Mulligatawny Soup

Perhaps made most famous by the 'Soup Nazi' on Sienfeld, this Indian-inspired soup is healthy, aromatic and absolutely delicious.  I made a simple version of it today but it was just missing something.  After a quick google and a little more inspiration, this is the final result.  A hearty soup to satisfy the hungriest of men!  We absolutely loved this.  I didn't try the girls on it but you would only have to tame down the curry for them to eat it.... there's nothing scary about this mouthful of a soup, other than its pronunciation!

I used lentils here instead of the suggested rice in many of the recipes I saw and it gives it the guts it lacked.  I also added some potato for chunkiness and because it absorbs those curry flavours so nicely in soups and curries and makes it feel like a real meal.  I will be rotating this soup on my meal plan list for sure. 

Ingredients:
1 onion, finely diced
3 stalks of celery
3 carrots, diced
1/2 cup ghee (or butter)
3 tblspn all-purpose flour
3 tblspn hot curry powder
10 cups of chicken broth
1 large potato, diced 1cm cube (1/2")
1/2 cup, dried red lentils
1 apple, cored and finely chopped or blitzed
2 chicken breasts, cubed
salt, to taste
cracked black pepper, to taste
1 pinch dried thyme
1 tblpn apple cider vinegar

Garnish: 
Freshly chopped cilantro
Toasted, crushed cashews
Non-fat greek yoghurt

Method:

• Heat the ghee in a soup pot until melted.  Saute the onions, celery, carrot until tender
• Add the curry powder and flour and continue to stir for another 3-5 mins
• Spoon out half of the onion, carrot and celery mix and blitz/puree them.  Put them back in the pot.  This is optional, but I like to do this to thicken the soup.
• Now add the chicken broth, potato and lentils, mix well and bring to a boil
• Once boiled, turn down the heat to a simmer and cook for 30-45mins, stirring irregularly to avoid the lentils sticking to the bottom.
• I peel, core and roughly chop the apple and then place it in a mini processor to blitz it so it's fine.
• Add apple to the pot with salt, pepper, chicken and thyme.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking
• Simmer for another 15-20mins

• Serve with garnishes: a dollop of yoghurt, sprinkle of cilantro and roasted cashews (I didn't have cashews so used almonds tonight, but cashews would have been better!)
• We had a toasted garlic naan on the side and the whole meal was sensational!
• Enjoy!