taste
Method
1. Combine the lentils, chicken stock, turmeric and garam masala in a large heavy saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. In the meanwhile, pull the cooked chicken off the bone and shred with your fingers into bite-sized morsels, or dice into ½ inch chunks.
4. Dice the potatoes into 1 inch cubes and set aside.
5. Make the ginger garlic paste by processing both ingredients in a small food processor, adding only enough water to yield a smooth consistency. (Add the water sparingly until the paste just forms.) Either that, or forget this prep and use storebought ginger-garlic paste.
6. Heat the oil in a small skillet.
7. Add the mustard seeds to the skillet and heat, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 1 minute. Test first by putting one seed in the hot oil to see if it sizzles.
8. Add the cumin, coriander and Kashmiri or Deggi Mirch (if using) to the oil mixture and heat for an additional minute, stirring constantly. Do not let the spices burn!
9. Add the ginger garlic paste to the mixture and stir well, continuing to heat for 1 minute more until the mustard seeds begin to pop and the oil begins to separate out and the mixture is slightly browned.
10. Add the tomato paste and lightly brown.
11. Add the oil/spice mixture to the hot soup with care, as the oil may pop when it hits the soup liquid. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes. You can hold the soup on Warm at this point until dinnertime.
12. Add the diced potatoes to the soup and simmer for 15 minutes, covered, to cook the potatoes through. You can also par cook the potatoes before adding to speed things up a bit.
13. Add the shredded chicken and about 1 TBL Indian Mixed Relish/Pickle (very spicy; add carefully to taste) to the soup and simmer for 10-15 minutes longer to warm the chicken and relish through. You may want to chop the Mixed Relish more finely before adding to avoid chunky spicy surprises for those who don't enjoy them.
14. At this point, the soup can be thinned with more chicken stock or water, if desired. I usually use 1.5 to 2 cups more of the homemade chicken broth. Heat to warm the soup through.
15. Add the lemon juice, to taste, just before serving.
16. Adjust salt to taste and serve
This recipe is a riff from the great Madhur Jaffrey's recipe by the same name in her 1982 cookbook, Indian Cooking, pg. 172. I use the red lentils (Masoor Dal) from Rancho Gordo, but you can get them almost anywhere.
Serves: 4-6
Yield: 1.25 quarts (40 oz) soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cooking time: about 1.5 hours or less
Serve with
Basmati rice on the side or as a scoop in the center surrounded by the soup in a large soup bowl
Naan (bread)
Ingredients
6 oz masoor dal—split red lentils (more orange than red) rinsed and picked over for debris
4 cups chicken stock, homemade if possible (1-2 cups more broth for thinning the soup just before serving, if needed)
½ tsp turmeric
1 tsp garam masala (I like MDH brand found at Indian markets)
½ lb (1½ cup diced) potatoes (can be par-cooked)
Ginger-Garlic Mixture:
5 cloves garlic
1½ inch fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
4-5 TBL water
OR
substitute ¼ cup of Ginger Garlic Paste (found in Indian Markets. I like the Laxmi brand) for the garlic, ginger and water
2 TBL oil
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp Kashmiri Mirch or Deggi Mirch chili powder (optional and/or to taste)
1 tsp black mustard seeds (can substitute yellow mustard seeds)
1 tsp tomato paste
2-3 large bone-in chicken breasts, or 4-6 chicken thighs, cooked (you want about 4 cups of cooked chicken meat in a ½ inch dice or shredded ) roasted, poached, or rotisserie from market
1-3 TBL Patak's Mixed Pickle Relish, hot (optional, to taste. Found in Indian markets or some grocery stores in the Indian food section)
1 TBL fresh lemon juice (add carefully to taste)
Additional water or broth if soup needs to be thinned.
Salt to taste
Method
1. Combine the lentils, chicken stock, turmeric and garam masala in a large heavy saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. In the meanwhile, pull the cooked chicken off the bone and shred with your fingers into bite-sized morsels, or dice into ½ inch chunks.
4. Dice the potatoes into 1 inch cubes and set aside.
5. Make the ginger garlic paste by processing both ingredients in a small food processor, adding only enough water to yield a smooth consistency. (Add the water sparingly until the paste just forms.) Either that, or forget this prep and use storebought ginger-garlic paste.
6. Heat the oil in a small skillet.
7. Add the mustard seeds to the skillet and heat, stirring constantly, over medium heat for 1 minute. Test first by putting one seed in the hot oil to see if it sizzles.
8. Add the cumin, coriander and Kashmiri or Deggi Mirch (if using) to the oil mixture and heat for an additional minute, stirring constantly. Do not let the spices burn!
9. Add the ginger garlic paste to the mixture and stir well, continuing to heat for 1 minute more until the mustard seeds begin to pop and the oil begins to separate out and the mixture is slightly browned.
10. Add the tomato paste and lightly brown.
11. Add the oil/spice mixture to the hot soup with care, as the oil may pop when it hits the soup liquid. Simmer the soup for 30 minutes. You can hold the soup on Warm at this point until dinnertime.
12. Add the diced potatoes to the soup and simmer for 15 minutes, covered, to cook the potatoes through. You can also par cook the potatoes before adding to speed things up a bit.
13. Add the shredded chicken and about 1 TBL Indian Mixed Relish/Pickle (very spicy; add carefully to taste) to the soup and simmer for 10-15 minutes longer to warm the chicken and relish through. You may want to chop the Mixed Relish more finely before adding to avoid chunky spicy surprises for those who don't enjoy them.
14. At this point, the soup can be thinned with more chicken stock or water, if desired. I usually use 1.5 to 2 cups more of the homemade chicken broth. Heat to warm the soup through.
15. Add the lemon juice, to taste, just before serving.
16. Adjust salt to taste and serve
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