Good Golly it's Gumbo

Long before ever visiting Louisiana, and later actually living there over the Y2K times, I had heard of Gumbo, as well as Etoufee, Jambalaya and a lot of other dishes, not all of which I really associated with Louisiana. Red beans and rice I'd had in Guatemala as a very young newlywed expat. maybe these were not the Louisiana-spiced version, but the concept was there. Boudin rouge or boudin noir are a sausage made with blood as part or most of its ingredients, but I had eaten those in Guatemala as well, under the name Moronga or Morcilla. Not a banana fan at any time, Bananas Foster never held any interest whatsoever. And long, long before ever learning that bread pudding was pretty much Louisiana's state dessert (according to me, anyway, as it was found in every single restaurant), I had been making and loving bread pudding.

When it came to hearing about Gumbo, I heard about okra as an ingredient, and I am absolutely not an okra fan. Thus, Gumbo held no interest. I like tomatoes, tomato sauces, spaghetti sauces, but there are times I just cannot abide them. At least my stomach seems to completely rebel at times, and then sometimes not. Etoufee, mainly tomato-ey red in color, was not high on a list of things I wanted to try. 

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

And then, we moved to Louisiana. Just north of Lake Ponchartrain, there were an amazing assortment of the best eating establishments all grouped so closely near to one another that you could barely toss a stone without hitting one, and we frequented them, almost all, in a constant rotation. My husband will not touch seafood, and not even fish. This is a mental allergy mind you, not a physical one. But as Louisiana cuisine is really all about fish and seafood, crawfish being absolutely huge there, there were many restaurants that had no meat on the menu, and some with a whole lot of truly stellar gourmet seafood dishes available, and with one lone hamburger plate on the menu, generally served with coleslaw (which my husband will not eat) and fries. They truly are not catering to the meat lover diet.

Exploring Gumbo Flavors

As we began exploring food in our new home area after we moved there, I was excited to taste this Gumbo I had heard and read about. I was willing to overlook okra, if the dish was good enough. And I had a couple samplings that were passable, for sure. But it was down in New Orleans proper, that I first had a small bowl of File Gumbo. Being a complete neophyte in the Gumbo world, I had asked the waitress what was the difference. she explained that Okra Gumbo used the okra as a slight thickening agent, whereas File Gumbo used File powder as it's slight thickening agent. Obviously okra has its own flavors as well, as does file powder, but I wasn't aware of that, then. 

➤File powder is nothing more than the powdered leaf of sassafras. It is generally

File Powder

available in the spice aisle. This flavoring agent should never be added to the pot, but only stirred in at table. If cooked, it can become stringy.

On tasting the little bowl of File Gumbo, I was suddenly aware that this was amazingly good! Oh my, was it good! And then I went on a search. In each and every restaurant, I tried at least a small bowl or cup of Gumbo, just to see the range of flavors, and just how good, good can be. 

While living there, I never even attempted to make Gumbo. More often than not, the Gumbo in restaurants contained crawfish or shrimp. At the time I still wasn't aware of why I was swelling so much all the time, so I blithely ate my way through crawfish, shrimp, crab, blue crab, lobster and a lot of other shellfish. Now, sadly, I have long been aware of my intolerance for those most wonderful foods. Sigh.

Making Roux

Moving away from Louisiana, as all good things must end one day, I longed for Gumbo. As I set about learning what made a good Gumbo, I learned about roux. While I had made roux plenty of times, in preparation for a gravy, those were always a very blond roux, just cooked enough for the raw flour taste to be gone, but not for color. In Louisiana, there is ROUX. Pronounced, "ROO." And this is one not to be messed with. Every young girl must learn the way to make a proper roux, or you will not ever attain a proper gumbo. And this roux must be cooked until "mahogany colored." This requires constant attention to the pot, or the roux will burn. This disaster cannot be repaired, and the only solution is to begin again. This process of cooking oil and flour to a mahogany color can take 15 minutes or it can take an hour, completely dependent on the skill and ease of the one making it. If unskilled, as I was the first time, it took an hour over medium or medium low heat. Over a higher heat, and a lot of quick stirring, it can be accomplished in much less time, but without this very dark roux as a base, the gumbo will not be right. 

Holy Trinity added to Roux

The next important thing to know is that many, if not most, dishes in Louisiana are based on the flavors of the 'holy trinity, a phrase coined by chef Paul Prudhomme. This trinity is a combination, in equal parts, of chopped onion, green pepper and celery. These should be prepped and ready, as they are the first addition to the Gumbo pot, once the roux is ready. 

Andouille sausage, pronounced ahn-DOO-ee, in Louisiana, is generally very highly spiced, with a strong chili kick. For the unwary, this can be a shock. The Andouille found in other areas of the country is but a poor relative, in comparison. I've used Aidell's brand, as I can tolerate the salt levels, though it is not spicy hot. 

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

Serves 8 to 10

Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

ROUX:

½ cup shortening or oil
½ cup all-purpose flour

----------
2 tablespoons cooking oil

2 medium onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 whole chicken, cut up
2 - 4 Andouille sausages, sliced
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
¾ teaspoon dried oregano flakes
¾ teaspoons dried basil leaves
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon ancho powder or cayenne
6 cups water or stock
Salt & pepper, to taste

File Powder, for serving

MAKE ROUX: In a heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, melt the shortening or oil over medium heat. Add in the flour and stir continually with a wire whisk until the mixture becomes a deep mahogany brown. This can take from 10 minutes to half hour, depending on your heat setting. Do not scorch the roux or you will need to begin again. Set aside, off the heat.

ASSEMBLE GUMBO: In a large skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil and sauté the onions, green pepper, celery and garlic until softened, about 10 minutes. Add to the pot with the roux. Dry the chicken pieces and brown them on all sides in the skillet, then remove them to the pot along with the sliced Andouille, all the spices, chili powder and water or stock. Add in about 1 teaspoon of salt, to start, and some freshly grated black pepper. Stir well, then cover and cook on very low heat for an hour, or until the chicken is very tender. Once the gumbo has cooked, check for seasoning and adjust as needed. Leave chicken on the bone, or remove the skin and bones, if preferred, returning the chicken meat to the pot. Serve with a scoop of rice. Serve File Powder on the side. Use 1 to 3 teaspoons per serving, to taste.

NOTES: If using shrimp or crawfish, add these in to the pot only about 5 to 7 minutes before ready to serve, to just cook through. 

My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Some Soups for Cool Days

When the weather finally cools down, and in some areas it really and truly COOLS DOWN (which, apparently, it is doing up north in the next day or two), it comes time to think of warming foods. In this blog I am revisiting a couple of oldies: Tomato Soup, either chunky or creamy, depending on preference. My preference is always creamy. It is what I grew up with (albeit out of a can), though my sister in law one day requested a chunky version, which I altered to her taste. They are both delightfully good. A third recipe (which, sadly, I have never yet remembered to photograph) is a Vegetarian "Chili" that at times I made adding in a crumbled chunk of tempeh.

The two versions of tomato soup are equally simple to make, and in about 15 to 20 minutes you have something far superior to the canned variety, plus the option to reduce the salt content. These can be made with fresh tomatoes, and the flavor is hard to beat if using heirlooms, but canned petite diced are always available and make the whole process much quicker still.

Chunky Tomato Soup

Chunky Tomato Soup

Makes about 4 - 5 cups

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
⅓ cup onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, divided
½ cup water
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon, or chicken "base"
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 small bunch parsley, tied in a bundle
1 cup milk
½ cup whipping cream
pinch black pepper

In a medium pot, melt the butter. Add in the onion and garlic and sauté slowly for about 10 minutes until translucent and soft. Add in half the can of tomatoes plus the half cup water. Using an immersion blender right in the pot (or other blender, returning the mixture to the pot), partially puree the tomatoes, onion and garlic. Add in the rest of the tomatoes along with the chicken bouillon, baking soda, pepper and parsley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Add in the milk and cream and bring mixture just to the boil. Remove parsley and serve.

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In this second, creamy version, I like to add in a roasted, peeled red bell pepper, just because 1) I love the flavor, and 2) it gives great color. If you do not have time to roast, peel and seed a red bell pepper, use one jarred, whole red bell pepper, rinsed well, instead.

Creamy Tomato Soup

Creamy Tomato Soup

Makes about 5 cups

1½ pounds fresh tomatoes, Roma preferred, OR
     1 (15-oz.) can chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeds and veins removed, chopped
2 - 4 cloves of garlic, to taste
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, lightly chopped
1 to 1½ teaspoons salt, to taste
2 tablespoons concentrated tomato paste (from a tube or a can)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour (for Gluten-Free see "NOTES", below)
1 cup heavy cream, optional

If using fresh tomatoes, scald them for 1 minute in boiling water, peel and chop. Reserve the skins to one side. 

If using a can of chopped tomatoes, disregard the first step.

Over medium heat melt together the first tablespoon of butter and olive oil in the pot. Add in the chopped onions and sweat them, stirring often for about 3 to 5 minutes; do not brown. Add in the red bell pepper, garlic, thyme and salt and allow to cook for 3 to 5 minutes more. If using a can of chopped tomatoes, add them at this time. If using fresh scalded tomatoes add them and then squeeze the skins to get as much pulp as possible into the pot. Discard skins once squeezed dry.

Add in the double concentrated tomato paste and the water. Bring to boil, reduce to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes. Pour the contents of the pot into a blender container and blend until very fine. Meanwhile, wipe out the pot and place it back on the burner on low. Add in the extra tablespoon butter and the flour and blend well. Return the contents of the blender to the pan and stir vigorously to combine the butter and flour with the tomato mixture. Bring back to a boil, stirring. Remove from the heat and add in the cup of heavy cream, stirring to combine. Serve immediately.  

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This Vegetarian Chili is one I haven't made in quite some time. In part, because of all the canned beans and vegetables, with the amount of sodium they contain. I am far more sensitive to sodium as I age than I was 20 or 30 years ago. These days, there are many canned beans and vegetables with 50% less sodium or no sodium, so this is not as big a problem. All that said, I still have no pictures, though this was very good indeed, and with the addition of the Tempeh (or add in some nice chewy cooked grains, such as barley, wheat or rye, to approximate the feel of biting into meat).

Tempeh is something I have not seen now for a lot of years, though I can truthfully say I haven't searched for it. 

TEMPEH:

Like Tofu, Tempeh is a fermented whole soybean product. Also like with tofu, Tempeh absorbs the flavors of the dish in which it is being used. In the case of tempeh, the soybeans are halved or broken, and not smooth as with Tofu. The particular fermentation process of the whole bean gives it a higher content of protein, fiber and vitamins than tofu. It has a firm texture and a slightly nutty flavor. It generally is sold in vacuum sealed plastic pouches. It can be broken up into bits into such things as this chili recipe, below. Its texture puts one in mind of the feel of meat, without having meat.

Using Tempeh is easy. It can be boiled, fried or steamed, then added to any dish. I have in past made a Mock Individual "Chicken" Wellington at a fancy dinner I made, where one of the guests was vegetarian. I first boiled a nice square of the tempeh in a vegetable stock to begin giving flavor. Then I fried it in oil, until it had a pretty golden color, then added the same mushroom and seasonings as I would for the  Chicken Wellingtons, and wrapped it in puff pastry. I got such raves from the lady! And as she did not finish eating all her food (something I can never understand 😕, as when I enjoy food I just cannot stop till it is gone), after the guests left, I took a tiny bite, to find that I nearly liked that version more than the chicken version.

The brand I had most often seen is "Lightlife". This brand also carries a flax tempeh and a three grain tempeh (made with rice, flax and soy). I used to keep the vacuum pouches in the freezer for whenever I needed.

Easy Vegetarian Chili

Makes 4 - 6 servings

1½ tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
½ red bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 (15-ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 large tomato, diced
2 small cans mushrooms
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chilies
½ to 1 package of Tempeh, crumbled, optional
1 teaspoon fennel seed, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
salt, to taste
freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a large soup pot heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add in the first 5 ingredients and sauté for about 7 - 10 minutes. Add in the tomato sauce, diced tomato, all the canned items and the fennel, cumin and chili powder. If using tempeh, add this now, also. Bring the pot to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for at least a half hour, until the fresh vegetables are soft.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Keralan Breakfast

If you are new to this blog of mine, I must mention that I am way, way into Indian cooking. I love the flavors, the spices, the smells while cooking. I have yet to visit India, but I study regions and foods continuously. And I am always trying something new. Indian food has been a passion of mine, growing exponentially over the past 20 years. I try to stay as authentic as possible to recipes, including searching out new and/or unknown spices to try.

For those who have read this blog, I apologize for repeating myself. I just cannot help myself when it comes to Indian food!

For the past couple of years, I have had a couple of recipes setting on the back burner, so to speak. Most definitely of interest, but somehow I just never got down to refining a recipe of my own. These recipes are from Kerala, a state that runs down the southwest coast of India (similar to Chile, in South America). Apparently coconut trees are ubiquitous to the area, and Kerala is sometimes called Land of the Coconuts. Rice is another food found everywhere and at most meals. Not surprising then, that coconut and rice together play a huge part in the cuisine of this state. 

Vegetable Ishtu

And so, we come to the point of this rambling monologue. The recipes I had been eyeing for a good couple of years were a Coconut Vegetable Stew, called Vegetable Ishtu (or Ishtoo), the locals' pronunciation of the British term of "stew." The stew looked so pretty with its white base and colorful vegetables. Plus, I just love coconut and coconut milk. The other recipe I was eying was one of the many, many possible accompaniments to this stew, called Appam, a bowl-shaped rice and coconut crepe. 

Vegetable Ishtu

Vegetable Ishtu

Serves 4 to 5 as an accompaniment

½ cup peeled, ¼-inch diced potato
½ cup peeled, ¼-inch diced carrots
½ cup frozen baby peas
½ cup cauliflower, in tiny florets, optional

GROUND MIXTURE:
1 tablespoon channa dal/desi channa dal
3 tablespoons raw cashews
1 tablespoon white poppy seed, optional
1 - 3 green chili peppers, seeds removed for less heat
1½-inch piece true cinnamon quill
2 whole green cardamom pods
2 whole cloves

TEMPERING:
1 - 2 tablespoons coconut oil
20 curry leaves
1 onion, chopped finely
1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced

1 can (14.5 ounce) coconut milk
½ -1 teaspoon salt, as needed

Heat a dry skillet over medium to medium high heat and toast the channa dal, stirring constantly, until deep golden. Set in a plate to cool. Toast the cashews briefly, stirring constantly, until they get some browned spots. Place into the plate to cool. Once cooled, put these and the remaining Ground Mixture ingredients into a blender container with ½-cup water and blend to a smooth paste. Set aside.

In a saucepan combine the cubed vegetables and just barely cover with water. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook the vegetables until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. While the vegetables cook, heat the skillet again and add in the coconut oil. Once hot, drop in the curry leaves to crackle a bit and add in the onion. Saute the onion until nice and soft, but not golden. Add in the ginger and stir, cooking just until fragrant. Add the reserved ground past mixture along with the vegetables with their water and the coconut milk. Add in the salt and taste for seasoning. Stir well and cover over very low simmer, to meld flavors.

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Appam, huh?

Appam seems to be a generic term for a whole variety of possible iterations of the basic rice and coconut based bread-like accompaniments that run from thin and crepe-like to pancake thick and all sorts of variations. The terms are very confusing, because many places seem to term Appam and Palappam as the same thing. Then there is Vallayappam, which seems to be the same batter, except instead of thinning to crepe-consistency, this batter is left like pancake batter and made like pancakes, although without flipping them. There are also Idiyappam, where the batter is pressed through a device that results in strings that are bunched into an idli mold and steamed, as for idli. There are some variations that call for the addition of some vegetables and or onion. It seems, truly, that the variations are almost endless, when it comes to Appam.

Appam / Palappam

What all of this comes down to is the use of rice and coconut in a fermented batter. The batter is fermented, similarly to idli, whether by natural fermentation, the use of yeast or the use of a local fermented alcoholic beverage. In the making of idli, I have yet to have the batter actually ferment, so I end up using a bit of baking soda at the last minute. In the recipe I cobbled together for my Appam, I did use yeast, and the batter fermented beautifully, all bubbly and aromatic in the morning. My Appam (or Palappam) are a bowl-shaped crepe-like creation, and often are cooked until the underside is truly browned. I cooked mine to a bit less done: they were golden underneath, though nowhere approaching browned. They are delicate and soft and white and lacy. 

To make these, a rounded pan, like a small wok (called an appachatti), is used. The batter is poured into the center and quickly swirled, as for crepes, but with the batter going up the rounded edges, then pooling back down to the center. The center remains thicker and soft, while the outer edges become very lacy and a little crisp. As I do not own an appachatti, I used my smallest pan, an old All-Clad "non-stick" 8-inch pan. When I rotated the pan to allow the batter access to the sides, I had to be careful not to get the batter onto the inner rivets, as it would stick. So, my appams were a little lower on one side, but it made no difference at all.

The true recipe for Appam (of any variety) calls for the use of raw rice and fresh coconut. It can also call for additions of Poha rice (a flattened, dried, parboiled rice) or some previously cooked and cooled rice. Some recipes call for a cooked rice flour paste to be added also. As the batter should ferment, and I have no local Indian alcoholic beverage on hand (in the U.S. southwest), I used a yeast version and made a shortcut method that worked wonderfully well.

Appam / Palappam

Appam / Palappam

Makes about 20 (10-inch) Appam

2 cups plain white rice flour
1 can (14.5 ounce) unsweetened coconut milk
1½ cups water, plus more for adjusting
¼ cup pre-cooked, cooled white rice
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon instant yeast
¾ teaspoon salt

Eight hours before using the batter: Mix the coconut milk and water in a blender with the cooked rice, sugar and yeast, blend briefly, then add in the rice flour and starting slowly, blend the mixture to a fine batter. If it is too thick, add in water, ½ cup at a time, until just shy of crepe batter consistency. Pour into a large mixing bowl and cover with plastic film. Allow this to stand on the counter 8 hours, or overnight.

After 8 hours, the batter should be bubbly and yeasty smelling. Stir and add in the salt. If the mixture is still too thick (which is easy to determine once you make one or two), add more water, a little at a time.
Preheat a small, round-sided pan. I used an 8-inch (bottom diameter) skillet. Whatever pan is used, it should have rounded, flared sides. Once very hot, brush with a film of ghee or coconut whatever is needed to be able to very quickly roll the pan so the batter goes up the sides of the pan. Once done swirling, the remaining batter should pool in the center of the pan, while the edges become very lacy. It takes a few minutes at medium heat or higher until the edges begin to loosen. Once the appam is browned on the bottom, remove to a plate. Amount of browning is totally subjective.

Serve these appam with the Vegetable Ishtu recipe above, or (less authentically) with Sambar. It is also great with any chutney, or any meat or fish stew leftover from dinner. 



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

Most Delightful Corn Chowder

It has been hectic here these last couple of months. We decided to move to the southwest US, to a house half the size we are currently living in. Lots and lots and lots of donations, donations, donations and garbage. Oh heavens, the junk we accumulate. In the middle of this chaos, sorting, throwing out and such, while I continue to cook, trying new things all the time, just because that's how I roll, still I haven't had much time at all to focus on this blog. At the beginning of May, I will be taking a hiatus, until we finalize the move, then get settled enough in the new place to be able to think again - of anything other than packing or unpacking. 

Roasted Corn & Poblano Chowder

Meanwhile, I just absolutely had to share this wonderful soup recipe. I call it a chowder because it is slightly creamy but with lots of chunky things in it for all the goodness it provides. Originally I found the recipe in an America's Test Kitchen's special edition magazine. The thing I like about either America's Test Kitchens or Cooks Illustrated is the great flavors the recipes have. The thing I dislike about either America's Test Kitchens or Cooks Illustrated recipes is that it seems they require every - single - extraneous - step - possible, to accomplish the recipe.

REALLY?

So I looked through the recipe. I skipped a few steps. I eliminated some ingredients. I added other ingredients. But basically, it is based on their recipe, somewhere in the beginning of all of it. And it is one stellar, hearty soup with divine flavors. 

The recipe does call for cutting the corn off of 6 fresh ears, tossing them with salt, pepper and oil, then broiling them. I thought, "Why not just grill the whole ears, and THEN cut the kernels off?" And normally, this is what I would do, but it just happened that the day I decided to make the chowder was a chilly, rainy day, and so - I did cut off the kernels first, toss them with oil, salt and pepper and broil. Ah, well...

Roasted Corn and Poblano Chowder 

Roasted Corn & Poblano Chowder

Serves 6 to 8

2 Poblano chilies
6 fresh ears of corn
2 teaspoons oil
salt and pepper
2 thick slices bacon, cut in ¼-inch bits
1 medium onion, chopped
4 - 6 fresh cloves garlic, minced
7 cups chicken broth
1 large sweet potato, about 1 pound, peeled, cut into ½-inch cubes
¼ cup corn masa flour, or two corn tortillas
½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
14-ounces andouille or other spicy smoked sausage
Queso Fresco, for serving

Preheat the broiler and set the rack at about 6-inches from the broiler element. Set the poblano peppers on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil and sprayed with cooking spray. Set under the broiler and let the peppers blacken and blister, turning with tongs as needed to blacken evenly. Remove the peppers to a plastic bag and seal, allowing them to steam and cool enough to handle.

Cut the corn kernels from the cobs and place them into a mixing bowl with the oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly, then pour the kernels onto the same foil lined baking sheet in an even layer. Set under the broiler and cook until slightly browned in spots, stirring the corn once about halfway through. Place the corn back into the bowl and set aside.

Peel the Poblano peppers, then remove the stems and seeds. Cut the peppers into small pieces. Add these to the corn.

Fry the bacon pieces until crisp in a large Dutch oven or other soup pot. Remove the bacon to paper toweling, then saute the onion in the bacon fat until softened. Add in the garlic and cook for another three minutes, or until fragrant. Add in the broth, the sweet potato chunks, the corn and Poblanos and bring to boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes, covered, until the sweet potatoes are tender.

Remove two cups of the chowder mixture to a blender container and puree, adding in the corn tortilla masa (or the two corn tortillas) to blend until smooth. Return the puree to the pot. Add in the bacon and the andouille sausage, sliced into ¼-inch slices and check for seasoning, adding in another ½-teaspoon of salt, if needed. Cook on low for another 10 minutes, then stir in the cilantro and serve. Crumble some queso fresco over each bowl of chowder.


My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.

A Great Mulligatawny at Last

I wrote in my recent blog of October 23 about my first attempt at making a "Mulligatawny" soup. Mulligatawny is the Anglicized version of the Indian dish called "Milagu-thanni", or Pepper Water. 

Table Set for Indian Dinner

In my first attempt, I was using a recipe in a cookbook I own, and I believe one of the ingredient amounts HAD to be a typo: it called for nearly ½ pound (200 grams) of besan, or chickpea flour. I actually used 50 grams less than that, and when I added it to the stock, it seized into nearly a solid mass. I added water and added water and it took forever to cook through, and stirring was an absolute necessity, as it would stick to the bottom of the pan. 

Mulligatawny Leftovers

All this did not prevent that first try being delicious. We had our friend Rich visiting when I made it that time, and we all agreed it was downright tasty! Still, some changes were absolutely needed, both in the sequence of events in preparation and in the amounts of the individual ingredients. I added more of some, less of others, introduced a few other things and voila! this second attempt was a true "keeper" as my husband calls them. This second try was really a magnificent mix of flavors. It was still quite thick, though I reduced the besan flour by orders of magnitude (only 38 grams). Some of the recipes with photos online showed a runny soup, some showed a slightly thickened soup. Since my husband prefers thick soups anyway, this one suited him perfectly. And let me say that all of our guests on November 3rd were highly complimentary of the flavors of this soup. 

Viognier with Mulligatawny and Pinot with Biryani

I am well pleased. My husband went so far as to say he "wouldn't mind" having this soup on any cool evening. This is translated as "please make it more often." No problem from me! Once I got the kinks worked out of the recipe's order of events, it is really easy - though there are quite a few steps.

My husband and I hosted an Indian dinner with two other couples this past Thursday evening, and we all had a great time. The guests brought the wines for the meal, and we found that a really lovely Viognier went splendidly with the Mulligatawny soup! The Pinot Noir shown here went exceptionally well with the rest of the meal, going so far as to seemingly "cool and soothe" the heat of the hot chutney accompaniments.

Somehow I managed to get multiple photos of all the other dishes, but only one of the Mulligatawny soup that evening! I took one more semi-decent shot of the leftover soup I ate last evening.

My Menu for our Indian Feast

Some of the things I chose to do differently in the making of this soup were the order of cooking the chicken, the red lentils and the besan/chickpea flour. The original recipe called for cooking them all together. This resulted in losing a lot of the soup when removing the chicken wing pieces for bone removal, as much of this thick soup stuck to the wings when taking them out to cool. Another big difference was the use of chicken wings instead of pristine chicken breast to be sliced prettily for serving. I chose instead to use chicken wings firstly because anything cooked with bones will result in more flavor. Secondly, once cooked, the little bits of chicken removed from the bones were of a perfect size to not interfere with eating the soup. 

The original recipe called for removing any skin from the chicken breast to be used. This also removes most any possibility of fat floating on the soup. You might say that skinning chicken wings would be an onerous task, but truly, it took just a very few minutes to accomplish. Cut the wing segments apart and discard wingtips. Set a wing segment with the thickest skin side down. There is always a piece of the thicker skin that protrudes; hold onto this bit, and position a very sharp knife towards the wing and slide the knife away from you. The wing will roll along, leaving most of the skin behind. Easy-peasy.

Skinning Chicken Wings

I chose to cook the initial broth with the chicken wings, then remove them. Next I added the red lentils to cook through and finally the besan/chickpea flour to cook through. The whole soup (minus the chicken) is pureed smooth.  One of the ingredients in this soup is tamarind. I keep tamarind concentrate in my fridge, as I do use it now and again. I served Imli (Tamarind) Chutney with the meal also, so tamarind was used for that. If using fresh tamarind pods, or even one of those blocks of shelled tamarind all clumped together, the amounts will have to be adjusted (they will need to be soaked and sieved to remove fibers and seeds). I used 2 teaspoons of the tamarind concentrate, and it was perfect in this soup. 

How hot to make the soup is also a choice. Since I know my husband does not tolerate more than a very mildly hot spice level, and I didn't know about some of the guests' tolerance levels, I chose to make the main dishes mildly spiced, and then also provide various chutneys and "pickles" in varying heat levels from completely mild to screaming hot, so the guests could spice things to their preferences. I happened to grow cayenne chilies this past summer, and had quite a few green chilies that I'd picked before the temps started dipping too low. I added one whole cayenne chili that I only poked holes in with a knife tip. This provided a nice, mild spice to the soup; not overwhelming for anyone. If your spice tolerance is high, add in chopped whole chilies and dry powdered chili to your taste. Taste-testing this soup along the way is absolutely no hardship!

Milagu-Thanni or Mulligatawny Soup

Serves 8 to 10

Mulligatawny Soup

1½ to 2 pounds chicken wings, skinned
2 - 3 tablespoons ghee or oil
6 - 8 cloves garlic
1½ inches fresh peeled ginger
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon black cumin seeds (may use regular cumin; taste will be different)
1 tej patta leaf
1 cup red lentils
½ cup chickpea flour (38 g besan)
2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon fenugreek powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
2½ to 3 teaspoons salt
1 hot green chili, holed poked in with tip of knife
1½ teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk
2 teaspoons sugar 
Cilantro leaves for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spray the foil with cooking spray. Set all the skinned wing pieces on the sheet in a single layer and bake for about 30 minutes, until lightly browned. 

While chicken is baking, place the ghee into a large soup pot and add the onion with a sprinkling of the total amount of salt. Cook the onion over medium low heat, stirring occasionally, until well softened. Add in the ginger and garlic with the coriander and cumin seeds and continue to cook, stirring for 3 to 5 minutes more. Add the baked chicken pieces and the tej patta leaf with 8 cups of water. Bring to boil, then lower heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken pieces and set aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle, remove the chicken pieces from the bones. Discard any bones and dark veins or remaining skin. Set chicken aside.

Add the red lentils to the simmering broth and cook for another 25 minutes, until tender. Once the lentils are cooked through, puree the soup and return to the pot (or use a hand blender). Now whisk in the chickpea flour and continue whisking until no lumps remain. Allow the flour to cook through, stirring, for at least 10 minutes. Add in the tamarind, lime juice, turmeric, fenugreek powder, garam masala, remaining salt, whole green chili and the black pepper. Cook for about 30 minutes more. 

MAKE AHEAD: If making ahead (1 or 2 days), chill the soup at this point. 

When ready to proceed, bring the pot back to a boil, reduce heat to a bare simmer and add in the sugar and the coconut milk. Heat gently and serve.



My passion is teaching people how to create a harmony of flavors with their cooking, and passing along my love and joy of food, both simple or exotic, plain or fancy. I continue my journey in ethnic and domestic cuisines, continuing my journey to explore diverse culinary experiences and hopefully to start you on a journey of your own. Join me also at A Harmony of Flavors on Facebook, and Pinterest.