It’s not every day that I post a130 yr old recipe! I found this one from 1885 for Mulligatawny Soup while perusing a site that houses vintage cookbooks and recipes. I am calling it a stew because I overdid it on the rice, and it’s kind of nice that way. Scale back the rice if you want it to be soupy and/or are planning to have leftovers, as it will thicken considerably as it sits. Boiling a whole chicken will make more chicken stock than you need for the recipe, which is great if you want to make extra to freeze.
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| Served with parathas (frozen section at Indian grocery). |
1 whole chicken, cut into breast and legs
1 package beef or veal stew bones
6-8 c. water
2 Tbsp. oil
aromatics*
2 red onions, diced
3 Tbsp. curry powder**
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. butter 3/4 c. basmati rice
1/2 c. frozen peas (optional)
1/2 lemon
* if you are making a large batch of chicken stock, use aromatics such as yellow onion (including the peel), celery, bay leaves, etc…
**you can keep the seasoning simple and just use curry powder, or doctor it up by adding some freshly crushed coriander seeds, cumin seeds, cardamom seeds, and minced ginger, as I did
Brown the beef stew bones in hot oil in a large stock pot, then add the chicken and aromatics. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 1.5 hrs, skimming any gunk off the top. Strain the stock off and set the chicken aside.
In another pot, heat the butter and fry the onions until they begin to get tender. Add the curry spices and toss over heat to release the fragrance. Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the onions. Add as much chicken stock as you would like to turn into soup and simmer for 15 minutes. Use an immersion blender to blend the onions about 80% smooth to thicken the sauce. Add the rice and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender.
Shred the chicken and add it to the soup. You may add some frozen peas for color. Add in the juice of one lemon and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with lemon slices and green onions, if desired.
If you are curious, here is the original text of the recipe:
Divide a large chicken into neat pieces; take a knuckle of veal, and chop it up; put all into a large saucepan, and add one gallon of water; salt; boil for three hours or until reduced one-third. Put an ounce of butter in a hot frying pan, cut up two red onions, and fry them in the butter. Into a half pint of the stock put two heaping tablespoonfuls of curry powder; add this to the onion, then add the whole to the soup, now taste for seasoning. Some like a little wine, but these are the exception and not the rule. Before serving add half a slice of lemon to each portion. Many prefer a quantity of rice to be added to the soup before it is finished; the rice should be first well washed and parboiled.