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Mulligatawny Soup

To some, the name “mulligatawny soup” conjures up visions of dull, greasy, Indian restaurant concoctions, seasoned with supermarket curry powder. This is unfortunate and it is due to the soup’s chequered legacy from the days of the British Raj. Actually, despite its bad reputation, this soup, of which there are hundreds of versions, is one of South India’s outstanding contributions to the culinary world. This version is adapted from a recipe by Yamuna devi featured in her excellent book Yamuna’s Table.

PREPARATION AND COOKING TIME: about 45 minutes
YIELD: enough for 6 persons

one 7.5 cm (3-inch) cinnamon stick, broken in pieces
6 whole cloves
4 green cardamom pods
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, preferably Malabar
6 cups light vegetable stock
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
2 tablespoons chopped cashews or almonds
1 cup chopped potato
1/2 cup chopped carrot

1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/2 cup chopped cauliflower
1/2 cup chopped pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon oil
1 teaspoon brown mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon yellow asafetida powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves

Tie the cloves, cardamom pods and pepper corns in a piece of muslin. Place the vegetable stock in a 3-litre/quart saucepan over moderate heat, and add the spice bag, ginger, the nuts, vegetables and turmeric powder. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.

Allow the soup to cool a little, remove the spice bag, and pour the stock and vegetables into a food processor or blender. Process to a puree. Pass the mixture through a fine meshed sieve, pressing to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Rinse the saucepan.

Return the saucepan of soup to gentle heat. Prepare the final seasonings as follows: warm the oil in a small pan over moderate heat. Add the mustard seeds. When they start to crackle, add the cumin seeds, then remove the pan from the heat. Sprinkle in the yellow asafetida powder, stir briefly and carefully pour the spice mixture into the soup. Stir to mix, and allow the spices to soak for a few minutes.

Add the salt, freshly-ground black pepper and serve hot in pre-warmed soup bowls, and garnish with the fresh, chopped coriander leaves.

from "Vegetarian World Food"  by Kurma Dasa, Chakra Press