Soup for You!
"No soup for you!" Her, with a snarky air of confidence: "I can make my own soup."
YES, YOU CAN. You definitely can. And you don’t need to find a secret recipe in the drawer of an old armoire, handwritten on crackly, antique rice paper. (By the way, if you get this reference, I am sure you have a nostalgic smile on your face now.)
When I first watched the infamous “Seinfeld” soup episode many, many years ago, I admit it was the first time I had heard of mulligatawny soup. The episode's strict soup purveyor was so proud of his soups — his mulligatawny being the most popular — that he had rules for which customers were deserving enough to order. I was very intrigued by this soup that customers stood diligently for in a long line, so I did some research. Turns out, mulligatawny is an Indian soup I’d never heard of! Although my family is Indian, we’re from northern India, this soup originated in the southern part of the country, specifically in the state of Tamil Nadu. The name comes from the Tamil language, milagu tanni, which translates to pepper water. The invading British at the time enjoyed this soup very much, and butchered the pronunciation to what we now commonly say as "mulligatawny."
The main ingredient is lentils, specifically the yellow mung variety. You may be familiar with green mung lentils, which are commonly sprouted. Yellow mung is the whole green mung lentil that has been hulled. This is a mechanical process that removes the green outer shell, revealing a yellow inside. Further mechanical steps split the yellow lentil in half. When the whole lentil is hulled (shelled and split), the cook time is decreased, and a pressure cooker is not even needed. You can find yellow mung at Indian grocery stores, online and sometimes in the bulk section of grocery stores. This is not to be mistaken for split yellow peas, which are thicker, take longer to cook and have a different taste.
Years passed since seeing the Seinfeld episode, and I forgot about this soup and I still hadn’t tried it. When I was working on the table of contents for the chapter on lentils in my first Indian cookbook, Entice with Spice: Easy and Quick Indian Recipes for Beginners, mulligatawny soup popped into my head. I was curious about it and then I began noticing it on many Indian restaurant menus. Was it always there, and I never noticed it before? I tried it at a few restaurants around town, and then created my own recipe based on the basic elements of yellow mung lentils, a creamy consistency and a strong peppery bite. (Some versions also include chicken, which is Batman’s favorite food, according to Alfred in another pop-culture mention of mulligatawny soup).
Making mulligatawny soup from scratch is surprisingly easy for such a hearty and beautiful dish. The soup starts off as a basic Indian lentil stew, called a dal. The yellow lentils are boiled with tomatoes until soft. The next step requires the use of a blender (I prefer an immersion blender to keep things quick and dishes to a minimum). Puree until smooth and you do not see any individual lentil grains. Then add simple spices, and, of course, a good amount of black pepper. This warm and filling soup gets its rich consistency from heavy cream, which also makes this soup a hearty, comforting dish to enjoy during chilly weather! Peas and potatoes are also added to the soup to give it a satisfying touch. You could also add chicken if you like, or even leave out the peas or potatoes, depending on your personal preference.
Including this soup on this year’s Thanksgiving menu will be a unique and delicious addition, not to mention a good conversation topic. It will also be a welcome addition throughout the fall and winter months. This soup is also hearty enough to be enjoyed as a meal by itself, especially with a slice of your favorite crusty bread. It is an excellent one-pot dish to take to the office or pack for a school lunch in a thermos, and perfect for holiday gatherings and to take to potluck parties. Mulligatawny soup also freezes well. You can put it in individual or pint size containers to keep on hand in your freezer for a busy weeknight dinner after an exhausting day at work.
So now, if you watch a rerun of the “Seinfeld” soup episode, you will know all about the soup that was denied to Elaine, and you can make it in the comfort of your home and enjoy it as often as you like. Visit spicegirlkitchen.com to find more recipes.
Creamy Mulligatawny Soup
Serves: 4
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Refrigerator Life: 3 days
Freezer Life: 1 month
Reheating Method: Place the refrigerated or defrosted soup in a microwave, cover and stir periodically,
or place it in a saucepan over medium-low heat and stir periodically.
½ c. yellow lentils (dhuli moong daal)
3¼ c. water
1 small fully ripe tomato, such as plum (Roma), cut in half
½ c. frozen green peas
1 small russet potato (about ¼ lb.), peeled and cut into ½-in. cubes
¼ t. ground turmeric
¼ t. ground red pepper (cayenne)
¾ t. salt
½ t. ground black pepper
¼ c. heavy cream
8 to 12 fresh mint leaves, rinsed (for garnish) (optional)
Place the lentils on a plate. Sift through them and remove any grit. Transfer the lentils to a small bowl. Rinse the lentils 3 times by repeatedly filling the bowl with cold water and carefully draining off the water. It’s okay if the water is a bit frothy. Place the lentils, water and tomato in a medium saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Again, it’s okay if the water gets frothy. Stir and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and lightly mashing the tomato. Reduce the heat to low and cover the saucepan. Simmer until the lentils are completely soft, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Turn off the heat and transfer the contents to a blender. Purée until smooth. Pour the blended lentil mixture back into the saucepan. (Or use an immersion blender and purée right in the saucepan.) Add the peas, potato, turmeric, red pepper, salt and black pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover the saucepan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so to keep the soup from burning on the bottom of the pan. Add the heavy cream. Stir to combine. Cover the saucepan. Cook, stirring every minute, until you can easily insert a knife through the potato cubes, about 5 minutes. Enjoy now or let cool to room temperature and refrigerate for later! Garnish each portion with 2 or 3 mint leaves before serving.
Recipe courtesy of Shubhra Ramineni from her cookbook, Entice with Spice, Easy and Quick Indian Recipes for Beginners.
