No Soup for You!

Soup is perhaps the greatest food.  You take take any number of odds and ends, combine them, and end up with a delicious, comforting meal.  Most of the time I make my own soups, working from basics like beef stew, chicken soup, or vegetable purees.  Now and then I consult a recipe for something new.  That's what reminded me of Mulligatawny.

There seem to be endless variations on Mulligatawny.  This is likely because it's not really an 'authentic' recipe: rather it was a vague British interpretation of several Indian soups.  Some seem thick and stew-like, with a page long list of ingredients.  Others are thin, broth-y soups that rely on spices for their presence.  I chose one of the latter persuasion, found here.

Since I stashed away a rather ridiculous amount of turkey broth in my freezer from Thanksgiving, half of the work was done for me and the soup took little time to put together.  (A tip of freezing stock:  after you've simmered your poultry, separate the stock into some that's just broth and some that is broth and meat.)  In fact, the only critical ingredient I was missing was turmeric, (I lacked some other spices but made do without).  This recipe is especially great because, as it's so simple and fast, it can easily be adjusted to any amount-- even a single serving.

Ingredients (that made it into mine)

• Turkey or chicken stock with meat
• Garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• Ginger, peeled and sliced
• Salt
• Turmeric
• Black pepper
• Cumin
• Chile Powder
• Coriander (I didn't use coriander, but did throw in a bit of fennel seed and caraway)
• Yellow Onions
• Lemon

I added:

• Paprika
• Celery
• Kale
• Greek Yogurt, for serving

Instructions:

1. Once you have your stock, add all spices.  Be careful adding salt if you don't remember the content of what you're starting with.
2. Add half of onions to stock.
3. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Chop remaining onion, celery, and kale.  Sautee in a pan with a drizzle of olive oil and an extra dash of turmeric until onion begins to become translucent.
5. Add onion mix to soup and simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Serve with a generous dollop of greek yogurt and a dash of paprika.

This soup was delicious and warming, without being heavy.  For more heartiness, you can serve it with rice or add to the soup itself.  Lentils, chickpeas, or more vegetables would definitely complement this dish.  Beside a lovely new soup base to work with, I also found a new love for turmeric which has found its way into many other dishes.

Enjoy!