Mulligatawny Soup

Mulligatawny Soup, the first in our trio of recipes from the Midwest Palliative & Hospice Care Center cookbook this month, was submitted by Lila Bondy.

Lila notes in the recipe that she thought the “combination of ingredients sounded awful” and so left it to her husband Fred to prepare it for himself. She was so surprised by the result that it turned into a favorite dish.

Traditional Mulligatawny, an Anglo-Indian soup, is made with red lentils and occasionally potatoes. Lila’s recipe is unconventional since it doesn’t call for either. The flavor foundation, however, remains the same with a mirepoix of vegetables, curry powder, spices and apple for sweet and sour.

In terms of food therapy, in reference to last week’s post, Mulligatawny checks all the boxes. It starts with the sizzle and smell of sautéed onions, next comes the curry and seasonings to impart their medicinal properties and finally a handful of fresh herbs for vibrancy and vitamins.

The only deviation I made from Lila’s original recipe is to add toasted cashew nuts to serve.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time:  6 hours LOW or 3 hours HIGH

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

2 tbsp light olive oil or grapeseed oil

1 large stalk celery / ½ cup, diced

1 large onion / 1 cup, diced

1 large carrot / ½ cup, diced

1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored & diced

10 oz / 2 cups chicken breast, diced

2 tsp curry powder

⅙ tsp mace powder or nutmeg

⅛ tsp ground cloves

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp flour

1 quart chicken broth

1 x 14 oz can diced tomatoes

1 x 14 oz can kidney beans

¼ cup white wine or 2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp parsley, chopped

* optional toasted cashew nuts

Heat the oil in a skillet and add the celery, onion, carrot and apple. Sauté lightly for 2 minutes.

Add the diced chicken breast, curry powder, mace, cloves and salt. Transfer to your slow cooker.

Stir in the flour, chicken broth, tomatoes, kidney beans. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours.

Just before serving, add the wine or lemon juice.

Serve and stir in the parsley. Top with some toasted cashews to add a crunch.

Zen Moment

“Not the senses I have but what I do with them is my kingdom.”

– Helen Keller