Mulligatawny Soup

My mother used to make Mulligatawny soup when we were kids, and I loved it. I found this recipe in a novel I was reading this week, and it sent me on a nostalgia trip. I'm not sure how similar it is to Mother's, but it looks yummy.

1 whole boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter
diced fruits and vegetables including:
- a whole onion
- a whole apple
- a stick of celery
- a carrot
- a tomato
- a bell pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala (see below)
4 cups chicken stock
1 cup cream or plain yogurt
cayenne pepper to taste

Season diced chicken with salt and pepper. Warm 2 tablespoons butter over medium high heat in a wide, deep pot. Add chicken and saute until golden; remove the chicken and keep warm. Add the rest of the butter tot he pot and reduce heat to medium. Add diced vegetables and garlic and saute until the mixture starts to brown. Sprinkle in flour and curry powder.

Add the chicken stock and stir to combine, then simmer until vegetables and apple are soft. Puree in batches or with an immersion blender; the soup doesn't need to be perfectly smooth. Add the cream or yogurt and the chicken, and warm through. Season with salt and cayenne. Soup may be thickened with rice and topped with unsweetened coconut.

Homemade Garam Masala

I didn't have cardamom and don't like it, so I didn't use it. The spice blend still tasted really good. I did have coriander from my garden and discovered that freshly ground coriander is positively divine.

1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg