My mom used to make this soup for Christmas Eve dinner. It seems like it was something she did every single year of my childhood, and a few years beyond that. So even now that I’ve adapted the recipe and eat it throughout the year, the scent and the flavors still carry a frisson of Christmas.

It’s such a good soup. It’s hearty. It’s adaptable. It’s forgiving. The leftovers are great. And it’s EASY.

The original recipe comes from Joy of Cooking, which, as you can see from the cover, is a much-loved cookbook in our house.

My husband and I have tweaked it a bit, over the years, to our liking. I have recently discovered that it works well in the crockpot, but it is also very easy to make on the stove.

Mulligatawny Soup (adapted from Joy of Cooking)

Servings: 6-8, depending on what you consider a serving

Ingredients:

4 stalks of celery, diced

2 large carrots, diced

1 cup diced onion

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

3 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder

2-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8 cups low-sodium chicken stock

2 bay leaves

1/4 to 1 cup uncooked or 1/2 to 2 cups cooked long-grain rice, depending on whether you want a more brothy soup or a more stewy soup

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 cup milk, warmed

1/2 cup diced green apple (optional)

Directions:

Crockpot Version

1. In a small saucepan on medium heat, melt butter and vegetable oil together.
2. Add onion, celery, and carrot; sauté lightly until onion is translucent and veggies are slightly softened.
3. Add flour and curry to the veggies; stir and cook until fragrant, about one minute.
4. Spray insert of slow cooker with cooking spray.
5. Add cooked veggies, raw chicken breasts, stock, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and thyme; stir.
6. Add uncooked rice.
7. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4 hours. (Check temperature of chicken before eating.)
8. Before serving, warm the milk and add it to the slow cooker. Add optional diced apples at this point as well.
9. Remove chicken and shred; return to pot.
10. Remove bay leaves.
11. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

Stovetop Version

Note: Ingredients are the same, except the rice and chicken should already be cooked.

1. In a large stockpot on medium heat, melt butter and vegetable oil together.
2. Add onion, celery, and carrot; sauté lightly until onion is translucent and veggies are slightly softened.
3. Add flour and curry to the veggies; stir and cook until fragrant, about one minute.
4. Add stock, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and thyme; stir.
5. Bring to a boil; simmer for 15 minutes.
6. Add shredded cooked chicken, cooked rice, and optional diced apples.
7. Simmer for 15 minutes.
8. Immediately before serving, add warmed milk.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste.

 

Notes:

1. This is a very forgiving and adaptable recipe. You can add more or less chicken, more or less rice, more or less milk. Sometimes I have left out the milk altogether.
2. You can substitute half and half, heavy cream, or coconut milk for the milk.
3. You can add a squeeze of lemon to the soup before serving, for a little brightness.
4. It is very simple to cut this recipe in half, but the leftovers freeze well.
5. I do not think the apples add anything to the recipe, but my husband likes them.

 

Enjoy!