Muligatawney Soup

Does the name sound odd? If you are not from the Indian Subcontinent, it would be strange. If you have lived in or been to South India, you must've come across this spicy soup at some point. A throwback from British Colonial days, it is literally pepper or chile water, tempered by the addition of coconut milk. Served ladled over a mound of rice, this spice laden broth is redolent with cumin, coriander and fennel.

Make it with goat, lamb or chicken. Mine is meat free. The stock could be meat centric or plain water. I have meat stock in my freezer. Save time and use store bought meat stock or use water for a vegetarian version. Hot oil is flavored with dried red chiles and curry leaves. Onions, ginger and garlic are lightly fried. Cumin, coriander and fennel seed powders add oomph. Tomato cooks along with onions. Besan or chick pea flour is dry roasted till light brown, then blended with coconut milk. This will thicken the soup, giving it a nutty aroma and taste. Fish out the dried chiles and curry leaves if you desire. I leave them in for aesthetic purposes. I like to see bits of red and green. Ladled over cooked white rice, the soup churns up visions of bygone family outings.


MULIGATAWNEY SOUP
Serves 4

2 dried Red Chiles
4-5 Curry leaves
2 teaspoon Canola Oil
2 small Onions
3 Garlic cloves
3 Ginger coins
1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon Cumin powder
1/2 teaspoon Coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon Fennel powder
1/4 teaspoon Garam masala
1 Tomato
4 cups Meat Stock, Chicken Stock or Water
2 tablespoons Besan or Chick Pea Flour
1/2 cup Coconut Milk
3/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
OPTIONAL- 1/2 cup cooked Goat meat, Lamb chunks or shredded Chicken 
Hot Cooked White Rice



Chop onions, ginger and garlic finely.

Heat oil in deep saucepan.

Break dried chiles in half.

Drop them and curry leaves in hot oil. Splutter for a 10 seconds.

Then add onions, ginger and garlic to the pan. Saute till onions are translucent.

Sprinkle all powdered masalas over onions and sweat the masala for a bit.

Chop tomato and add to masala. Saute till tomato is soft and pulpy. 

Pour stock into the pan and bring to boil. 

Saute besan in a small pan over  high heat. Stir continuously till the besan turns light brown and emits a nutty aroma. Take it off the flame. 

Whisk coconut milk into besan till you have no lumps.

Dribble this blend into the hot stock, stirring vigorously. Boil for another 10 minutes, allowing the besan to cook through.

Season with salt.

At this point you could add the meat or chicken to the soup. Let the meat heat up for about 3-5 minutes before serving.

To serve, heap a tablespoon of rice in a bowl, ladle the soup over the rice. Pick up that spoon and savor your labor.

In the past we had relished this staple at the now defunct Kwality restaurants, so for me this is a happy saunter down memory lane. 

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