Happy Solstice everyone! I can hear the drums pounding at a nearby local gathering as people celebrate the longest day, the coming of summer. Oh how we look forward to this day on those barren winter nights, they pass so slowly, summer seems to zip by. Before we know it the forests will be awash with ripe berries and hungry bears. Soon the river will be just warm enough to relish in for a plentiful 2 months.
What better on the longest day of the year than a big old bowl of sunshine. Oh yes chicken mulligatawny, golden, brimming with the tastes of indo-fusion, pseudo classical indian comfort food. The splendidly spiced chicken soup or stew that even ‘conservative eaters’ will gladly devour. J and I argue about the difference between soup and stew, so I’ve decided once and for all to solve this conundrum.
soup: a liquid food made by boiling or simmering meat, fish, or vegetables with various added ingredients.
stew: to cook (food) by simmering or slow boiling.
In a sense we are both correct, and this mulligatawny is both soup, and stew. It’s a beautiful thing when 2 become 1, ah some cheesy 90’s top 40 song just popped up in my head. If you don’t know about mulligatawny, it’s a indian/english invention involving coconut milk, curry spices, chicken, vegetables and sometimes rice, lentils or chickpeas. It’s delicious, creamy and probably good enough to eat for breakfast. Here’s my rendition.
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs coconut oil or ghee
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp tumeric
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 thumb of chopped ginger
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 red chili
- 1 lb chicken breasts, cut in 1 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup of rice (optional)
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 yam, cut in cubes
- 1/4 of a cauliflower broken into large florets
- 1 pepper, cut in 1 inch pieces
- 1 daikon radish, sliced
- a few leaves of kale, chopped
Instructions
- Melt coconut oil or ghee in a large skillet or saucepan. Add cumin, mustard, garam masala, turmeric and black peppercorns, cook on low until aromatic and the seeds start to pop a bit.
- Add ginger, garlic, onion and chili, cook until onion is translucent.
- Add chicken and rice and allow to cook covered for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the chicken stock, yam, cauliflower and daikon and cover, simmering on low for 35 minutes.
- Add peppers and kale and let cook for another 5 minutes.
Note: Add coconut milk at the very end and enjoy!
