Mulligatawny: Indian-spiced chicken soup

Mulligatawny by Lucy Mercer/A Cook and Her Books

Mulligatawny, the richly flavored Indian-Anglo soup is so much fun to say, it's almost disappointing to find out the mellifluous name just means "pepper water" in Tamil. It still means delicious.

This curry-spiced soup is loaded with vegetables like carrots, celery, red pepper and onion and makes a convenient weeknight meal. The apple may seem an unusual ingredient, but it blends into the flavorful broth and lends body and sweetness to the dish. Look for curry powder in the spice aisle of the supermarket - I like to order curry powder from Penzey's Spices, also.

Mulligatawny (Indian-Spiced Chicken Soup)

recipe adapted from Family Fun magazine


2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, diced 1/4 inch

2 carrots, diced 1/4 inch

1 stalk celery, diced 1/4 inch

1 red pepper, diced 1/4 inch

1 apple, cored, peeled and diced 1/4 inch

1/2 cup flour

3 teaspoons sweet curry powder

5 cups chicken or vegetable broth, homemade if you have it

1 (14 1/2 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes

2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced 1/2 inch

Salt and pepper to taste

2 cups hot cooked rice to accompany

1. In a Dutch oven over medium heat, pour in olive oil. Add onion, carrots, celery, red pepper and apple and saute for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and beginning to brown.

2. Turn the heat to low and add the flour and curry powder. Stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken broth and diced tomatoes and simmer for a half hour. Stir in cooked chicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let soup simmer for up to an hour - the flavors will continue to develop as it cooks at a low temperataure. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Text and images copyright 2011 by Lucy Mercer.