This Classic Anglo-Indian soup, the name of which means "pepper water," should be richly endowed with meat and piquantly spiced. Taste the soup as it cook, adding lemon juice, cayenne pepper and curry powder as necessary.

Mulligatawny Soup

1 large garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin seed
6 whole cloves, finely crushed
1 tablespoon curry powder or to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Cayenne pepper
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 (4 to 4 1/4 lb) roasting chicken, cut into serving pieces
Giblets from chicken, coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks with leaves, thinly sliced
2 large onions, chopped
2 carrots, diced
1 leek (white part only), thinly sliced
11 cups (2 quarts plus 3 cups)defatted chicken stock (preferably homemade)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2/3 cup long grain rice
2 tart medium apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 cup plain yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or to taste
2/3 cup whipping cream, warmed
chopped fresh parsley and lightly toasted sliced almonds (garnish)
 

Combine garlic and spices. Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and saute until lightly browned on all sides. Add giblets and saute until cooked through. Transfer chicken and giblets to stockpot.

Drain all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. Add celery, onion, carrot, leek and spice mixture and blend well. Add a small ladle of stock and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until vegetables are tender. Add to chicken. Stir in remaining stock and season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Remove chicken with slotted spoon and set aside. Add rice to soup and continue cooking 15 minutes.

When chicken is cool enough to handle, cut meat into bite-size pieces, discarding skin and bones. Return chicken to soup and blend in apples and yogurt. Simmer 10 minutes. Degrease soup if necessary. Stir in lemon juice, then blend in cream. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pour into heated tureen and sprinkle with parsley and almonds.

Source: Bon Appetit's now out of print cookbook series, "Cooking with Bon Appetit - Soups and Salads" (Knapp Press, 1983).