Mulligatawny Soup - 1 - $

One of the very few things I gained from having to shop at stupor-markets while I lived in London for several years was Mulligatawny. It is an old British colonial dish from back in the days of The Empire, but don't hold that against it. I used to buy ready-made but sought out a recipe when I moved back to Melbourne, because, unlike the London Underground, I really missed it when I came home.



You can use either chicken or beef mince in this recipe, and don't be scared of the curry powder as serving it with yoghurt will take the edge off. This will easily feed four as it's deceptively filling.

Ingredients

1 Carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 Red capsicum, seeds removed and finely chopped
1 Red onion, finely chopped
1 Long red chili, seeds removed and finely chopped
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
1 Piece of ginger, approx 2.5cm, peeled and finely chopped
1 Bunch coriander, stalks finely chopped, keep the leaves for later
2 tbs Madras hot curry powder
1 tbs tomato paste
2 Tins of chopped tomatoes
200gms mince (chicken or beef)
2 Cups stock - chicken for chicken, beef for beef
1/2 Cup basmati rice
Natural yoghurt to serve

Heat some olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat and cook the onion, garlic, carrot, capsicum, ginger, coriander stalks and chili for around 10 minutes until they are soft.
Add the curry and tomato paste, stir through and cook for a minute or two until the curry powder becomes fragrant.
Add the mince and cook stir for a minute or two to break it up, then add the tomatoes and stock, season and bring to the boil. Keep the pot covered and simmer on a low heat for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Add the rice, stir through, return to the boil and then cover again and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
Finely chop the coriander leaves and stir through just before serving (save some to garnish too). Spoon into bowls and serve hot with a big dollop of yoghurt on the top.

Enjoy!