A few weeks ago, I was watching MasterChef Season 10. Contestant Subha Ramiah presented his version of Mulligatawny to the judges. My first reaction was, “Mulliga…what?” Then when, hard-to-please chef judge, Gordon Ramsay praised Subha for bringing back delicious memories of a childhood favorite his mother used to make, I knew I needed to try it for myself.
The name originates from the Tamil word “milakutannir” meaning pepper water. Mulligatawny dates all the way back to late 1700’s, as it was popular in England during British India. It was one of the few items of India that found common mention in the literature of that period.
Through the years, the creamy curry soup has had many variations, as everything passed down gets altered along the way. Once I learned of the common components, I invented my own version of Mulligatawny, and it came out positively splendid! Go ahead and give it a try tonight…
Chef Fay’s homemade version of a British-Indian soup that features curry and chicken as the prominent players.